A smartphone can be a major investment — especially if you’re shopping for one of the best phones around — so it’s important to be sure that the device you’re buying isn’t just good for now, but good for many years to come.

Software support is a key factor in determining how long a phone will last, and in recent years, manufacturers have been committing to much longer product support windows than they used to. But not all phones get the same amount of support, and indeed some older phones will be approaching their final update in 2026.

So, below, we’ve detailed how long phones from Apple, Samsung, Google, and Motorola will continue to receive updates.

To keep things simple, we've focused on major brands with US availability, but if you have a recent high-end phone from the likes of Honor, Oppo, or Xiaomi, it will likely be in line for between five and six years of updates from its launch date. Older and lower-end models tend to be in the two-to-three-year range.

Apple iPhones

Apple never used to commit to a specific support window for its phones, but that changed in 2024, when new UK regulations required brands to outline a minimum support window. As a result, Apple now promises a minimum of five years — but this only applies to security updates, not the kinds of iOS updates that add new software features. And five years is a minimum, with Apple often going beyond that number anyway.

All of which is to say we can’t be certain when iPhones will get their final update, but typically, they’re supported for between five and seven years.

So, the list below is our best guess for how many years of updates each currently supported iPhone model has left.

• iPhone 17 series — 4-6 years (last update in 2030, 2031, or 2032)
• iPhone Air — 4-6 years (last update in 2030, 2031, or 2032)
• iPhone 16 series — 3-5 years (last update in 2029, 2030 or 2031)
• iPhone 15 series — 2-4 years (last update in 2028, 2029, or 2030)
• iPhone 14 series — 1-3 years (last update in 2027, 2028, or 2029)
• iPhone SE (2022) — 1-3 years (last update in 2027, 2028, or 2029)
• iPhone 13 series — 0-2 years (last update in 2026, 2027, or 2028)
• iPhone 12 series — 0-2 years (last update in 2026, 2027, or 2028)
• iPhone 11 series — final update will probably be this year with iOS 27
• iPhone SE (2020) — final update will probably be this year with iOS 27

Samsung Galaxy phones

Samsung offers as much as seven years of support for some of its recent phones, but older and lower-end handsets get fewer updates, so how long your phone will be updated for can be quite variable depending on the model.

• Samsung Galaxy S26 series — 7 years (last update in 2033)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 — 6 years (last update in 2032)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 — 6 years (last update in 2032)
• Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold — 6 years (last update in 2032)
• Samsung Galaxy S25 series — 6 years (last update in 2032)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy S24 series — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy A57 — 6 years (last update in 2032)
• Samsung Galaxy A56 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy A36 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy A26 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy A17 — 5 years (last update in 2031)
• Samsung Galaxy A17 — 4 years (last update in 2030)
• Samsung Galaxy A55 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
• Samsung Galaxy A35 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
• Samsung Galaxy M35 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
• Samsung Galaxy A25 — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2028)
• Samsung Galaxy A54 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Samsung Galaxy A34 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Samsung Galaxy S23 series — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Samsung Galaxy M54 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028

Google Pixel phones

Google has committed to supporting all handsets from the Pixel 8 onwards for seven years, while phones from the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 lines get five years of support.

Note that, as a-series models launch later than their mainline siblings, they technically get supported for longer. But depending on when major new Android versions launch, they may not get additional significant updates.

• Google Pixel 10a — 7 years (last update in early 2033)
• Google Pixel 10 series (excluding 10a) — 6 years (last update in late 2032)
• Google Pixel 9a — 6 years (last update in early 2032)
• Google Pixel 9 series (excluding 9a) — 5 years (last update in late 2031)
• Google Pixel 8a — 5 years (last update in early 2031)
• Google Pixel 8 series (excluding 8a) — 4 years (last update in late 2030)
• Google Pixel Fold — 2 years (last update in mid-2028)
• Google Pixel 7a — 2 years (last update in mid-2028)
• Google Pixel 7 series (excluding 7a) — 1 year (last update in late 2027)
• Google Pixel 6a — 1 year (last update in mid-2027)
• Google Pixel 6 series (excluding 6a) — final update this year (2026)

Motorola phones

Motorola’s update commitments feel quite messy and inconsistent, with some phones getting more or fewer updates than you might expect, but you’ll find an overview of the currently supported handsets below.

• Motorola Signature — 7 years (last update in early 2033)
• Motorola Edge 70 series — 3 years (last update in 2029, security patches until 2031)
• Motorola Edge 60 Neo — 3 years (last update in 2029, security patches until 2031)
• Motorola Edge 50 Neo — 3 years (last update in 2029)
• Motorola Razr 70 / Razr 2026 series — 2 years (last update in 2028, security patches until 2030)
• Motorola Edge 60 series (excluding Neo) — 2 years (last update in 2028, security patches until 2029)
• Moto G75 — 2 years (last update in 2028, security patches until 2030)
• Motorola Razr 60 / Razr 2025 series — 1 year (last update in 2027, security patches until 2029)
• Motorola Edge 50 Pro — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Motorola Edge 50 Fusion — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Motorola Edge 50 Ultra — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Motorola Razr 50 / Razr 2024 series — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2028
• Moto G86 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2029
• Moto G56 — final Android update this year (2026), final security patch in 2029

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a balanced flagship phone, but can it compete with Ultra-branded camera phones from China? To find out, I pitted the best Samsung phone against the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, which is widely considered the best camera phone available right now. But while the Oppo flagship was the favorite going into my photo walk, the Samsung surprised me in a few ways.

With the S26 Ultra, the Korean giant doubled down on software and bundled it with larger apertures on two sensors, whereas Oppo went all-in on hardware upgrades and paired them with meaningful software advancements. It also added 10x optical zoom, making the Find X9 Ultra the only Ultra phone with this feature in 2026. Oppo says its 10x telephoto camera is 3x more light-sensitive than the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x camera.

The resulting camera system beats the Galaxy S26 Ultra in most scenarios, but Samsung's flagship phone surprised me on multiple occasions. It's certainly a better camera phone than the Galaxy S25 Ultra, despite having seemingly similar hardware.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Oppo Find X9 Ultra: Specs

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra covers 13-111mm focal lengths. It has a 50MP 13mm f/1.9 ultra-wide camera with a 1/2.5-inch sensor, a 200MP 23mm f/1.4 main camera with a 1/1.3-inch sensor, a 10MP 67mm f/2.4 3x telephoto camera with a 1/3.94-inch sensor, and a 50MP 111mm f/2.9 5x periscope telephoto camera with a 1/2.52-inch sensor. It looks formidable until you see what Oppo has on offer this year.

The Find X9 Ultra covers focal lengths from 14mm to 230mm. It has a 50MP 14mm f/2 ultra-wide camera with a 1/1.95-inch sensor, a 200MP 23mm f/1.5 main camera with a 1/1.2-inch sensor, a 200MP 70mm f/2.2 3x telephoto camera with a 1/1.28-inch sensor, and a 50MP 230mm f/3.5 10x telephoto camera with a 1/2.75-inch sensor.

I took more than 500 photos on each phone and narrowed down this comparison to 25 images. Here's how the two Ultra phone cameras compare:

Main camera

Both Samsung and Oppo shoot pixel-binned images from their 200MP sensor by default. I recommend using a higher resolution mode (like 24MP or 50MP on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and 50MP on the Oppo), but I kept the default settings for this comparison.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra boosts color saturation to add a pop, whereas Oppo's shots look more natural. While I like Samsung's contrast, there's some artificial color sharpening going on, making it look less natural.

On the other hand, the Find X9 Ultra gives you a more pleasing bokeh, thanks to a bigger sensor. Both phones captured good amount of details, as you can see the texture on the leaves.

However, I prefer Oppo's color science and Master Mode, which give me natural tones with minimal phone-like color processing.

In evening shots, the Galaxy S26 Ultra gave my photos a teal hue, whereas the Find X9 Ultra had a pink hue. My skin tone was better captured by the Oppo phone, and it had more details. In comparison, the Samsung shot looks slightly noisy and less appealing overall.

Samsung has been working on improving its night mode photos for a few years now, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra beats its rivals in this scenario on most occasions. I want my low-light photos to look like low-light shots instead of artificially brightened photos. That's why I like Samsung's saturated colors on the entrance board versus Oppo's brightened picture quality at night.

However, if you switch to the Master Mode, things change drastically. The Find X9 Ultra handles night light well and doesn't overexpose the shots to brighten every detail. In my testing, Master Mode consistently delivered better results than Oppo's default processing, and I relied on it for night shots.

Telephoto cameras

This is one of the scenarios where Samsung surprised me. I like its cooler tone versus Oppo's warmer look, which gave my skin a yellow tint. It doesn't look bad, but I'm simply not that pale. Again, this could be fixed by using the Master Mode, but I expected better color science from the default processing. However, Oppo's shot captured rich details as compared to a slightly smoother-looking skin on the Samsung flagship.

In challenging lighting situations like the above, when the setting sun was directly hitting my face, Samsung processed the photo better than Oppo.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra managed to get the golden hour look, while the Find X9 Ultra's shot looks washed out. Both photos were captured with tap and shoot, so the focus was set, and the cameras didn't struggle to find the subject automatically. Again, I wish Samsung captured more details with a more natural-looking bokeh. It looks soft and slightly artificial in comparison to the Oppo's.

Oppo's bigger lens and smarter processing comes in handy when you need rich details in shots like above. Samsung struggled to focus on the thick webbing, while the Find X9 Ultra focused and captured even the single strands. And this extends to the 10x telephoto camera.

Oppo demolishes the Galaxy S26 Ultra in macro shots. This was a tricky subject because the small flower kept moving in the slightest breeze. I struggled to get it in focus with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which it simply couldn't do. That's why I don't have a comparison photo for this shot. The Oppo Find X9 Ultra, by contrast, focused on the same subject with a single tap and even captured those white threads in the picture.

One of the reasons I love having big telephoto cameras, like the one on the Find X9 Ultra, is that they allow me to get so close to small subjects and capture things I'd never be able to focus on with my eyes. Oppo's macro mode is right up there with Vivo's, and Samsung doesn't have a match for it.

Ultra-wide camera

When it comes to my ultra-wide testing, the Oppo Find X9 Ultra was able to get more contrast and highlight the blues of the sky without blowing out the green leaves as the Galaxy S26 Ultra did.

Overall, I prefer Oppo's shot here because it has more details on the tree trunks and didn't overexpose the leaves. However, Samsung's processing focused on better exposing the leaves and didn't have the same halo effect as its rival.

Verdict

The Oppo Find X9 Ultra consistently captured richer details compared to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, the Samsung flagship stood its own and even beat the Oppo phone on a couple of occasions. While I prefer having bigger sensors, the Galaxy phone surprised me in the best ways.

That said, Oppo easily wins in most scenarios. It is, hands-down, the current king of smartphone telephoto cameras. TechRadar's Cameras Editor Timothy Coleman also compared the Find X9 Ultra to two dedicated cameras and concluded, "It feels like this flagship Chinese phone renders most travel zoom compacts redundant," which can't be said about the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The Master Mode is an added benefit if you like shooting film-like colors. I simply can't stop shooting with this phone.

If your phone of choice is a Samsung Galaxy handset, then you'll know that the Android-based One UI software that comes with it is packed with handy settings and features. There's more to explore than there is on many other Android phones, including the Google Pixel series.

In fact there are so many options that Samsung has hidden some of them away. One UI includes a Connectivity labs menu, which includes a variety of useful features, but you have to jump through a number of hoops before you can find it.

Once you do have it enabled, you can check the strength of the Wi-Fi all around your home, troubleshoot problems you might be having with the network, change the way your phone switches between mobile data and Wi-Fi, and more besides.

Here's how to find Connectivity labs, and how to use it.

Enabling Connectivity labs and Wi-Fi scans

To get this menu visible, you need to head to Settings on your Galaxy phone and tap Connections then Wi-Fi. Tap the three dots in the top right corner, and select Intelligent Wi-Fi. You then need to tap the Intelligent Wi-Fi label at the bottom of the next screen seven times (you'll see a countdown appear after a few taps).

Hey presto — you now have a new Connectivity labs menu to make use of. Open this up and you'll see a host of different statistics about your network, and numerous features and options to explore. Right at the top, for example, you can see how long the device has been connected to Wi-Fi today, and what the daily average is.

Go further down the screen and there's a breakdown of the Wi-Fi bands that your Galaxy phone has been connected to, and the standard of Wi-Fi it's been using (so you can check that your new Wi-Fi 7 router is working as advertised). You're also able to see how many Wi-Fi networks are saved to the phone.

One of the most useful features in Connectivity labs for me is the Home Wi-Fi inspection. If you select this then choose Start, your phone will take you on a tour of your home, showing you in real time the Wi-Fi signal strength from your router and giving you warnings about areas with weaker connectivity.

Fortunately, the Wi-Fi in my home is relatively strong, but there are a couple of spots where the signal is weak, and the inspection tool flags them up. It can also be useful to make changes to the Wi-Fi setup (such as moving the router somewhere else) and seeing how that effects the signal coverage.

Other features you'll find in Connectivity labs

There's lots more you can do with Connectivity labs, as you'll see if you keep scrolling down the page. Turn on Auto reconnect to carrier Wi-Fi, for example, and your phone will automatically connect to public Wi-Fi hotspots operated by your carrier. There's also a Wi-Fi 7 toggle switch, to make sure you're always using the latest Wi-Fi standard, on networks where it's available.

If you enable the Switching to mobile data faster toggle switch, your phone then automatically hops to a cellular connection when it detects that the Wi-Fi it's using is spotty and weak. It means you might end up using more data, but you'll have fewer problems with interruptions when the Wi-Fi you're connected to isn't the best.

The Intelligent Wi-Fi Handover and Switching to mobile data with AI features work in a similar way. The former will hand over some tasks to cellular data on a weak Wi-Fi signal without disabling the Wi-Fi completely, while the latter uses your typical usage patterns (in terms of downloads, browsing, and so on) to decide when to switch off Wi-Fi.

You can use the Connect to 2.4GHz for IOT setup to force your phone to use the 2.4GHz band on your router — this is the one a lot of smart home devices attach themselves to, so you might have to do this to configure them — while L4S is a special low-latency connection protocol that can speed up your connection, if your router supports it.

There's also the option to Show network quality info in the list of networks when you're connecting to Wi-Fi, so you can see what the best pick is when you've got multiple options to choose from. These are all genuinely useful features to have access to, and it's not really clear why Samsung thinks they should stay hidden by default.

When I was doing all the testing for our Samsung Galaxy A57 review, I enjoyed how streamlined its software was compared to that of the best Samsung phones. But since publishing that review, I've been jumping back and forth between the A57 and another Samsung flagship, and I've got a more nuanced view.

Before the A57 (and, for a little while, after it), I was using the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is pretty much the best Android phone money can buy. It has similar hardware specs to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, with its biggest advancements instead coming in the form of new software tools and features.

Now, I know the Galaxy A57 and S26 Ultra aren't exactly comparable. The former is a mid-range phone starting at $549 / £529 / AU$749, while the latter is a premium phablet which costs a minimum of $1,299 / £1,279 / AU$2,199. That's over twice as much.

But from the right angle, they're the same phone. Both are the top models in their respective Galaxy categories, and they're undoubtedly the two best Samsung phones released in 2026 so far. If you've got the budget, you buy the S26 Ultra, while the A57 is designed to be a great corner-cutting alternative.

And for the most part, Samsung made the right corner-cutting calls. Zoom cameras? Gotta go. Blazing chipset? Not here. Stylus? Styl-off. But when I tested the A57, there were definitely a few absent software features that I missed from the S26 Ultra.

So come on, Samsung — please add these 5 software features to cheaper phones like the Galaxy A57 in future software updates.

Audio Eraser

Audio Eraser is a really nifty AI feature. It basically works as an on-device noise cancellation tool for videos you're watching.

The use case Samsung demonstrated during the feature's announcement — which I've since tried myself on several occasions — was for live sports events or recaps. Usually, the crowd is so loud that you can barely hear what's going on. Audio Eraser can identify the crowd noise and strip it from the audio, letting you hear the commentary and even sports noises.

It's also useful for eliminating environmental sounds, like the rush of the sea or roaring wind, helping you hear spoken words better.

Given that Samsung designs its hardware around its AI features these days, I wouldn't be surprised if iAudio Eraser is dependent on the power of the S26 Ultra's chipset. Still, surely a scaled-down version can make its way to the A57. Right, Samsung?

Search with Finder

I found Search with Finder so useful on the Galaxy S26 Ultra that I'm surprised it isn't available in all smartphones.

On Android phones, Finder is the search bar in the app drawer. When you can't find an app because you have no organizational system to speak of (no shame, I'm the same), you search for it in Finder.

But Search with Finder, as Samsung calls it, supercharges this little tool on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It will search your entire phone for your target; boarding passes, tagged photos, and email attachments are all within its purview.

This feature was designed for messy organizers like me. I have no central system for organizing files, apps, or documents, and I'm often engaged in wild goose chases trying to find things on my phone. Not with Finder on the Galaxy S26 Ultra: if I'd lost something on my phone, it could find 'er (sorry).

Let me tell you, going from the S26 Ultra to the Search with Finder-less Galaxy A57 was quite a shock; in fact, its absence is what prompted me to write this article.

Search with Finder is basically just an in-depth search function, and I was really surprised when the A57 couldn't find documents I'd received in emails or videos I had saved to its internal storage. It feels like a natural function to bring to all of Samsung's phones, not just the A57.

Bixby to control your phone

This one's less of a "feature I love" kind of deal, but something that really makes sense when you think about it.

Bixby is given more responsibilities on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Oh, you haven't met Bixby yet? It's Samsung's on-board assistant, which most people either forget about or don't realize they're using.

In the S26 Ultra, Bixby can now directly change settings on your phone. If you tell it you're having a problem seeing the screen, or your eyes are aching, it can automatically turn up the brightness or apply the eye comfort shield mode...

... in theory. I found it quite unreliable at implementing any such changes. Much of the time, it just prompted me to do it myself, telling me to go into settings, even though the whole point of this new feature is that Bixby should do it for me.

Anyway, onto the Galaxy A57. This sort of phone is bought by those whose budgets don't stretch to the top Samsung model, but also by general users who just need a mobile from a brand they trust and aren't interested in top-tier features.

This kind of buyer is, if I'm not being too rude, a little technophobic. They don't know the correct word for certain features available on their phone — or perhaps even that those features exist in the first place.

A smart assistant that can directly tweak settings on your behalf makes sense, therefore, in a phone like the Galaxy A57. I can see seniors, for instance, getting loads of mileage from this kind of Bixby tool.

And, yes, I know I've said that it doesn't work all that well on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but I am quite surprised that the A57 doesn't offer more in the way of smart assistant tweakery like this.

Now Brief

What you're looking at above is Now Brief, a feature of Samsung's recent S- and Z-series phones. I like to call it 'Random Affirmations mode' because... well, you can see from the picture. The phone, an inanimate object, is wishing me well?

The point of Now Brief is that it gives you a brief overview of things you need to know. Commonly, it'd show me the weather, and usually a random news article yanked from a publication I'd never touch, as well as some other odd things if relevant: calendar events, reminders I'd made, fitness information I'd tracked, and so on.

I'm not going to pretend that Now Brief is a great feature just yet. It feels like it's missing one or two (or ten) extra data points before it's able to fulfill its purpose of providing a daily (or multi-daily) briefing of things I need to know. In the two months I used the S26 Ultra, Now Brief — more often than not — didn't seem to really understand what I wanted to know, and didn't pull information from many of my apps and tools.

But I see this being the kind of feature that Samsung refines over the next few years and One UI updates, and possibly (hopefully), in a while, it'll be a pivotal part of the smartphone experience.

Now and then, Now Brief became just that for me: I'd look at it and know everything I needed to know. I could put my phone back down, ready for the day (or at least the next hour). These instances were rare, mind, but they did occur.

Now Brief is a big miss on the Galaxy A57. People buying this kind of phone probably aren't power users like those who buy the S26 Ultra. They just want to be able to pick up their handset, see a quick summary of their notifications, events, and interests, and put it back down.

That's why I think Now Brief — even in its current, basic form — would fit really well on Samsung's cheaper phones.

2026 could be a big year for foldable phones, as Apple is rumored to finally be launching a foldable of its own, reportedly called the iPhone Ultra.

This could push foldable phones into the mainstream, and Samsung — as well as welcoming the competition from its biggest rival — looks set to cash in, as it’s reportedly launching a foldable phone in a new wider form factor, so that it can better compete with Apple’s device, which itself is expected to be quite wide.

This new phone was once referred to as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide but is now rumored to be launching simply as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, with the more familiar, narrower model said to be landing as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Obviously, we don’t know for sure how the iPhone Ultra and the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will compare just yet — nor even whether they'll officially launch — but thanks to leaks, rumors, and previous foldables, we’re starting to get a good idea of what to expect.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: price and availability

We haven’t yet heard much about what the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might cost, but there’s a good chance it will either be in line with or slightly cheaper than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, since it will reportedly have one fewer camera and sit beneath the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra. That would mean a starting price of $1,999.99 / £1,799 / AU$2,899 or less.

As for the iPhone Ultra, leaks suggest that it might start at over $2,000 (around £1,485 / AU$2,785), which could mean it’s at least slightly more expensive than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8.

As for availability, it’s likely that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 will launch in July, alongside Samsung’s other 2026 foldables. If it really launches with that name, it will probably be available globally, though there's a chance Samsung could limit the Galaxy Z Fold 8 to a few regions to test the waters, just as it did with the Galaxy Z Tri-Fold.

The iPhone Ultra will probably launch in September alongside the iPhone 18 Pro series, though there has been some talk of a possible delay until 2027. Whenever it does land, it’s likely to be sold globally.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: design and display

The iPhone Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might have quite similar designs, with both being rumored to have wider, shorter screens than typical book-style foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7.

This form factor could give you a more widescreen experience when they’re unfolded, but would leave you with a slightly squat device when folded shut.

Going by dummy units, the iPhone Ultra might be 117.71 x 84.27mm when folded, and come in at 11.02mm at its thinnest point and 16.57mm at the camera bump. It could be just 5.24mm when unfolded, though some other leaks put it at a slightly slimmer 4.5mm when unfolded and between 9 and 9.5mm when folded. We’ve also heard repeatedly that there will be no visible crease on the iPhone Ultra.

Various leaks also suggest that it will have a roughly 5.5-inch cover screen and an approximately 7.8-inch foldable display.

As for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, that phone might have a roughly 7.6-inch main screen with a 4:3 aspect ratio, and weigh around 200g according to TechManiacs. That same screen size, along with a 5.4-inch cover display, has been put forward by Android Headlines, which adds that the phone will be 123.9 x 161.4 x 4.9mm when unfolded and 123.9 x 82.2 x 9.8mm when folded.

So, Samsung’s phone might be marginally smaller — at least in terms of screen sizes — and thinner than Apple’s, though there’s a high chance it will also have a more visible crease.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: cameras

It’s expected that the iPhone Ultra will have two cameras on the back: specifically, a wide and an ultra-wide, both of which will be 48MP, according to leaker Digital Chat Station. The iPhone Ultra is also expected to have cameras in both its screens, and while no specs have been leaked yet, they might be 18MP like the selfie cameras on the iPhone 17 line.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 likewise looks set to have a dual-lens camera, and as with the iPhone, you’ll probably get wide and ultra-wide lenses. Leaks also point to similar numbers of megapixels, with both sensors apparently being 50MP. The phone is also almost certainly going to have a camera in each screen, with these rumored to be 10MP.

So, on paper, there might not be much to choose between these phones when it comes to the cameras, but it will be interesting to see how they compare in practice.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: performance and software

The iPhone Ultra will almost certainly have the same chipset as the iPhone 18 Pro Max if it launches this year, which likely means a top-end A20 Pro chipset. Leaker Fixed Focus Digital suggests the phone could also have a vapor chamber, which would further boost performance.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, meanwhile, is likely to have a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is also very powerful — this is what you’ll find in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, for example.

So, both of these should be very powerful phones, though the iPhone Ultra, with its slightly newer chipset and rumored vapor chamber, could have the edge in terms of performance.

As for software, the iPhone Ultra will likely run on iOS — specifically the yet-to-launch iOS 27, if it lands in September — though there's a small chance that Apple could debut some foldable-specific software for its first foldable device.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, on the other hand, will run Android — most likely Android 17, overlaid with Samsung’s One UI. These are both highly capable operating systems, so it really comes down to personal preference as to which is best.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: battery

The iPhone Ultra could have a surprisingly high-capacity battery for a foldable phone, with one leak putting it at 5,800mAh. A slightly earlier leak from Lanzuk puts it at between 5,400mAh and 5,800mAh, but even at that lower end, it would still have a lot of foldables beat.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 is rumored to have a 4,800mAh battery — so not as good as the iPhone, though still better than the 4,400mAh-equipped Galaxy Z Fold 7.

iPhone Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 rumors: early verdict

Based on what we’ve heard so far, the iPhone Ultra could have a more powerful chipset and a bigger battery than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8, as well as a less visible crease.

But it could also be thicker and have a higher price, and there may not be much to choose between the two phones' cameras and screens.

So, it’s sounding like the iPhone Ultra and Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 might be quite evenly matched overall. We'll likely find out for sure before the end of the year, as we're expecting Samsung to debut the Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July, and Apple to debut the iPhone Ultra in September.

Which foldable phone are you most excited for? Let us know in the poll or comments section below.

2026 will be the year foldable phones sink or swim. Samsung has been chipping away at the category for several years now — its latest book-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Fold 7, is the best foldable phone money can buy — but these niche, expensive devices still represent less than 3% of the global smartphone market.

Could that be about to change? Apple is strongly rumored to be launching its first foldable iPhone, the iPhone Ultra, in September, and I’ve been itching to ask Samsung for its thoughts on whether Apple’s entry into the foldable market will boost or threaten its own success.

Given that the iPhone Ultra doesn’t exist yet, and that Samsung rarely acknowledges its competitors by name, I’ve been waiting to broach the subject with the Korean tech giant — but in my preparation for this year’s Galaxy Unpacked event, I stumbled across a revealing 2025 interview in which Samsung addresses the potential implications of a foldable iPhone head-on.

Here’s how the President and COO of the company’s Mobile eXperience (MX) division, Won-joon Choi, responded to questions posed by Bloomberg’s Shery Ahn about growing competition in the foldable market:

Shery Ahn: How does Samsung think about competition? Because you have so many Chinese makers coming out with foldables with good cameras.

Won-joon Choi: You know, rather than focusing on the competition, I think we have been focusing on our consumers. What is the experience that we can bring to consumers, and how complete are those experiences? I think healthy competition with other companies will bring more innovations, and then bring more benefits to consumers. So we are welcoming others to join this category, which we created back in 2019.

SA: Even if Apple comes out with a foldable next year, which is what people are saying, how do you keep that edge?

WC: We've been doing this for many years, and we have accumulated a lot of technologies and know-how. Having another global company join this category, I think it's good for the industry, and also, it's going to be great for consumers.

Now, for obvious reasons, Samsung isn’t going to publicly admit that it’s fearful of Apple’s entry into a market that it’s dominated for years, but I do think Choi was being more honest than diplomatic in his response.

The emergence of improbably thin and lightweight foldables like the Honor Magic V3 and Oppo Find N5 forced Samsung to step up its game with the Galaxy Z Fold 7, and I expect that the market-leading IP68 durability rating of the Google Pixel 10 Pro Fold won’t be market-leading any longer once the Galaxy Z Fold 8 arrives later this year.

Choi’s assertion that “competition with other companies will bring more benefits to consumers” has already proven itself to be true, then; and if Apple delivers something unique with the iPhone Ultra — whether that’s a hardware- or software-related innovation — you can bet that the likes of Samsung, Honor, and Oppo will endeavor to replicate that innovation in their own future products.

As for whether “having another global company join this category” is “good for the industry,” Choi will likely be proven right about that, too.

Counterpoint Research predicts that global foldable smartphone shipments will grow 20% in 2026 following Apple’s entry into the category, and I suspect that this rise will be driven by existing iPhone users upgrading to a foldable iPhone, rather than existing Galaxy Z Fold users switching to a foldable iPhone. The market will expand, but I don't think Apple will eat Samsung's lunch (existing foldable-averse Android users aren't going to be convinced by an iOS-powered foldable, that's for sure).

Of course, Samsung won’t want consumers to forget that it stuck by and popularized foldable phones when other companies wouldn’t — just as it pioneered the large-screen phones we’ve all become accustomed to using today.

But Choi’s addendum — “we are welcoming others to join this category, which we created back in 2019” — suggests Samsung won't simply share the foldable stage with Apple without reminding buyers of its heritage in this long-existing market.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are the two most obvious choices if you want a no-compromise flagship phone in 2026.

Both are big, powerful, expensive, and built around the same basic promise: you get huge displays, elite cameras, long battery life, high-end performance, and a growing number of AI tools if you're willing to pay the high asking price.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Galaxy S26 Ultra are also very different phones. Apple’s flagship is the cleaner, more tightly integrated option, offering iOS and MagSafe. Samsung’s Ultra is the more maximalist device, with the S Pen, a sharper display, a more flexible camera setup, and a software experience packed with Galaxy AI and Google-powered features.

For many people, this choice will come down to ecosystem.

If you already use Apple products like the Apple Watch, MacBook, and iPad, the iPhone 17 Pro Max has an obvious pull. If you prefer Android, multitasking, stylus support, and more control over how your phone works, the Galaxy S26 Ultra makes a very strong case.

But there are still big differences in price, design, display, cameras, performance, software, and battery life between these two phones — so let’s break them down.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: specs comparison

Before we dig into the details, here’s an overview of both phones’ key specs:

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: price and availability

The iPhone 17 Pro Max went on sale in September 2025, with prices starting at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149 for the 256GB model. The 17 Pro Max is also available with 512GB, 1TB, and 2TB of storage, with the top configuration rising to $1,999 / £1,999 / AU$3,799.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra arrived later, in March 2026, and starts at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149, making it slightly more expensive than Apple’s flagship in the US, slightly more affordable in the UK, and level in Australia at launch.

It's worth noting that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's storage runs from 256GB to 1TB; there is no 2TB option, unlike with the iPhone.

Both phones are widely available through their makers, carriers, and major retailers, so this is less about finding stock and more about finding the right deal that suits you.

Winner: Tie — unless you specifically need 2TB of storage, in which case the iPhone 17 Pro Max takes it.

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: design

There is no getting away from the fact that these are both very large phones, but Samsung does more to make its Ultra feel slightly more manageable.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is slightly taller and wider than the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but it is much thinner at 7.9mm and noticeably lighter at 214g.

The softened corners also help it feel less slab-like than older Ultra models, while the built-in S Pen remains Samsung’s clearest hardware advantage.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the more dramatic redesign versus its predecessor. Apple moved to an aluminum unibody (which facilitates the inclusion of a new vapor cooling chamber), added a full-width camera plateau, and kept both the Action button and Camera Control.

As such, the 17 Pro Max feels like a clearer break from the previous few Pro Max models, and the new thermal design gives the changes a practical purpose beyond looks.

Still, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the easier phone to live with day-to-day, giving you the same 6.9-inch screen size in a slimmer, lighter body, while also finding room for a stylus.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: display

Both phones give you an almost tablet-sized 6.9-inch OLED display with an adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, so either one is built for streaming, gaming, editing photos, reading, and general big-screen phone use.

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has the brighter panel on paper, with a peak outdoor brightness of 3,000 nits, which gives it an edge if you often use your phone outside.

Samsung fights back with resolution and features. The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen is sharper than the iPhone’s display, and its 1-120Hz refresh range gives it the same smooth scrolling and power-saving flexibility you would expect from a top-end flagship.

Samsung's new Privacy Display feature also gives it a practical advantage in public spaces, especially if you often work from cafes or public transport.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: cameras

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a simpler camera pitch: it's got three 48MP rear cameras, covering main, ultra-wide, and telephoto shots, plus a new 18MP Center Stage front camera.

Apple is offering a more balanced system than previous Pro Max models — especially now the telephoto camera can handle 4x optical zoom and 8x optical-quality shots — and the selfie camera is also a real upgrade; it uses subject tracking to automatically keep you in the frame, and lets you switch between portrait and landscape modes.

Samsung gives you more hardware to play with. The S26 Ultra has a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and 50MP telephoto for longer-range shots, plus a 12MP selfie camera with a wider field of view.

Its camera setup is less of a clean overhaul than Apple’s, but the extra lens and longer zoom range make it more flexible, especially if you often shoot subjects at a distance.

For video, the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports 8K shooting at 30fps, whereas the iPhone is capped at 4K at 120 fps. That said, with its Apple ProRes and ProRes RAW support, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is our favored option for consistent, high-quality video results.

This comparison is a close call because the iPhone 17 Pro Max has the stronger selfie upgrade, a very consistent rear camera setup, and impressive video capabilities. The Galaxy S26 Ultra still has the edge for pure versatility, with more lenses, more zoom reach, and the bigger main sensor.

Winner: Tie

iPhone 17 Pro Max camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra camera samples

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: performance and software

The iPhone 17 Pro Max runs on Apple’s A19 Pro chip, with improved cooling to help it hold high performance for longer.

The 17 Pro Max feels built for heavy use, from gaming and video editing to AI features, and iOS 26 also benefits from Apple’s usual joined-up approach, with the chip, hardware, software, and wider ecosystem all working together.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra counters with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, plus either 12GB or 16GB of RAM. It is a true ultra-premium Android flagship, with more flexibility for multitasking, split-screen apps, S Pen notes, customisation, and productivity.

Samsung is better for flexibility, stylus support, and Android customisation, but the iPhone’s combination of Apple silicon, iOS, cooling, and ecosystem integration gives it more cohesive performance in our testing.

Winner: iPhone 17 Pro Max

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: battery

The iPhone 17 Pro Max has a 5,088mAh battery, based on reported capacity figures (Apple does not share these details officially), and Apple rates it for up to 37 hours of video playback.

In our day-to-day use, it's comfortably an all-day phone, with enough headroom for heavy camera use, navigation, streaming, and gaming. It also supports fast USB-C charging and 25W MagSafe/Qi2 wireless charging.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery, so there is very little difference between these two devices in terms of raw capacity, and indeed it carried well past 24 hours of operation in our testing.

Samsung has the advantage for wired charging, with 60W speeds that should get you topped up faster than the iPhone. The S26 also supports 25W wireless charging, putting it on par with Apple there, though there's no MagSafe-style wireless charging to speak of.

So, this comparison is close... again. The iPhone has excellent endurance and the convenience of MagSafe, but Samsung’s faster wired charging is more useful when you need a quick refill before heading out.

Winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: verdict

The iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra are — unsurprisingly — close enough that the “best” choice depends less on raw power and more on how you actually use your phone.

Choose the iPhone 17 Pro Max if you want the smoother all-round experience. Its biggest strengths are consistency, ecosystem integration, long-term performance, and a camera system that feels easy to trust. It's also the better fit if you already use Apple's other products.

Choose the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you want the phone that simply does more. The S Pen, sharper display, lighter design, longer camera reach, faster charging, and broader AI toolkit make it the more versatile device, especially for power users.

Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra wins more individual categories, but the iPhone 17 Pro Max may still be the better buy for many people. Samsung has the stronger spec-sheet argument; Apple has the more cohesive flagship experience.

Winner: Tie (sorry!)

• A photo has been taken of what appears to be the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8
• This is the rumored new wider foldable Samsung might be working on
• We've also seen a comparison image showing it alongside the more conventional Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra

The long-rumored Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide — which, confusingly, will reportedly launch simply as the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 — might be Samsung’s worst-kept secret, and now we’ve seemingly seen the phone in the flesh for the first time.

A photo shared on DCInside’s forum (via @UniverseIce) shows what appears to be the phone being used in a restaurant, presumably by a Samsung employee.

It’s housed in an anti-leak case, designed to hide the details, but you can see that it has a wider screen than a typical phone, and that there’s a dual-lens camera on the back.

Short and squat

If you’re wondering just how much wider than the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7’s successor — now reportedly called the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra — this device will be, @UniverseIce has also shared comparison images, as you can see below.

The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra appears tall and narrow, and has a triple-lens camera, much like its predecessor, while the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (Wide) has a shorter, wider appearance.

That should make the latter phone good for viewing wide-screen content like movies when unfolded, but it leaves it with a rather unusual form factor when folded and used like a conventional smartphone.

So, it will be interesting to see whether it’s successful, but given that the taller model apparently has the ‘Ultra’ suffix, it’s likely that this new wide version will be cheaper, and it’s also expected to be closer to Apple’s foldable iPhone Ultra’s form factor. Odd or not, then, it’s a form factor that Apple might be about to make popular.

In any case, we probably won’t be waiting too much longer for the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra, as both of these phones — along with the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 — will likely launch in July.

• We've got a newly leaked look at the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide
• It could be the thinnest Samsung foldable to date
• A 'wide' foldable iPhone from Apple is also expected this year

This could be the year when the foldable phone market really gets interesting, and a new leak has given us what could be our best hint yet at the design of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide — and it looks to be an impressively thin phone.

Well-known tipster Sonny Dickson described the thinness as "insane" when showing off a short clip of a Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide dummy unit. These physical mock-ups are made from information sourced from the supply chain, and give accessory makers a chance to get their wares ready ahead of time.

The leaker compares the thinness of the foldable to the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — when unfolded, at least — but the replies to the original post are less positive, with adjectives like "weird" and "chunky" used to describe the handset.

Based on information recently sourced by SamMobile, this 'wide' foldable will actually be called the Galaxy Z Fold 8, while the true successor to last year's Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 is going to be named the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra.

Here comes Apple

If you're wondering where this 'wide' nomenclature has come from, it describes the shorter, wider aspect ratio for the phone display — both when opened and closed. It's a move away from the tall and narrow screens of current book-style foldables.

While the currently popular form factor — used on the Galaxy Z Fold 7, for example — means foldables are more like standard phones when closed, when they're opened out they're rather square-ish. With wider displays, foldables will be more like conventional tablets when opened (and better for use cases like watching movies).

This change hasn't come out of nowhere: the long-rumored iPhone Fold is expected to use a wide form factor, with something like a 4:3 aspect ratio when open. Samsung clearly wants to get ahead of Apple on this, as Huawei has already done.

All the indications are that the foldable iPhone is launching in September, alongside the iPhone 18 Pro, perhaps with new hinge technology that makes the crease almost invisible. For foldable phone fans, there's a lot to look forward to.

• Leaked case renders show the possible design of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE
• The only real change appears to be a new camera block
• Samsung users aren't happy with how familiar it looks

There’s likely to be one more member of the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, with the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE expected to launch later this year — but if leaks are to be believed, it might not prove very popular.

X user and tech journalist @Mohammed_K_2010 has shared what appear to be marketing images for cases designed for the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE, revealing the look of the phone in the process, and visually it doesn’t appear much different to the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE.

The only real change seems to be that the three rear lenses are now housed in a raised camera block, rather than jutting out individually, but otherwise this looks much the same as its predecessor.

While we’d take this leak with a pinch of salt, it’s a design that makes sense, as the standard Samsung Galaxy S26 had the same minor visual change. But it’s also a design that seems to be disappointing Samsung fans.

Over on Reddit, comments include a sarcastic “wow, what an unexpected design”, along with “not really an upgrade”, “the design has become as cheap-looking as the Galaxy A series”, and “this has to be a joke.”

Few upgrades under the hood either

If you factor in previously rumored Galaxy S26 FE specs, things don’t get much better. The incoming phone will reportedly have a 6.7-inch FHD+ AMOLED screen with a 120Hz refresh rate, an Exynos 2500 chipset, a 5,000mAh battery with 45W charging, an IP68 rating, a 50MP wide camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, an 8MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP front-facing camera.

Of those, the only real upgrades are a new chipset and a battery with a 100mAh capacity boost, so this could be just a very slight improvement over its predecessor.

It might at least come in some different colors, with leaks pointing to purple, black, gray, and white shades, but that’s hardly likely to tempt many buyers.

We’ll probably find out how accurate this all is — and whether many people actually want to buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE — in September or October, as that’s around when it’s likely to launch.

• Samsung might launch a Galaxy S27 Pro next year
• This would apparently be a compact alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra
• It could have a 6.47-inch screen and launch alongside the base, Plus, and Ultra models

Samsung could be going from three Galaxy S models to four next year, and we’re not talking about a return of the Edge line. Instead, the company might launch a new ‘Pro’ phone.

This is according to a report in ETNews (via 9to5Google), and while this isn’t quite the first time we’ve heard of a Pro-branded Galaxy phone (rumors of a Galaxy S26 Pro swirled last year), there are some new details here. For one thing, it will reportedly have a screen that’s just 6.47 inches in size, making it only marginally larger than the 6.3-inch Samsung Galaxy S26, and much smaller than the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra or Plus.

The other new detail is that the new phone will apparently launch alongside the Samsung Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27 Plus, and Galaxy S27 Ultra, rather than instead of one of them.

Small but mighty

So, what will the Galaxy S27 Pro offer that’s different from the base Galaxy S27? Well, as the name suggests, this will apparently have far higher-end specs, putting it more in line with the Ultra model, albeit without S Pen support.

In other words, this would be a compact option for people who still want high-end specs and features. How successful that will be remains to be seen, but it would mean Samsung finally offers a device that’s more of a direct rival to the iPhone 17 Pro, so it makes a certain amount of sense.

And early reactions are largely positive, with people on Reddit saying things like “this will be amazing,” “that’s so good I’m buying that one next time,” and “so excited about this possibility.” So, it sounds like Samsung might be on to something.

Of course, the Galaxy S27 Pro is just a rumor for now, but if it does exist, it will probably launch in early 2027, alongside the rest of the Samsung Galaxy S27 series.

• One UI 8.5 has started rolling out to four more Samsung phones
• These include the Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy A56, and Galaxy A36
• The update brings AirDrop support to Quick Share, among other things

Samsung’s One UI 8.5 rollout is continuing, as following on from its launch on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series and some other models on May 6, it’s now coming to four more Samsung phones.

These — as spotted by SamMobile across a series of articles — include the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Samsung Galaxy A56, and the Samsung Galaxy A36. This software has already come to more recent Samsung foldables, but this is the first time we’re seeing it on any Galaxy A models.

However, initially, it’s just South Korea that’s getting the One UI 8.5 update on these phones, but it’s likely, based on past form, that other countries will also get it in the next few days, so keep an eye out if you have one of these handsets.

You’ll probably get a notification when the update is available, but you can manually check in Settings > Software update > Download and install.

AirDrop and more

One UI 8.5 comes with numerous new features and improvements — though not all of them will necessarily be available on all phones.

The headline feature is arguably AirDrop support over Quick Share, but there are also other improvements to Quick Share, and to Photo Assist, as well as a more effective power saving mode, security improvements, and tweaks to the Weather app, the My Files app, and more.

So, it’s an update that’s worth downloading as soon as it’s available, and if you have one of the four phones above, it should be available very soon.

Ask anyone who's used it, including us: the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best phones money can buy right now.

In our review, we heaped praise on its excellent cameras, powerful performance, neat Privacy Display, and handy stylus. It continues Samsung's run of ultra-powerful flagships, bringing a few useful improvements over its predecessor.

But it's not the perfect phone, and one aspect reliably puts potential buyers off: the high price. You'll have to pay at least $1,299 / £1,279 / AU$2,199 to enjoy the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which is a lot for a handheld gadget.

And sure, the newest phone has the newest features, but older models still have lots of the same hardware (sometimes better hardware), and some even have an arguably more premium design, which Samsung retired a few generations ago.

Older Galaxy Ultras are still on sale, too. Some third-party retailers continue to stock certain models, but they're mostly available second-hand or, more reliably, through refurbished schemes, which ensure the phone is working and has replacement parts (here's how to stay safe when buying a refurbished phone).

So, if the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't fit into your budget, here are a few older models to consider, along with good reasons to pick them up.

Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra

If you want an absolute bargain alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, but don't mind a bit of risk too, then the Galaxy S22 Ultra might be worth a look.

Even in 2026, this phone still has solid specs. It's got four rear cameras, a premium build, a stylus, and a Snapdragon 8 Gen 1 chipset that remains competitive in the mid-range to this day; you're unlikely to find equivalent hardware in a recently released $300 / £300 / AU$500 phone.

So, what's that risk I mentioned? Well, the S22 Ultra saw Android updates up to One UI 8, so it's no longer getting new software upgrades, and security upgrades are up in the air, too. If you like getting new features or keeping your phone protected from threats, then you're out of luck with this model.

Frankly, as a tech expert, I wouldn't advise picking up the Galaxy S22 Ultra to use as a daily driver phone. But if you want a backup phone for photography or gaming, it could be a bargain buy. This is the least recommendable option on my list, but I thought I'd include it for those reasons alone.

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

Is the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra the goldilocks option? It's old enough to be a cheap pick, but new enough to remain in line for one more major software update, which will bring a handful of extra features. It'll also continue to receive security patches until 2028.

The S23 Ultra is also the last of the great Galaxy Ultras to pack certain premium features. You won't get a 10x optical zoom periscope lens if you go more modern, nor a handset with a dramatic curving waterfall display. The S23 Ultra was the first Galaxy Ultra to pack a 200MP main camera; it also still has Bluetooth in its stylus, and its shell is made of titanium.

A fair amount of the S23 Ultra's specs are still used in the S26 Ultra, too, like the 5,000mAh battery and Dynamic AMOLED 2X display technology (although the screen on the older model is 0.1 inches smaller).

Naturally, the phone's Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset isn't going to be quite as powerful as that of modern Galaxies, and some of the newer software features are missing. But the Galaxy S23 Ultra is an absolute bargain, especially if you buy it renewed.

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Galaxy phones made a noticeable step towards modernity with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, which is an older mobile with a fair amount in common with the S26 Ultra.

That means you're getting the blocky, angular design of the newer phones, though the S24 Ultra is made of titanium, unlike the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

We noted in our review that, although its on-paper specs match those of the S23 Ultra in a lot of ways, the S24 Ultra performs better in certain departments. We found its battery life to be superior, for example, and its all-round camera performance is better too (even if software updates have brought optimization tweaks to the older models).

The S24 Ultra's current price puts it on par with certain mid-range phones, and so it's a much cheaper option than the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Crucially, there's another big reason why you might want to pick this phone as your S26 Ultra alternative: instead of the four years of Android updates pledged to its predecessors, the S24 Ultra gets seven years. That means it'll keep getting new software until 2031. In other words, you've got loads of gas left in the tank.

If you want a device that'll keep receiving updates for years, then this is the oldest model to consider.

Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra

Perhaps the safest choice for a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra-like phone would be the previous-generation model.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra has a lot in common with its recent sibling (too much, according to some testers). The main design change is that the S25 Ultra is slightly thicker and heavier, but it looks largely identical, save for a floating camera island on the newer phone.

Its specs are very similar, too; you'll get the same camera array, display, battery, and charging capabilities as the S26 Ultra. One year of downgrading won't get you a lesser device; the newer model simply has a more powerful chipset, and some extra software tricks like Privacy Display and Horizon Lock.

Like the S24 Ultra, the S25 Ultra is also confirmed to receive seven years of software updates, so it'll be covered until 2032.

So if they're so similar, why get the older version? You already know the answer: the Galaxy S25 Ultra is now significantly cheaper than the S26 Ultra, and it's on sale more frequently, too. In fact, it's pretty easy to find new S25 Ultras going for cheaper than Samsung's own Re-Newed models, which shows how far the prices have fallen.

What about an even older Galaxy Ultra?

There are two previous models of Ultra not mentioned yet: the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and Galaxy S20 Ultra. Before that, the suffix wasn't used, with the Galaxy S10 only getting a 'Plus' model, which was mostly the same as the base version.

These mobiles have a lot of specs in common with newer models, but they're probably a little too old to be worth considering.

For one, they're no longer supported by software updates, and if they get damaged, replacement parts will be harder to find. They're old enough, too, that you won't get the full performance enjoyed when they came out five-plus years ago.

But more simply, they're much harder to buy. I can barely find new versions on sale, and even refurbished ones are few and far between.

Nope: if you want a cheaper Galaxy S Ultra, pick one of the above models, or perhaps check out our list of the best Android phones to see non-Samsung alternatives.

• The Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide might just have a 50MP main camera
• That would almost certainly make it weaker for photography than the standard Z Fold 8, which is likely to have a 200MP camera
• However, it could at least have a decent battery capacity

If you were hoping the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide would be able to come close to the standard Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 for photography, we’ve got some bad news, because the latest leak suggests it will be significantly worse.

We were already expecting this phone to just have two rear cameras, rather than the three that we’re likely to get on the Z Fold 8, and now we’ve learned that the main (wide) camera might be worse here too.

According to GalaxyClub (via GSMArena), the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will have just a 50MP main camera, whereas the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7 — and likely the Z Fold 8 — has a 200MP one.

The Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will at least reportedly have a 50MP ultra-wide camera, which would likely be a match for the Galaxy Z Fold 8’s, and an upgrade on the 12MP one used by the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. But if this claim is accurate, then its zoom skills probably won’t be up to much, since it won’t have either a dedicated telephoto camera or a big enough main sensor for a decent sensor crop zoom.

All in all, this phone sounds closer to the Galaxy Z Flip 8 in terms of camera hardware, which is rumored to also have a 50MP main sensor, albeit joined by a weaker 12MP ultra-wide.

A disappointing revelation

Prospective buyers understandably aren’t happy about this rumor, with one of the comments under the aforementioned GSMArena article reading “removed from my wishlist”, and another describing the upcoming phone as “another extremely overpriced Samsung device with outdated midrange cameras.”

Still, there is some good news, as today’s report also echoes previous claims that the Galaxy Z Fold 8 Wide will have a 4,800mAh battery, and the regular Galaxy Z Fold 8 will have a 5,000mAh one, both of which would be up on the 4,400mAh battery inside the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

We’ll probably find out how accurate any of this is in July, as that’s when these phones are likely to launch.

• Samsung is rolling out the first One UI 9 beta
• This is the company's version of Android 17
• It's initially coming to the Galaxy S26 series, and includes improvements to Samsung Notes, Contacts, the Quick Panel, security, and accessibility

Samsung has only just started widely rolling out One UI 8.5, but already there’s now a beta version of One UI 9, which you’ll be able to grab if you have a Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus, or Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

This beta is built on Google’s upcoming Android 17 operating system update, and the first beta includes upgrades for five apps and features, including Samsung Notes, which is getting a wider variety of pen line styles, plus decorative tapes.

The Contacts app is also getting an upgrade, with this now offering direct access to Creative Studio, so you can create personalized profile cards without switching apps.

The Quick Panel is now more customizable, too, as you can now independently adjust the brightness, sound, and media player panels, complete with more size options to choose from.

Security and accessibility improvements

There are also security improvements with One UI 9, as if a high-risk app is detected, you’ll be warned about it and it will be blocked from being installed or opened.

Finally, One UI 9 also includes some accessibility improvements, such as an adjustable Mouse Key speed that enables smoother cursor control, a new Text Spotlight feature, which can display selected text larger or more clearly in a floating window, and a combined TalkBack package, which packages up various accessibility features that were previously offered separately by Samsung and Google.

If you’d like to give the beta a spin, you can join the beta program via the Samsung Members app. The beta may not be available to you quite yet, though, with Samsung simply saying that its rollout starts this week for countries including the US, UK, Germany, India, South Korea, and Poland. So, keep an eye out for it if you have a Galaxy S26 series phone.

And for a look at the latest Android 17 features, check out our roundup of the best Android 17 features announced at Google's Android Show event.

The 2026 edition of The Android Show was a dizzying display of AI-related buzzwords (I’m still not 100% sure of the difference between Gemini Intelligence and Personal Intelligence), but of all the Android 17 features announced during the pre-Google I/O broadcast, I’m particularly excited by Create My Widget.

Custom widgets have been a feature of Android since 2009 (in the resizable, interactive sense), but in Android 17, Google is “taking the first step in generative UI” by adding Gemini's AI powers into the widget-making process.

Create My Widget will let you build custom widgets by simply describing the type of widget you want using natural language. Yes, really. Google gave prompt examples such as “countdown to my first marathon” and “suggest three high-protein meal prep recipes every week," to which Create My Widget served up some genuinely useful-looking results.

It’s true that apps like KWGT and Widgetopia already give Android users plenty of widget customization options, but these widgets still rely on predefined data formulas like the weather, battery percentage, and stock market performance (unless you’re comfortable developing your own code-based widgets).

Create My Widget, on the other hand, pulls data from your calendar, inbox, and messaging apps (privately, of course) to deliver widgets that are genuinely personalized to you. And as an iPhone user, I don’t see how iOS can compete with this level of first-party personalization.

At WWDC 2025, Apple brushed away criticism towards its lack of AI progress by dazzling iPhone fans with a visual overhaul of iOS — but it can only use that trick once. At WWDC 2026 in June, the company must finally deliver on the promise of Siri 2.0 and bring meaningful agentic AI features to the table, lest iOS 27 look thoroughly medieval in comparison to Android 17.

And Create My Widget is far from the only useful AI tool coming to Android 17.

We’ve rounded up the best Android 17 features announced at The Android Show in a separate article, but Google’s new Gemini Intelligence umbrella includes multi-step task automation — which, if it works as promised, could be like having a PA in your pocket — Gemini integration in Chrome, improved Autofill capabilities, and a new Rambler tool for more accurate speech-to-text conversion.

It’s noteworthy, too, that all of these tools have been announced before Google I/O proper, which is scheduled to kick off on May 19. By the time WWDC 2026 rolls around on June 8, Apple’s competition may look even more formidable than it does now (although it's worth remembering that Google is now Apple's AI partner— though we don't yet know the details of that relationship).

Google says Gemini Intelligence features, including Create My Widget, will “roll out in waves starting with the latest Samsung Galaxy and Google Pixel phones this summer,” and “will become available across your Android watch, car, glasses, and laptops later this year.”

For the latest on what else was revealed at Google’s Android Show event, check out our deep dives into the new Googlebook laptops and the redesigned Android Auto.

Google’s pre-I/O Android Show for 2026 has now concluded, and it was packed full of announcements surrounding new features and upgrades to existing Android tools.

Many of these upgrades are related to AI, as you might expect, but we also saw Google announce new emojis, improvements to Android security, and a whole lot more.

So, below, we’ve rounded up seven of the biggest and best Android 17 upgrades that were announced at The Android Show.

1. Gemini Intelligence

Gemini Intelligence is perhaps the biggest single announcement we saw at The Android Show — it's essentially an upgrade to Gemini that makes it a lot more capable and more of an agentic AI.

With this upgrade, Gemini can seamlessly move between apps to carry out tasks for you, with minimal oversight on your part. One example given was long-pressing the power button when a grocery list is visible on your phone, and then asking Gemini to build a shopping cart with all those items for delivery.

Another was taking a photo of a travel brochure and asking it to find a similar trip for six people on Expedia. You can then track Gemini’s progress with the task via notifications.

Plus, Gemini Intelligence also allows you to build custom widgets with a new ‘Create My Widget’ feature. You could, for example, ask it to suggest a new vegetarian meal recipe every day, and it will then create a resizable home screen widget for that specific request.

These tools will be rolling out from “this summer”, starting with the latest Google Pixel and Samsung Galaxy phones. For the full list of features, check out our dedicated Gemini Intelligence features roundup.

2. Rambler

Using speech-to-text can massively speed up your communication in messaging apps, but it’s not perfect in its current state. In recent years, it has generally gotten better at understanding what you’re saying, but presenting an exact one-to-one version of your speech in text means you’ll probably see various “uhms” and “ahs” or repeated statements, as tends to happen in speech where you’re thinking about what you’re saying as you say it.

But Google’s new Rambler feature (which technically falls under the aforementioned Google Intelligence umbrella) will simply identify and extract the important parts of what you’ve said, and translate them into a clear and concise message.

For the multilingual among you, Rambler can also handle seamless switches between languages in a single message, and it doesn’t store or save the message data, so you shouldn’t need to worry about privacy.

3. Gemini in Chrome

Gemini’s Chrome implementation is also getting smarter and more agentic, as starting in late June, it will have an auto browse feature that can do things like book appointments or reserve parking spots for you via Chrome. This isn’t a totally new feature, but it is new to Android.

Gemini in Chrome is also getting better at providing contextual assistance, as it will be able to provide responses that are tailored to your hobbies, interests, and life (assuming you opt into Personal Intelligence).

And it can work beyond Chrome by, for example, adding things to your calendar, searching your Gmail, or adding to-do lists to Keep.

Plus, there will soon be Nano Banana integration, allowing you to create new images and customize ones you’ve found online directly in Chrome.

4. 3D emojis

Emojis are also getting an upgrade, as Google has announced a new range of 3D emojis, dubbed Noto 3D.

Google claims these icons will add more physicality to your online communication, so your feelings still have weight even when expressed through messages.

Those are some lofty claims, but if nothing else, it’s always nice to have some new emojis to choose from, and these new ones will be landing later this year, starting with Pixel phones.

5. Pause Point

Pause Point is a new tool designed to help you spend less time on your phone — or at least, less time scrolling apps that are more addictive than additive.

It does this by letting you choose which apps you want it to be enabled for, and then presenting you with a 10-second ‘pause’ before you can access one of those apps. During this time, it will give you the option to do a breathing exercise, set a timer to limit how long you spend in the app, look at some of your favorite photos, or switch to an alternative suggested app — one that you perhaps consider more worthy of your time.

Plus, Pause Point requires you to restart your phone to turn it off, so you’re less likely to disable it in a moment of weakness.

6. New creator tools

Google is also introducing new ways to create and share with Android 17. These include ‘Screen Reactions’, which make it a breeze to record both yourself and your screen at the same time.

There are also improvements to how your photos and videos look on Instagram when using an Android phone, with Google working with Meta to enable ultra HDR capture and playback, built-in video stabilization, and improved low light performance.

Plus, Google and Meta are rolling out some Android-exclusive tools for Instagram’s Edits app. These include ‘smart enhance’, which uses on-device AI to upscale your photos and videos with a single tap, and sound separation, meaning that the Edits app can automatically identify and separate audio tracks, so you can more easily boost the sounds you want and reduce or remove those that you don’t.

7. Major security upgrades

Finally, as far as the big updates go, there is a wealth of security upgrades coming to Android. These include a new spoofing protection feature, which will automatically end calls that are coming from a spoofed number.

Google is doing this by partnering with select banks and financial institutions, and then asking that institution’s app (if it’s installed on your phone) whether a call that appears to be coming from them really is. If the app says it’s not, then the call is automatically terminated.

This isn’t an Android 17 feature, per se — in fact, it will be rolling out to phones on Android 11 onwards in the coming weeks, but initially it only works with Revolut, Itaú, and Nubank, though Google has promised more banks will be added later this year.

Google is also upgrading Live Threat Detection — an existing feature that alerts you to suspicious apps on your device — by expanding the types of behavior that it considers suspicious and alerts you to. It’s also gaining “dynamic signal monitoring”, which will help it more immediately spot suspicious app behaviors, so your device will never be at risk for long.

Plus, Android 17 will allow you to lock a lost phone with biometric authentication — meaning even if someone has both stolen it and somehow knows your password or PIN, they still won’t be able to unlock it.

• Samsung started rolling out the finished version of One UI 8.5 on May 6
• The company is starting with South Korea, but other countries should get it soon
• Initially, One UI 8.5 is coming to high-end models from the last couple of years

It's been a long wait, but Samsung is finally taking One UI 8.5 out of beta and rolling it out to some phones and tablets. It’s actually been available on the Samsung Galaxy S26 series since launch, but all previous handsets were still waiting for it — until now.

As per an announcement on Samsung’s newsroom, the official rollout started on May 6 in South Korea, but “additional regions [are] to follow”, so you probably won’t have the update yet, but you likely will do soon if you have a compatible phone.

Initially, One UI 8.5 is coming to the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, Galaxy S25 FE, Galaxy S24 series, Galaxy S24 FE, Galaxy Z Fold 7, Galaxy Z Flip 7, Galaxy Z Fold 6, Galaxy Z Flip 6, Galaxy Tab S11 series, and Galaxy Tab S10 series. So, in other words, most of the company’s high-end phones and tablets from the last couple of years.

But that’s just the start — we already know that One UI 8.5 will be coming to other devices too, since the beta is available on the Samsung Galaxy S23 series, Galaxy Z Fold 5, Galaxy Z Flip 5, Galaxy S23 FE, and Galaxy A36. You’ll just probably have to wait a bit longer to get the finished version on those phones.

AirDrop support and other improvements

One UI 8.5 should be worth the wait, though, as it'll bring numerous features and improvements, including AirDrop support over Quick Share, additional upgrades to Quick Share (including the ability to identify people in photos and suggest sending them to the subjects), and improvements to Photo Assist.

One UI 8.5 also brings the ability to use Audio Broadcast to send your voice to a connected speaker while you’re talking into your phone, the ability to see files on other Galaxy devices within the My Files app, and improvements to power saving mode to increase your phone’s battery life.

Those are the headline features, but there are smaller changes too, including tweaks to the Weather app and security enhancements, so there’s a lot here, though not every feature will necessarily be available on every phone.

Still, if you have any of the devices that are first in line for One UI 8.5, then it’s worth keeping an eye out for. You’ll probably get an alert when it’s available, but to manually check, head to Settings > Software update.

• Images of the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold and Galaxy Z Fold 8 have been dug up in One UI 9 code
• The Z Fold 8 looks essentially identical to its predecessor, while the Wide Fold looks very different
• While the Wide Fold looks visually the most interesting, it could also be quite niche

Samsung is probably going to launch two book-style foldable phones this year, with the expected Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 likely to be joined by the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold, and we’ve just had a somewhat official look at both of them.

You see, Samsung has included images of both devices in its One UI 9 software, and while these images aren’t currently intended to be user-facing, Android Authority has managed to dig them up.

As you can see in the images below, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (codenamed Q8) looks very similar to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, with a triple-lens camera on the back and a slightly narrow cover screen. Visually, there’s really nothing of note here, so this could be a boring upgrade.

But the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold (codenamed H8) is far more interesting, with just a dual-lens camera but a much wider cover screen, looking like it could almost match a small tablet even when folded shut.

This design broadly lines up with previous leaks, so it’s not overly surprising in that sense, but it is the closest thing yet to an official look at the Galaxy Wide Fold, and it’s drastically different from any foldable phone that Samsung has launched so far.

Yes, there’s the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold, which has a wide foldable screen, but that has three sections, and the cover screen is still quite narrow and phone-like, so it’s a fundamentally different proposition to the device shown here.

A questionable design

Whether the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold will be a hit with a design like this, though, very much remains to be seen. After all, foldables are still a bit niche, and this design would mean it can’t quite match a phone’s form factor even when folded. Personally, I’m not sold on it, but I do approve of brands experimenting with new designs.

And with the foldable iPhone Ultra reportedly launching this year too, we could be on the cusp of foldable phones becoming more mainstream, at which point there might be more appetite for a phone like this.

As far as the Samsung Galaxy Wide Fold goes, we should learn exactly what it has to offer in July, as that’s when it’s likely to land, alongside the Galaxy Z Fold 8, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8, and perhaps the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 8 FE.

• Samsung Display has new screens to show off
• One comes with integrated biometric sensing
• There's also a new stretchable display for cars

Before screen panels appear in the best Samsung phones — often debuting in top-tier flagships like the Galaxy S26 Ultra — they get showcased by the Samsung Display arm of the company, and it's just unveiled its latest screens.

Samsung Display revealed these cutting-edge panels at the SID Display Week 2026 event in Los Angeles, and it's the Sensor OLED Display that's perhaps the most interesting of the bunch: it combines a 500 pixels-per-inch resolution with the ability to read biometric information such as heart rate and blood pressure.

It does this by measuring blood flow, through light emitted from the display. The screen also features the privacy protection tech that appeared in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which stops other people from seeing what's on your phone unless they're looking directly at it.

Among the other panels shown off by Samsung was a Flex Chroma Pixel OLED screen that hits high marks for both brightness and color space: 3,000 nits and the BT.2020-96 standard respectively. BT.2020-96 is the widest color gamut standard used internationally, and while most phones get to around 70% coverage, the new panel reaches 96%.

Displays that stretch

Samsung Display also demoed a "next-generation stretchable display", rather aptly called the Stretchable Display 2.0. Samsung wants to get this screen installed into car dashboards, so the screen in your vehicle could expand or shrink depending on driving conditions, and what you and your passengers are currently doing.

The new display hits a resolution of 200 pixels-per-inch, up from the 120ppi of the previous version, and matching the current resolution offered by most car infotainment systems. This was achieved by developing a new "pixel structure" that can retain pixel density even as the screen extends and shrinks.

Finally, there were new EL-QD displays too — an upgraded quantum dot technology that Samsung is working on, which doesn't rely on standard OLED techniques. According to the company, these screens offer high color accuracy and improved brightness while offering better power efficiency, and could be used in "AI-based high-computing environments".

There's no indication of when these screens will hit consumer products — some more research and development will likely be needed first — but they give us a good idea of the phone and car displays that will be arriving in the next few years.

• The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could have one less camera than its predecessor
• Reportedly, the 3x telephoto is being ditched
• That would leave it with just a 5x optical zoom for telephoto shots, assuming no other changes are made

Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra phones have long been top options for telephoto photography, helped in part by their having two telephoto cameras, where most high-end phones have just one. But it sounds like the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra might be getting a bit more conventional, as it’s reportedly losing one of its telephoto lenses.

This is according to @UniverseIce — a leaker with a solid track record — who claims that the 3x telephoto will be absent on the S27 Ultra. While their wording is a bit ambiguous, it sounds like Samsung will be ditching this camera altogether, rather than switching it for a different focal length.

In which case, if the other telephoto stays the same as on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, you’ll be limited to just 5x optical zoom. However, it’s possible that Samsung will change this camera or even allow for multiple zoom levels through a single lens, removing the need for an extra camera.

A camera that won't be massively missed

Whatever the case, though, Samsung fans don’t seem too bothered by this news, with replies to the post including “good riddance I say. Hope it's not just the Ultra that bids farewell to that awful lens”, and “finally. The 3x was always the 'meh' middle child anyway.”

Certainly, it’s not currently the most useful of the Ultra's cameras, since you can already get a 2x ‘optical quality’ shot from the 200MP main sensor. That 3x zoom camera is also currently lumbered with a 10MP sensor, while the other rear cameras are all 50MP or more.

While we’d take the claim of its removal with a pinch of salt, it does line up with recent reports that the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will have a redesigned camera block (possibly in the style of the iPhone 17 Pro's camera block) to facilitate MagSafe-like charging, so this may well be the case.

If it is accurate, though, we certainly hope Samsung is planning some camera improvements elsewhere, because while the 3x telephoto is arguably the least useful of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s snappers, removing it with no other changes would be a definite downgrade.

We probably won’t find out for sure what Samsung’s planning until early 2027, as that’s when the Samsung Galaxy S27 series will likely launch.

• Google Messages users are noticing vanishing chats on Samsung Galaxy phones
• It appears to be a re-indexing issue following the shutdown of Samsung Messages in favor of Google Messages
• The issue is still ongoing, but a Google expert has offered tips to fix it

Google Messages users have spotted a bug that’s randomly deleting old and new chats, and their complaints about the issue are spreading like wildfire online.

Users in the r/GoogleMessages forum are sharing their experiences with disappearing chats, but it’s difficult to pinpoint if there's a pattern between the vanishing messages. One user noticed ‘huge chunks of messages’ going missing from chats, while others have reported seeing entire conversations disappear.

Despite users trying to take matters into their own hands, the issue persists — one user also recalls a moment where a message ‘disappeared before [their] eyes’. Samsung Galaxy phones seem to be bearing the brunt the most — the Samsung A52 and Samsung Galaxy S21 have been mentioned on Reddit — but some Google Pixel users are also experiencing similar problems.

But where’s it coming from? There’s only one thing users have linked it to, and that’s the shutting down of Samsung Messages which is now entering its phase-out stage, forcing users over to Google's chat service.

Since the issues started to spread, users have been seeking ways to prevent this from happening, including checking their trash bin, clearing cache, and reviewing chat history back up, but messages are still going missing without reason. It’s led frustrated users to swarm Google’s support page to seek further advice, and the company has cleared the air slightly.

In a reply to a user query, a Google product expert shared that the Samsung Messages and Google Messages transition is in fact causing this: “While it is frustrating, the ‘vanishing’ of messages during this transition is often a sync and re-indexing delay rather than a permanent deletion, especially if they are missing from both apps”. They also detail that RCS incompatibility and synchronization bugs during the Samsung Messages-to-Google Messages crossover are also contributing to the ongoing issue.

That said, the Google expert followed by offering some workarounds. Firstly, they recommend waiting 48+ Hours if you only switched from Samsung Messages or have just noticed the issue. They also suggest leaving your phone on a charger with Wi-Fi connected so that the indexing process can finish.

Alternatively, you can use what the expert refers to as the ‘Sync Force’ trick, where you’ll need to set Samsung Messages back as your default SMS app, restart your device to open Samsung Messages, and then wait 2-3 minutes for it to load the local database. Once this is done, you can switch back to Google Messages and set it as the default again.

"How I will be able to rely on this app moving forward?"

Looking at the collective responses, it’s clear that the transition to Google Messages from Samsung Messages hasn’t been the smoothest process, and the bug has come at a very inconvenient time for those who are just getting used to navigating the Google Messages reins.

Though this is a minor re-indexing delay, those who have gotten comfy with using Samsung’s service are still very unhappy with the forced migration. A friend of our Staff Writer, Isaiah Williams, has been a long-time user of Samsung Messages, and the switch has hit them hard, who shared the following words with us:

"I was already bothered by the forced switch from Samsung to Google Messages and the loss of organizational features I loved as a small business owner, such as text categories, but I never expected to watch my messages fully disappear. They were there one minute, gone the next, and even after my attempts at troubleshooting, restarting, checking the archive and trash folders, spending ages navigating the cluttered app design and needless AI features, I have yet to fully resolve the issue. I am simply left questioning how I will be able to rely on this app moving forward when basic functionality seems so lacking."

• Samsung is reportedly considering redesigning the camera layout on future Galaxy phones
• This might in part be to allow space for magnets, so you can use magnetic chargers and accessories without a case
• We probably won't see this design change before the Galaxy S27 at the earliest

Whether the Samsung Galaxy S series has an iconic design or a boring one is somewhat subjective, but what’s undeniable is that not much has visually changed with these phones for years now — especially when it comes to their vertical camera arrangement.

But it seems Samsung might soon shake things up, as according to Ice Universe — a reputable leaker — posting on Weibo (via Phone Arena), the company is considering changing the position of the rear cameras.

The same claim has also been made by another leaker on South Korean site Naver, who added in a comment that part of the reason for this change is to leave space for built-in Qi2 magnets, so that future Samsung phones could have case-free, MagSafe-style magnetic wireless charging.

It could take inspiration from a rival

If that’s the case, then it’s likely that the redesigned cameras won’t extend as far down the back of the phone as they do currently, so they might instead have a Pixel-style pill module; a width-spanning, iPhone-like camera island; or a squarish block like the OnePlus 15.

It’s also possible we could get a circular camera block, like you’ll find on the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, though if magnets are going to be included, it would possibly have to be smaller than Xiaomi’s version.

Of course, we doubt Samsung would directly copy any of these phone designs, since it would want its devices to have their own identity. But those are probably the four most common general smartphone camera designs, so something broadly in line with one of them seems likely.

It’s unclear when this design change might emerge, if it does at all, but we’d assume a flagship phone would get redesigned first, so the earliest we’d expect to see it is with the Samsung Galaxy S27 series, which isn’t likely to launch until early 2027. So, whatever Samsung is planning, there’s probably a while to wait for it.

Only TikTokers could discover that the camera flash on Samsung Galaxy phones is powerful enough to melt through plastic.

A viral video from @neev.akavak shows the LED flash on a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE being used to burn a hole through a black plastic bag — and given that most recent Samsung phones share the same physical flash hardware, it’s possible that other Galaxy models could repeat the same trick (we don’t, however, recommend that you try repeating it at home).

“This is why museums don’t allow flash, folks,” reads one comment below the video, while another user writes, “Sometimes I accidentally put my phone in my pocket with the flash on, and it feels like it’s burning a hole through me.” A little dramatic, but sentiment acknowledged.

Of course, the explanation for this occurrence is clear: the best Samsung phones feature incredibly powerful LEDs, and light carries energy that produces heat when absorbed by matter like plastic or skin. If you press a phone’s flashlight against a thin synthetic material, the heat absorbed by that material could conceivably leave a mark.

Samsung itself acknowledges this risk in the Flashlight tool, warning users —when they slide up the brightness — that “the camera light may cause low temperature burns when in prolonged contact with the skin. Avoid leaving the Flashlight turned on for an extended period.”

It’s clear, then, that the company is relying on a degree of common sense and caution among its user base with features like this; you shouldn’t press your phone’s flashlight against thin surfaces for extended periods, in the same way that you shouldn’t — surprise! — swallow your phone whole or bash it against your head (again, please don’t try either of those things at home). We’re not talking about Samsung Galaxy Note 7 levels of fire risk here.

Still, as Lee Elliott, Chief Product Officer at phone recycling website Compare and Recycle, tells TechRadar, the risks posed by strong LED lights in smartphones should continue to be acknowledged: “Although devices do show a warning when the torch [flashlight] is on the highest brightness, we all know how easy it is to forget to turn things on our devices off — or toggle them on accidentally.

“This means problems could arise if Samsung users accidentally leave their flash on in an enclosed space, such as a bag or pocket. Because so many everyday items contain synthetic materials, especially backpacks and clothing, leaving your flashlight on by mistake could lead to damage or melting.

“If left for a prolonged period of time, this could potentially become a fire risk. So, it’s a good reminder to check your flash isn’t left on unintentionally, avoid covering the light source for long periods, and to manually reduce the torch brightness below the warning level when you’re using it.”

Samsung is also not alone in shipping extra-strong LED flash modules. Last month, several Google Pixel 10 and 10 Pro XL users complained that the flashlight modules on their phones had burned or melted after extended use, which is arguably an even more worrying issue.

Samsung phones do, however, appear to have more powerful flashlights than their Apple counterparts: in a separate video, a YouTuber found the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s flashlight to be significantly weaker than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s, which burned through a plastic sheet in a similar manner to the aforementioned Galaxy S25 FE.

In summary, then, if you own a Samsung Galaxy phone, you should exercise caution when using your device’s flashlight at full force. Check that the flash is turned off when leaving your phone in your pocket or on a surface, and always ensure that you dispose of used electronics at your local recycling center — don’t just chuck them in the trash. And definitely don't chuck them in the trash with any sort of flashlight enabled.

• Samsung is rolling out a new 'Trips' feature to Samsung Wallet
• This automatically groups your travel plans, creating a timeline within the Wallet
• You can also manually add itinerary items and notes

Samsung Wallet just got a big upgrade, as the company is now rolling out what it calls ‘Trips’ — a feature that lets you organize and manage your travel plans all in one place.

You can add all your travel tickets to Trips, whether they're for flights, hotels, buses, trains, car rentals, sporting events, or excursions, and then it automatically groups them together based on things like time and location, and creates a travel timeline.

You can also go beyond just adding eligible tickets by manually adding itinerary items and including your own memos alongside saved items.

The end result is that you can have a comprehensive travel schedule, complete with tickets and important information, all within Samsung Wallet.

All your travel plans in one place

Trips is a nice idea, since your tickets can already be housed in the Samsung Wallet, so it’s an app you’ll probably be turning to a lot. It makes sense to be able to include other relevant information too — and have it all grouped so it’s kept organized and easy to find.

And this isn’t something you’ll really find anywhere else on Android. Google Wallet lets you add similar kinds of tickets, but won’t automatically turn them into a grouped timeline, and while there are third-party apps for creating travel itineraries, you usually have to manually add tickets to them, if they support tickets at all.

Trips is rolling out this month, so if you don’t already have it on your Samsung phone, you should do soon — though right now, it’s only coming to users in the US, UK, and South Korea.

With a slim and light build, plus a stylish glass-and-metal chassis, Samsung’s affordable new Galaxy A57 is undeniably a great-looking phone — and not just compared to other budget handsets, but even when it’s up against other flagships, including its Galaxy S26 siblings.

Combined with some notable hardware and software upgrades over its excellent A56 predecessor, that was enough for me to seriously consider adopting the Galaxy A57 as my main Android phone — and as TechRadar AU’s main phones editor, that’s something I honestly never thought I’d be saying about a budget handset.

The Galaxy A57 comes at an interesting time for affordable Android phones. To my mind, Google’s Pixel handsets have consistently been the overall best cheap phones for the last several years — in large part because they’ve been powered by the same Tensor chipsets that are found in Google’s main line Pixels — essentially giving you flagship performance in cheaper hardware.

However, with Google opting to focus on retaining the same $499 / £499 / AU$849 price point with its new Pixel 10a (a feat achieved by adding very few upgrades over the Pixel 9a, including retaining the same core hardware), the tech giant has delivered a fairly underwhelming entrant in the contest for best budget Android handset of 2026 — so that crown is now very much up for grabs.

Sure, the Pixel 10a now has a completely flat back and improved battery life (thanks to software tweaks rather than a higher capacity), but otherwise the phone is virtually identical to the 9a. It doesn’t even have the Qi2 magnets found in the Pixel 10 lineup (aka PixelSnap), which could have been a notable differentiator over the Pixel 9a. Those reasons were enough for me to rule out the Pixel 10a as a real contender for best cheap phone of 2026.

Samsung, on the other hand, has taken a slightly controversial approach with the A57 by increasing the price slightly to $549 / £529 / AU$749 (from $499 / £499 / AU$699 for last year’s Galaxy A56). However, it’s also packed the device with plenty of upgrades over the A56 — while also making it thinner and lighter.

The 2026 budget Android race isn’t just Galaxy vs Pixel. There’s a dark horse in the form of British phone maker Nothing, a company that has always excelled in the budget space and whose compelling Nothing Phone (4a) Pro offers a striking fresh design, some genuinely unique features and, for good measure, a slew of hardware upgrades over its forebear.

With just two real contenders then, I compared the A57 and the (4a) Pro to see which would win me over — especially since the uber-flagship Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra didn’t.

A thin and light wonder

The Samsung Galaxy A57 measures an impressive 6.9mm thick and weighs 179g, compared to the Galaxy A56’s 7.4mm depth and 198g weight. That thickness difference is starker versus the Pixel 10a, which measures 9mm.

The A57’s glass back and aluminum chassis make it genuinely feel like a flagship phone, especially compared to the plastic-backed Pixel 10a. Adding to the flagship look is the A57’s thin bezels, which stand out when the phone is next to the Pixel 10a and the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro.

While it still doesn’t have the full Galaxy AI suite, the Galaxy A57 supports more AI features than its predecessor thanks to a beefier Exynos 1680 chipset. Some previous S-series exclusive features, like Live Transcription and enhanced Circle to Search, are now fully supported by the budget Samsung. Personally, I count the fewer AI features as a positive, as both are practical and potentially useful, unlike the flagships that have so many more AI features that I would likely never use.

Even with the thinner chassis, Samsung still managed to stuff a 5,000mAh battery in the A57, giving it the same capacity as the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I can also quickly charge it up, thanks to 45W fast charging, which is actually better than the base Galaxy S26 (25W). There still isn’t wireless charging here, which admittedly might turn some users off, but isn’t a deal breaker for me.

In Australia (where I'm based), the Galaxy A57 is also cheaper than its competitors, starting at AU$749 for the 128GB model, compared to AU$849 for the Pixel 10a and AU$949 for the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro (albeit for 256GB storage and 12GB RAM). A mid-ranger with premium materials that’s priced lower than a phone with comparatively cheaper parts like plastic is a no-brainer for me. If you’re in the US and the UK, however, the A57 isn’t as much of a slam dunk thanks to being slightly more expensive at $549 / £529 compared to $499 / £499 for the Pixel 10a.

More than just a pretty (inter)face

While I adore what Samsung has done to upgrade and improve the Galaxy A57 compared to its predecessor, somewhat surprisingly, it was the Nothing Phone (4a) Pro that ultimately won me over — and it did so because it brought together some of the things I liked about the Galaxy A57 and the Pixel 10a, and wrapped it all in a whimsical and fun package.

The (4a) Pro’s all-metal industrial design doesn’t just look good, it also feels more premium than the A57’s glass sandwich, even if it’s not as thin or light (8mm deep and weighs 210g). The Glyph Matrix display on the camera island adds to its distinctive looks, but is also useful as a second display for a clock, alerts, and even as a guide for taking photos.

NothingOS reminds me a lot of the Google Pixel’s clean software experience, but it takes it to another level of minimalism by using monochrome logos, menus and custom widgets. While Samsung’s One UI makes the Galaxy A57 more customizable, it’s still comparatively more cluttered with bloatware, which can be laborious to remove app by app after setup.

Admittedly, the (4a) Pro is the first Nothing device I’ve ever used, so I'll admit that a novelty factor is in play here. However, I’ve also been on an ongoing quest to cut down my phone screen time, and NothingOS’s minimal UI and the (4a) Pro’s Glyph Matrix are features that I’ve been looking at to help achieve that goal. Sure, I could manually go about setting up a similar monochrome theme with the Samsung, but it’s already implemented — and looks great — on the Nothing phone out of the box.

Price wise, the (4a) Pro makes for a better option than either its Samsung or Google counterpart — particularly in Australia — despite it being the most expensive of the three ($599 / £549 / AU$949 for the 256GB flavor, the only option available Down Under). The equivalent 256GB models for the Pixel 10a and the Galaxy A57 cost $599 / £598 / AU$999 and $609.99 / £529 / AU$849 respectively, while having just 8GB of RAM.

Honestly, if the (4a) Pro had better cameras, I think it would even have a good chance of replacing my iPhone 16 Pro Max as my daily driver. Balancing specs, features, looks and price remarkably well, I think the Nothing just tips the balance in its favor in the battle of the budget phones.

My biggest takeaway while comparing the three mid-range phones, however, was that no matter which handset you might personally prefer, it's pleasantly surprising to see how capable they all are compared to their flagship brethren.

Samsung Galaxy A57 two-minute review

According to sales figures, Samsung's budget-friendly A-series phones generally sell better than their pricier S-series siblings (aka the best Samsung phones). So, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the brand's newest flashy flagship, a good deal more buyers are probably considering the Samsung Galaxy A57 instead.

For those not versed in the Samsung taxonomy, here's a quick recap: 'A' = cheap, '5' denotes the place in the lineup (it goes 0-5), and '7' is the generation (this is the 2026 model). That's all to say that the Galaxy A57 is the brand's most advanced mid-ranger of 2026, succeeding the Galaxy A56.

Like the S26 family, this is an iterative upgrade, bringing spec tweaks and a new (but familiar) roster of colors, rather than any truly significant changes. Mind you, a price hike makes those same specs look a little bit less appealing this year, given that you're paying extra for them.

The largely unchanged specs list means you're getting similar highs and lows to last year's model. The A57's display is one standout feature, with the bright, bold screen a blessing for your Prime Video binge or commute-based gaming sessions.

Samsung's software is another treat; One UI largely avoids the problems that befall OS packages on many other mid-range phones, and there's much less feature-bloat here than you'll find on the Galaxy S-series phones.

The perks return, but so do the pitfalls. The A57's Exynos processor is simply no good for gaming, and I'd recommend doing your photo editing on a computer, too. For that matter, pictures taken on the A57 aren't up to snuff, which is a surprise given Samsung's usual pedigree in the field.

If you want a phone that just works, without drowning you in AI or automation features, you'll like the Galaxy A57. It won't suit avid photographers, gamers, or people who want a bit more out of their mobile, but it's a reliable workhorse for the average buyer. Its battery life is also solid, and the slightly shrunk frame will fit in your hands a little better than most large-screen phones.

Galaxy A-series phones are understandably popular, but with the price hike, this latest model is a tad harder to recommend than normal. It's definitely worth picking up if you find a solid discount, but with competitors from Nothing, Google, and various Chinese brands offering more for less right now, Samsung's top-end mid-range phone feels a little less valuable than it should.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: price and availability

• Released on April 10, 2026
• Starts at $549 / £529 / AU$749, but for different variants
• Price hike over Galaxy A56

The Samsung Galaxy A57 was announced on March 25, 2026, alongside the more affordable A37. It went on sale several weeks later, on April 10.

There are three variants of the phone, with availability changing by region. The only model everyone gets costs $609 / £529 / AU$849, and that’s for 8GB RAM and 256GB storage. A cheaper model with only 128GB storage is available in the US and Australia, for $549 / AU$749, while Brits get a super-charged 12GB RAM and 512GB storage model for £699. I tested the 8GB / 256GB model for this review.

For ease of viewing, here are those prices in table form:

No matter where you live, one thing’s for certain: the A57 has seen a significant price hike versus the Galaxy A56. That model started at $499 / £499 / AU$699 — again for different variants, which the table below details — meaning buyers of the new phone will have to shell out much more than they would have for last year’s model.

Given that the A56 wasn't particularly competitive in terms of price, either, an even higher price tag for the A57 will understandably give buyers pause.

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: specs

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: design

• Thin and light phone
• Some neat design touches that improve comfort
• Four color options, all sadly lifeless

To some degree, the Samsung Galaxy A57 has inherited a trait from the ill-fated Galaxy S25 Edge: thinness. The phone’s training regimen has seen it shrink to 6.9mm thick, which is thinner than anything else in Samsung’s roster beyond the Edge.

This doesn’t result in a massive overhaul of the Galaxy A’s hand-feel, not with the height and width still stretching the hand, but it’s a nice touch that makes the device look a little more svelte.

There’s clearly also been some weight loss, with the Galaxy A57 tipping the scales to 179g; again, this is a spec beaten only by Samsung’s year-old lean machine.

Samsung has toned down the fun of its A-series color options over the past few years, and it’s no different this time around. I tested the ‘Awesome’ Icyblue (scare quotes my own), and there’s also Awesome Navy, Awesome Lilac, and Awesome Gray (now that’s what I call an oxymoron). So that’s blue, blue, nearly-blue, and gray.

On the right edge of the A57, the power button is within easy thumb reach, and the volume rocker is only a small stretch higher. I appreciated that the phone’s edge slowly curves up just ahead of the power button, which meant it was simple to naturally find the button with my thumb without needing to look.

The A57 has a triple-camera rear module on the back, which looks identical to those of the last few A-series generations, and it doesn’t stick out too far, so the phone didn’t wobble much when I put it flat on a table.

The Galaxy A57 also has an IP68 certification, which means it’s safe against ingress from small particles, and can survive submersion in water of up to 1.5m for up to 30 minutes (that may sound specific, but it’s what the ‘8’ stands for). When a phone has IP68, you can rest assured that it’s safe for all everyday functions.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: display

• 6.7 inches, 1080 x 2340 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate, 1,900 nits max brightness
• Super AMOLED Plus gives display punch

The Samsung Galaxy A57 gets a 6.7-inch display, with a thin bezel that's broken up only by a small punch-hole for the front-facing camera.

Like the A56’s panel, it has a 1080 x 2340 resolution and hits a 120Hz refresh rate, so it’ll handle anything Netflix or your chosen mobile game can throw at it.

Colors are bright and vibrant, thanks in part to two upgrades over the previous model: a higher max brightness (1,900 nits) and the use of a Super AMOLED Plus panel, which offers a wider color gamut. It’s been said before, and it’s truer than ever now: it’s hard to find a better screen on a mid-range phone than on a Galaxy A-series device.

The A57 also has what Samsung calls Vision Booster, a feature that turns brightness and vibrancy up to 11 when the device recognizes that you’re watching content outdoors (as in, grappling with the shiny, reflective sunlight on the display). I didn’t have an A56 to test it against, and it’s not a feature that you can manually toggle, but I never had a problem using the A57 while outdoors.

A fingerprint sensor embedded under the phone's display worked well in my experience, never failing to recognize my thumb.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: software

• Android 16 with One UI 8.5
• Six years of OS updates
• Software is cleaner and simpler than rivals'

Out of the box, the Galaxy A57 runs Android 16, the latest version of Android at the time of its release, with Samsung pledging six major Android updates to the phone.

This isn’t stock Android but One UI 8.5, which the Samsung Galaxy S26 also runs on, except here you get a tuned-down version of that same software.

Some may miss the flagship phone’s various premium features (you don't get generative AI tools like Drawing Assist, for instance), but I actually preferred the Galaxy A57's interface: you don't get inundated with AI features, random reminders, and gimmicky tools that do little.

One feature you do get is an upgraded version of Circle to Search. If you press and hold the home button, you can circle anything on screen and Google search it. The selling point of this feature is that it gives you the ability to find the outfits of people you see online — a pretty niche use case, it must be said — but I found Circle to Search pretty useful for searching for actors I recognized, settings in videos that I wanted to locate, and sports teams that I didn't recognize by their uniforms.

A common feature of mid-range smartphones is bloatware, but the Galaxy A57 is pristine and clean out of the box. You get barely any unwanted pre-installed apps (I can overlook Netflix and Spotify, given how ubiquitous they are), and there are barely any Samsung apps pre-installed either.

I’m a fan of the look of One UI, and it offers loads of customization options. You can bend the wallpaper, color palette, and icons to your will, and add Samsung-made widgets and tools that change how you use the phone.

I like to set up Modes on Galaxy phones, which let me quickly change various settings at the tap of a button. For example, I can design a Game mode, which mutes notifications and boosts screen and performance power, or set up a Sleep mode, which automatically turns on my alarm and switches the display to an eye-friendly grayscale. To easily switch these Modes on and off, I can plonk a carousel on my home page. It's pretty impressive stuff.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: cameras

• 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 5MP macro cameras
• Cameras lack some vibrancy and optimization
• A range of useful camera features

Samsung has been using the same camera setup on its A50-series for years now (the A53 was the last model with a different main sensor), and in 2026, it's starting to show show its age. It’s simply not competitive compared to other similar-priced phones.

The main camera is a 50MP f/1.8 unit, which is joined by a 12MP f/2.2 ultra-wide lens and a 5MP f/2.4 macro lens. Around the front, there's a 12MP f/2.2 selfie snapper.

In anything shy of blinding sunshine or studio lighting, the Galaxy A57 struggled to capture an adequate level of vibrancy or color detail — for instance, in the camera samples below, you’ll see foliage that looks desaturated and lacks dynamic range. An upgraded ISP (Image Signal Processing) chip was cited as an upgrade with this phone, but it's not made a significant improvement.

Get some strong sunlight, and some colors do seep through, but you can’t control how sunny it is outside, and besides, sunshine didn't always fix the problem. Other phones do well to edit photos to pull out the contrast and boost the saturation if needs be, and I was surprised by how light-touch (read: ineffectual) the Galaxy A57 could be.

For some praise, I'll point to the auxiliary lenses. I was impressed by how consistent the color was between lenses — I often find ultra-wides lack the color of their main siblings — and the lack of distortion on the wide lens. The macro was a little finicky at finding focus on close subjects, but it's definitely more useful than many others I've tested (though it doesn't come close to making up for the lack of a dedicated zoom camera).

Selfies on the Galaxy A57 were a little better, offering some contrast that will make social media pictures look postable, though, as you can see in the pictures below, Portrait mode struggled with fluffy strands of hair.

The A57 offers you a reasonable range of expected camera modes, including Night and Samsung's stalwart Food, and there's also the A-series-exclusive Fun mode, which basically offers you Snapchat filters on your camera app. Single Take isn't available by default, but you can enable it via the Camera Assistant app in the Samsung Store.

Video recording hits 60fps at 1080p or 30fps at 4K, with a slow-mo app that doesn't reveal its framerate.

Once you've taken a photo, you can use a few tools to brush it up in the Gallery app. There's no built-in chatbot to AI slopify your pictures like in the S26 series, and instead, you get Object Eraser and a remaster tool, which auto-applies edits. The latter's actually pretty good, and I found it reliable for adding some zest to the default pictures that otherwise lacked it.

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 camera samples

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: performance and audio

• Samsung's Exynos 1680 chip + 8GB RAM (for most)
• Fine for everyday use, not for gaming
• Bluetooth 6.0 for audio

Samsung’s Galaxy A-series phones have never won awards for their blazing-fast performance — plenty of Chinese mobiles at this price point can run rings around them — and the Galaxy A57 is no different.

The phone has an Exynos 1680 chipset, made by Samsung itself, paired with 8GB RAM in most versions.

Geekbench 6 multi-core benchmark tests returned scores in the 4,400s. That’s a step above the 3,900s we saw in the A56, but less than half of what the S26 Ultra returned, and a big step below similar-priced alternatives I’ve tested recently, like the 8,600-scoring Poco X8 Pro Max. Unfortunately, every 3DMark test I ran crashed, which wasn't necessarily the fault of the phone (sometimes, new devices just don’t like benchmarking software), but it did mean I wasn’t able to dig much further into the A57's numbered performance…

… until I started actually playing games.

The A57 could handle well-optimized games like Call of Duty: Mobile, but only on lower graphics settings. Try to match the display quality with some resolution or graphics effects, and the handset would suffer. It would also heat up a little during longer gaming sessions, which is not something you'll encounter with most Snapdragon-powered phones, for instance.

So, the Galaxy A57 is no performance wunderkind, even if you can play certain titles with compromises. But if you're not a gamer, you can ignore all that, as the phone has all the performance credentials necessary for non-intensive everyday tasks like scrolling and streaming. If I weren't an avid gamer, I'd probably deem the Galaxy A57 powerful enough for me.

Audio-wise, you’re looking at support for Bluetooth 6.0, with the built-in stereo speakers about as passable as on any other phone at this price point. And no, there’s no 3.5mm jack, so you’ll have to use the USB-C port for wired audio.

• Performance score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: battery life

• Average-sized 5,000mAh battery
• Single day of use per charge
• 45W charging powers the phone in roughly 90 mins

The Samsung Galaxy A57 has a 5,000mAh battery, which is the same size battery as you'll find in the A56, as well as the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra.

A capacity like this is, in most phones, shorthand for ‘all-day battery life’. That’s no different with the Galaxy A57 — I could use the device as much as I wanted, without worrying that it’d run out of juice.

You won’t get two days of battery life, though — not unless you don’t use your phone very much. For average use, you’ll get about a day and a half all in.

The A57 powers at 45W, so it’s not particularly fast, and with a compatible charger, you’ll get from empty to full in about an hour and a half. When the handset’s plugged in, it’ll tell you how long it’ll take to power up at its current speed, which is a really useful quality of life feature that I appreciated.

• Battery score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: value

Samsung's Galaxy A-series phones are reliable and have some great traits, but they don't offer as impressive value for money as their competitors. Bear in mind that A57 isn't cheap; at its price, it's firmly in the 'mid-range' category.

Many rivals at a similar price point will offer you one or two incredible specs along with a few average ones, like a huge battery, incredibly fast charging, a top-end processor, or a telephoto zoom camera. If you wanted the A57's specs from another brand, you'd probably find them for much less money.

Samsung does nothing to sweeten the deal, and so it's hard to argue that the A57 offers particularly exciting value for money. But as reliability and longevity go, there aren't many 'safer' all-round options than this one.

• Value score: 3.5 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A57?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy A57 review: Also consider

Interested in the Samsung Galaxy A57 but want to know what else is out there? Here are some other mid-range gems you may want to consider.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57

• Review test period = 2 weeks
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, video calling, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6, 3D Mark, native Android stats

I tested the Samsung Galaxy A57 for just over two weeks before writing this review, after receiving a test sample from Samsung.

In part, testing was done experientially: I used it as I would any other smartphone, which included taking it on holiday to take pictures, conducting video calls, and streaming music and movies. I also put it through a barrage of 'lab-style' tests like benchmarks on Geekbench and 3D Mark, as well as through battery tests.

I've been reviewing smartphones for TechRadar since early 2019, and in that time have tested all manner of mobiles, including past Samsung Galaxy devices and plenty of other mid-range and affordable Androids.

Read more about how we test

First reviewed April 2026

If you've invested in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Galaxy S26+, or the standard model, then you've got access to a very useful tool for improving your video viewing experience in any app — though the feature is quite well hidden away.

I'm talking about the Audio Eraser, and it uses the magic of AI to identify background noise in whatever you're watching and reduce its volume. It can make dialog much easier to understand in movies and TV shows, for example.

This is the same Audio Eraser tool that Samsung debuted last year, but originally it could only be used on your own videos. With the Galaxy S26 models and the One UI 8.5 software, it can be used on anything — in Netflix, YouTube, or any other video streaming app.

I've been using it to make movies and TV shows easier to follow when I'm watching them on the go, and it can make a huge difference given the right content. Here's how to access it on your own Galaxy S26 device.

Enabling the Audio Eraser tool

To get started with Audio Eraser, load up a video: this can be inside any video playback app you like. Whether you're streaming a movie through Netflix, or watching a video that your friend just uploaded to TikTok, the Audio Eraser tool should be available for you.

With the video playing (if it's paused this won't show up), swipe down from the top right of the screen, and Audio Eraser should be available as an option at the top — tap this to get into the tool. You get two controls: a slider for adjusting the strength of the background noise reduction, and a Voice focus toggle switch for boosting dialog.

The features are explained next to the settings. The slider will "reduce unwanted background noise in audio", while the toggle switch will "lower the volume of music and other noise and boost voices" — though that latter option only becomes available if you're watching a dialog-heavy video or scene.

In my own experience of the feature, the changes are quite subtle ones — movie and TV show directors don't generally mess up their productions with high levels of background noise — but they do make a difference. The Voice focus option is particularly handy for video podcasts, I've found.

Using Audio Eraser on your own videos

We should also acknowledge the roots of the Audio Eraser tool and explain how you can use it on your own videos. This is where the feature can have an even bigger impact, because you're more likely to have issues with background noise (such as wind or crowd noise) on something you've recorded yourself.

Head to the Gallery app on your Galaxy S26 device, then find a video you've recorded and tap on it. Tap on the Galaxy AI button at the bottom — it's the little stars icon in the center — then choose OK to confirm the use of Audio Eraser.

You can opt for the Auto option to have the video's audio automatically cleaned up for you, or you can make manual tweaks: There are both Music and Noise buttons to switch between, and a slider to make adjustments. When you're happy with how the audio is sounding, tap Save edits.

The Gallery app saves a copy of the video, so the original is still there — you can play them both to see the difference Audio Eraser has made. It's a useful and easy-to-use tool, especially if you're making video recordings outside and in noisy environments, and it shows how mobile AI can be genuinely useful if it's used in the right way.

• A Samsung exec just took part in a Reddit AMA, where they explained why the company stopped making small phones
• Their "honest answer" is that most people use phones in ways that benefit from bigger screens
• But for fans of small phones, they suggested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip series

There was a time when you could find quite a lot of compact phones, from brands like Apple, Sony, Asus, and — yes — Samsung, but these days they’ve become a rarity. Now, though, Samsung has explained why it has largely stopped making them.

In a Reddit AMA, Annika Bizon, VP of Product and Marketing for Mobile Experience at Samsung Electronics UK and Ireland, was asked why the company no longer makes small phones, and they claimed that the “honest answer” is that it’s driven by what the majority of people want to do on their devices.

They explained that "these days people use them for work, for streaming, for gaming, for content creation… all these benefit from bigger screens.” However, Bizon did also have a suggestion, adding that “if compact is your priority, the Galaxy Z Flip range is worth a look. It's genuinely pocket-friendly when folded, with a full-size display when you need it.”

And that’s a fair point — clamshell foldables like the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE are actually very small until you unfold them. They’re quite thick, but the overall dimensions should easily fit in a small pocket or tiny bag.

A partial solution

So, if easy storage is your main reason for wanting a small phone, flip-style foldables should suit, and you can use their cover screens for some things too, meaning you don’t necessarily always have to unfold them to use them.

That said, for full functionality, you will need to unfold them, and then you’re left with a more conventionally sized smartphone. So if your desire for a small phone stems specifically from it having a small screen or being something you can easily use one-handed, then the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip line is less suitable.

So, the Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 7 FE aren't a perfect solution, but for the most part, clamshell foldables are the next best thing to a truly compact phone, and it looks like they'll remain the only small option from Samsung and other brands for the foreseeable future.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE: One-minute review

Samsung's budget flip phone is basically a repackaged Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 6, which, on the face of it, isn't necessarily a bad thing. After all, in the smartphone world, the specs of last year's flagship often become those of this year's midrange phone. But the key issue is that Samsung didn't learn anything from the Z Flip 6’s shortcomings, and has failed to advance the Z Flip 7 FE in several areas, which sours the experience somewhat.

The perfectly decent chassis, cover screen, and inner screen are all cribbed straight from the Z Flip 6, but so, unfortunately, is the software experience. The biggest reason to use a flip phone is to use that cover screen as much as possible. It's novel, and it helps conserve your battery. But Samsung puts up roadblock after roadblock to prevent you from actually doing that, which can, at times, become maddening.

The rest of the software is evolving nicely. Samsung's One UI 8.0 moves closer to a vanilla Android experience with a few useful touches here and there. The AI features on board work very well, including photographic AI and Gemini on the cover screen, which is fun to use.

The cameras are the same as the cameras on the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which is a bonus. Camera performance is quite good for an FE phone, although at night, the cameras can struggle to keep moving subjects sharp, and can overexpose bright light sources. Overall, though, this is a pretty capable shooter, especially when you use the main camera for your selfies.

Performance and battery life both fall into the okay-but-not-great category — again, consistent with the FE experience. With light to medium usage, you can get through a full day on a charge, though again, the software affects your ability to use the cover screen to its fullest, and thus conserve battery.

The bottom line here is that if you can score a good deal on this phone, it's worth picking up — the starting price is just a bit too high to be comfortable with. Samsung has a good history of support for its foldables, so that's a big plus here, and if you're looking for a pocketable phone with a sturdy build, decent battery life, and a good set of cameras, this one should be on your radar.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Price and availability

• Starts at $899 / £849 / AU$1,499
• Available in black or white

Samsung is trying to make its foldable lineup more accessible to more people, which is a laudable goal, but it's priced the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE too high, both for what it offers and compared to its competition. $899 / £849 / AU$1,499 is cheaper than the flagship Z Flip 7, but it feels like this price is designed to allow Samsung to advertise "Look! We have a foldable phone for this low price!" without expecting anyone to actually buy it.

$899 / £849 / AU$1,499 is an unusual price for a phone these days, slotting right in between the starting price of the Google Pixel 10, iPhone 17, and Samsung's own Galaxy S25, and the higher starting price of the Pro models of the same phones.

The Z Flip 7 FE’s closest competitor is the Moto Razr 2025 (or Razr 60 as it's known outside the US). This phone undercuts the Z Flip 7 FE by $200 in the US, and by AU$300 in Australia, but it's only £10 less expensive in the UK. Overall, then, the price of the Z Flip 7 FE only feels close to correct in the UK, while it leaves something to be desired elsewhere.

The Z Flip 7 FE is available in either black or white. For my money, I prefer the black colorway, which is the more understated of the two; if you like to stand out more, white is the way to go.

• Value score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Specs

The overall specs of this phone are in line with its theoretical value proposition — it’s cheaper than the flagship, so therefore "midrange." In practice, though, 128GB is no longer enough for someone spending almost three figures on a smartphone, regardless of its market position. And foldables, in general, are still seen as premium products, even if this is the lesser of Samsung’s foldable lineup; mid-range specs may not cut it for many buyers.

Most of the specs on offer here are what you might expect from a lesser phone, which is understandable, although you do get the same cameras as on the flagship Galaxy Z Flip 7, which is great. The Exynos 2400 in particular stands out as a 2024-era processor — there’s no ‘for Galaxy’ version of a Snapdragon chipset to speak of here, in any region. That's fair enough, since this is an FE unit, but it still rankles a bit.

Meanwhile, 8GB of RAM is far from future-proof. Again, though, since this is an FE model, some compromises can be expected, and in terms of day-to-day performance, you'd be hard-pressed to notice a difference between this phone and the Galaxy Z Flip 7, which has 12GB.

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Design

• Solid build quality
• Looks almost exactly like the Galaxy Z Flip 6

The Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE has more in common with the Z Flip 6 than with the Z Flip 7. Most notably, the phone has the same chassis, smaller cover screen, and battery as 2024’s flagship. I only mention that because it enables a lot of supply line efficiency, allowing for the phone to be less expensive. The design is superb; the Z Flip 7 FE feels solid, with little flex in the hinge. I personally like Samsung's industrial, squared-edge design language, though that is certainly subjective, and others may prefer the softer curves of the Motorola Razr family.

The cover screen is plenty big, but it's hampered by Samsung's software design, which puts a roadblock in the way of using any app on it; we'll discuss that more in a bit. Plus, the reverse-notch design isn't ideal for app usage — unless it's a Samsung-approved app, in which case the app is optimized for the notch. Motorola's rectangular design is a lot friendlier to external screen usage.

I rarely use cases with foldables, and after about two weeks of use and some ill-advised (and accidental) placing of two phones in the same pocket on a number of occasions, the back Gorilla Glass Victus in particular has noticeable scuffs. That’s not great, but it was more down to carelessness on my part than a design issue.

Speaking of the rear glass, early on in my review period, when I wasn't paying too close attention to it, I would press the power button and be surprised when the back of the phone didn't turn on. The front of the phone and the back look nearly identical when the screen is off, except for the two camera modules. Yes, that should be obvious, but something I like about Motorola’s flip phones is the materials and colorways they use; it’s very obvious when you’re not looking at the screen. Presumably, the white colorway would assuage this issue a bit, but I much prefer vibrant colors as opposed to black and white, even for ‘midrange’ phones.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Display

• Very bright external and internal displays
• Beware the low refresh rate on the cover display

Let's get the elephant in the room out of the way first — the Z Flip 7 FE’s cover screen only refreshes at 60Hz. Now, put your torches and pitchforks away — the inner screen gets the full 120Hz treatment. Personally, I’ve never been able to see the difference between the two refresh rates, while others will swear that this is an absolute deal-breaker; if that's you, get the Z Flip 7 and enjoy it!

As mentioned, the inner display is the same as the one on the Z Flip 6, and it's beautiful, with brilliant depth and color reproduction, and a crease that’s barely noticeable. Samsung's hinge mechanism is incredibly refined by this point, so the only time you'll see the crease is when you’re looking at it from an off-axis, and even then it's not a big deal.

Both screens can hit up to 2,600 nits of brightness, which is more than enough to see in bright sunlight. The screen can also go very dim when you're in a dark room, but if you tweak the phone's brightness up even a hair above minimum, it gets brighter in a hurry; a little more nuance in that respect would be appreciated.

But overall, both of these displays are excellent — Samsung is good at making displays after all.

• Display score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Software

• No DeX Mode
• AI features are impressive for the most part

Samsung's OneUI has been getting progressively better over the years, and One UI 8.0 finally gives you the option to get rid of Samsung's side-scrolling app launcher, and the settings menus are also more refined than in previous versions.

One feature that’s missing is Samsung's DeX mode, which gives you a desktop-like interface when you connect an external screen. Samsung says the Z Flip 7’s Exynos 2500 chipset is powerful enough to work with Dex, which implies that the Z Flip 7 FE’s previous-gen chipset isn’t. But as we pointed out in our Z Flip 7 review, the Samsung Galaxy S24 FE with the Exynos 2400e chipset (which has less power than the 2400) can run DeX, so the feature’s absence here is perplexing.

The Z Flip 7 FE has all the same AI features as the rest of Samsung's lineup. My personal favorite is ‘Sketch to image’, which can produce AI images that are remarkably realistic from the most terrible sketches I can scrawl. Another notable addition is the ability to interact with Google Gemini via the cover screen, which is handy for quick questions on the go or even full conversations with Gemini Live.

Speaking of the cover screen, you can run apps on it, and Samsung made doing so slightly easier than before. In the past, you had to download Good Lock and then activate Multistar — neither of which sounds like an app you would use to do anything related to a lock screen. Now, Samsung puts a Multistar button in settings, which cuts down on a couple of steps. It's better, but only just. You can add the apps you want to the cover screen, which is nice, but the process is still too laborious for any but the nerdiest nerds.

Plus, Samsung limits what can happen on that cover screen. It's quite common for the Z Flip 7 FE to prompt you to open the phone to continue with what you’re trying to do, which defeats the purpose of using the cover screen at all. It can be quite maddening.

• Software score: 3 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Cameras

• Cameras are pretty good for the price
• However, photos look a lot better on the phone screen than on a computer monitor

Overall, the camera on the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is very good, as long as you're not planning on blowing up any photos beyond social media size. This is another one of those cases where photos look great on a phone screen, but when you zoom in, they get blocky. As with any phone camera, performance will be determined largely by how good the lighting is. If you're outside on a sunny day, photos will look great; if you're in a dark theatre watching a comedy performance, which was one of the environments in which I tested the cameras, very much less so.

Notably, in that scenario, the camera tended to overexpose performers who were under a spotlight. I also tested the iPhone 17 Pro and the OnePlus 15 in the same conditions, and they both performed much better, adjusting the exposure on the fly and producing less noisy photos; but of course, neither of those other phones folds in half.

Generally, in low-light outside environments, the phone performs better than most. Moving subjects can look a little soft, but not as bad as in images from some other flagships I have tested. Video stability when using the main camera at night was also better than expected in my testing.

The Z Flip 7 FE’s Portrait mode is also very good, with the software doing a decent job of picking out stray hairs on my head and separating them from the blurred background. Macro shots also look decent, although the depth of field is a little too shallow for my taste.

One of the key benefits of a foldable phone is the ability to use the main camera for your selfies, with the phone acting as its own tripod. With the Z Flip 7 FE, you can use a simple hand gesture to start a 3-second countdown to grab selfies, and in my experience, this worked every time.

I'd be pretty comfortable using the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE as my one and only camera phone. There are certainly better camera phones out there, especially from Chinese manufacturers, but I can't say I have any really obvious concerns or disqualifiers about the Z Flip 7 FE’s photographic capabilities. All in all, this is a pretty good camera for Instagram-worthy shots.

• Camera score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Camera samples

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Performance

• The Exynos 2400 chipset handles everyday tasks well
• But don't expect Snapdragon 8 Elite-level power

Overall, I'm a Snapdragon fan, so I wasn't super thrilled to learn that the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE runs on an Exynos 2400 processor — historically, Exynos chipsets have struggled to keep up with Qualcomm's equivalent Snapdragon chipsets. However, the Z Flip 7 FE performed admirably during almost all tasks I put it through.

I'm not a heavy gamer, but I tested the phone’s performance chops by playing Asphalt: Legends, checking for heat issues or even dropped frames, and I didn't experience either. I also ran two apps simultaneously in split-screen mode, and again, there was no performance lag.

On Geekbench, the Z Flip 7 FE returned single-core and multi-core scores of 1,554 and 6,128, respectively, putting it on par with the Samsung Galaxy S23 and S24. However, while both of those are still respectable phones, the Exynos 2400 won't stand up against the chips found in the latest flagships.

The Z Flip 7 FE is an FE model, after all, and given its price point and market position, its performance is perfectly acceptable. But don't buy this phone thinking it'll be able to handle high-res video editing or extended (i.e., multi-hour) gaming sessions. For that, you’ll want one of the best phones or best gaming phones.

• Performance score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Battery

• Battery life is just ok
• Charging speed is just acceptable — charge it overnight when possible

The battery life on the Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE isn't bad given the phone’s positioning as a midrange device, but that's only really true if you commit to using the cover screen as much as possible. Unfortunately, as discussed, that isn't possible a lot of the time.

On most days, working from home and connected to Wi-Fi, I could comfortably get through the day on a full charge. On some days with particularly light use, I even hit the sack with around 30% left in the tank. However, on occasions when I went out and used the camera heavily, it was a different story. On those days, I often had to plug in the Z Flip 7 FE and top it up at least once to keep me going until bedtime.

The Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE is limited to 25W charging. That's not terribly slow in itself, but compared to phones made by Chinese manufacturers, it’s downright glacial. Plus, unlike those Chinese manufacturers, Samsung doesn’t include a charger in the box.

• Battery score: 3 / 5

Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE review: Also consider

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE

To test this phone, I used an unlocked review sample provided by AT&T on T-Mobile's network using my personal eSIM for around two weeks. During that time, I used the phone as I normally would, largely for communications and web surfing. Communications includes five email accounts, three Slack accounts, numerous Telegram messages, plus LinkedIn, Threads, Instagram, and other social media accounts.

I tested the phone's cameras predominantly at night, shooting challenging scenes like walking while shooting video, in theaters, restaurants, bars, and other low-light areas where people frequently take selfies and shoot photos and videos. I also used the phone to shoot and lightly edit some short videos for Instagram.

During a typical day, I'll check my phone hundreds of times — it's a problem; I get it. I had the phone paired with my Google Pixel 4 smartwatch and used it while connected to Wi-Fi when I was home. I played games frequently throughout the day and watched social media videos on the device.

The Z Flip 7 FE also accompanied me on a trip to New York City for an overnight visit, which was a challenging day for the phone's battery as I took a lot of photos, shot video, and used the device as a Wi-Fi hotspot on several occasions.

Mobile gaming is the future. At least, that’s what we’ve heard for the last decade. But it’s fair to say that plenty of us are still pretty skeptical about that notion.

It seemed that, for a while, the available technology was not making the leaps forward needed to deliver a satisfying gameplay experience in this alternative format. Console gaming excelled while mobile gaming fell behind.

However, we’ve heard a great deal recently about the incredible capabilities of the modern generation of mobile platforms; that these entertainment hubs have become legitimate consoles unto themselves. For the skeptical out there, it was important to explore that concept fully. That's why I spent six hours straight gaming on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — to really test its mettle as a legitimate rival to the best game consoles.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is among the best phones money can buy, and its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 For Galaxy chipset and 6.9-inch AMOLED display are billed as a formidable combo for mobile gaming. But which game did I choose for my test?

Choosing the game

Selecting the right game to test out the Galaxy S26 Ultra's performance credentials was critical. The title in question needed to not only push the best Samsung phone to its limits, but also be well-known among the mobile gaming community. That’s why I settled on Genshin Impact.

Developed and published by miHoYo, with HoYoverse taking on distribution duties globally, Genshin Impact was released back in 2020 on Windows, PlayStation 4, and, critically, iOS and Android. The action RPG has proven extremely popular and has since been released on both the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S. It's a title with critical acclaim, a firm player base, and crucially, the ability to perform cross-platform.

Genshin Impact received over 23 million downloads in its first week of release and has since become a staple of mobile gaming. Its stunning world, vibrant graphics, and fast-paced combat provide a perfect variety of tests to push the S26 Ultra to its limits.

Of course, I played the game with high SFX quality, the highest render resolution, high shadow quality, the highest environmental detailing, high motion blur, and bloom all activated.

The initial performance

Logging in to Genshin Impact was a breeze, with the game taking around 30 seconds to get through its various loading screens. Sure, a dedicated console goes through the same motions slightly quicker, but 30 seconds is significantly quicker than the minute-long wait times demanded by previous smartphone generations.

Running smoothly with a target of 60fps, I was instantly struck by the ease of traversing the game's settings and menus. The Galaxy S26 Ultra showed no signs of early stress, and jumping into the game itself, I thought it appropriate to take a minute to explore the lush landscape of Teyvat, one of the game's seven nations.

It’s a landscape full of rich greenery and ethereal man-made constructs, the complex lighting putting the phone's custom Snapdragon chipset to work. Whether it was a desert-like landscape with dry, barren vistas or a more fruitful, forest backdrop, I couldn’t help but marvel at the level of detail the Galaxy S26 Ultra captured. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset showed initial promise as it powered through some difficult moments, avoiding lag where needed.

A quick word on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s size. We’ve seen a drive towards larger phone displays in recent years, and sitting at 6.9 inches, Samsung's latest flagship mobile display offers plenty in the way of cinematic spectacle. With a high-fidelity stereo speaker system providing a promising audio balance, I felt as though there was real depth to everything I was seeing and hearing in Genshin Impact.

For a moment, it seemed that perhaps this smartphone was genuinely giving the console world a run for its money....

Long-term play became slightly more taxing

However, after extended play, things started to look a little different. The longer I played, the more framerate imperfections I noticed. Momentary lag started to creep in, and with the phone’s gradual but managed warming, it became clear that mobile gaming is built to be a sprint, not a marathon.

Prolonged, busy set pieces began to have a visible impact on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s performance. With combat sequences came screen cramming, as multiple enemies and detailed SFX fought for visual dominance. Inconsistencies were rare, but they were still present.

So, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is far better for gaming than many other mobile devices I've tried, Genshin Impact still played as if it were not the phone's primary focus.

And in fairness, why should it be? This is a smartphone after all. But there's still a noticeable gap between the performance of phones and consoles.

Still, considering that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is not a stationary block of mains-powered circuitry à la the PS5, it handled the intense demands of Genshin Impact remarkably well. Mobile gaming isn’t yet a threat to major PC and console platforms, but it is a genuine alternative that can provide quick, easy, and satisfying access to the AAA titles you love.

For an even more complete experience, the best gaming phones offer extras like shoulder triggers and improved cooling mechanisms, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra gets the seal of approval for accessible, short-term play.

• A mysterious company called Numero LLC is taking control of some Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra units after a factory reset
• This gives them full control of the phone, and appears to prevent users from finishing the setup process
• It's not clear how this happened, and Samsung reportedly isn't doing much to help affected users

Bugs and hacking attempts are common hazards of smartphone ownership, but a rather more unusual peril is currently befalling some Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra units.

Android Authority has found several reports of Galaxy S22 Ultra users losing access to their phone after a factory reset, with a message appearing that says “this Galaxy S22 Ultra isn’t private”, and then detailing that it’s instead managed by an unknown organization called Numero LLC.

Not only is that company name unfamiliar, but these are also all supposedly personal handsets that weren’t supplied through any organization.

Being managed by Numero LLC means this mysterious firm can monitor and control settings and data on the phone, so that’s a major security concern, but it sounds like most of the affected users were unable to proceed with setup after this screen appeared anyway, leaving their phones essentially bricked.

A strange situation

It’s not entirely clear what's happening here — Samsung offers a tool called Knox Mobile Enrollment, which lets businesses automatically configure company handsets, so it seems these devices have somehow been put through that by Numero LLC, but the question is how, since they’re not corporate handsets.

Android Authority theorizes that a compromised reseller account is to blame, or alternatively an unauthorized user might have exploited a vulnerability in Knox to tamper with the enterprise management settings. But that second theory would have required physical access to the phones, which seems less likely.

In any case, so far, the people posting about this issue haven’t had much luck getting it fixed, with Samsung support directing them to Knox technical teams, who then send them back to Samsung support.

This doesn’t currently appear to be a widespread issue, but it is a major one for those affected, so hopefully Samsung addresses it soon — we’ve reached out to Samsung for comment and will update this article if we hear back.

• Samsung is rolling the One UI 8.5 beta out to the Galaxy S23 series and other phones
• These include the Galaxy A36, which is the first A-series model to get access
• The latest beta version also adds AirDrop support to select handsets

One UI 8.5 is so far only available in finished form on the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, but a beta version started rolling out to other Samsung phones a while back. Now, additional phones are getting access to it.

Samsung has announced that its One UI 8.5 beta is rolling out for the Galaxy S23 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 5, the Galaxy S23 FE, and the Samsung Galaxy A36. The last of those is especially notable, as this is the first A-series handset to get access.

Beta access will be made available in the US, the UK, India, and South Korea, but this is a phased rollout, which means even if you have one of those phones, you might not have access quite yet.

It should be worth the wait though as it comes with numerous new and improved features, such as improvements to Photo Assist and Quick Share — though not every upgrade will necessarily be available for every handset.

Adding AirDrop support

And even if you have a phone that already had access to the beta, there are new goodies here for you in this version, as it also introduces AirDrop support through Quick Share, so you can more easily share files between Samsung phones and iPhones.

That feature is now available with the One UI 8.5 beta on the Samsung Galaxy S25 series, the Galaxy S24 series, the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7, the Samsung Galaxy Z Flip 7, the Galaxy Z Fold 6, and the Galaxy Z Flip 6.

Samsung has said that additional devices will gain access to the beta later this month, and according to leaker Tarun Vats, the stable One UI 8.5 release might roll out for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series on April 30, so there’s hopefully not long to wait for that either.

If you want to sign up for the beta you can register through the Samsung Members app, but note that this build might not be entirely stable, so you may be better off waiting for the finished version.

• The Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold is returning to stores
• "Restocks go fast"
• There may be life in the Trifold after all

Rumors of the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold's death were premature. Starting this Friday, April 10, 2026, Samsung is restocking shelves in the US with limited quantities of the innovative folding handset.

To refresh your memory, Samsung unveiled the Samsung Galaxy Z Trifold phone late last year. While Samsung has been in the folding handset game for several years (see the fantastic Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7), this was the first Galaxy with two folds. Unfolded, it's just 3.9mm thick. Folded twice, it's a beefy 12.9mm. The $2,899 phone is packed with technology, including a 200MP main camera, a 6.6-inch display on the outside, and a massive, flexible 10-inch screen on the inside.

When I finally laid hands on it at CES 2026, I wrote, "The Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold is an uncompromising and remarkable feat of engineering that offers the potential of truly pocketable big-screen tablet productivity."

After initially being available only in South Korea, sales opened to the US (among other markets) earlier this year. Then, just as quickly, the Galaxy Z Trifold was gone.

While numerous outlets reported the untimely end to Samsung's ultra-premium handset experiment, I wasn't so sure. After all, Samsung's public statements were fuzzy at best.

"The Galaxy Z TriFold was introduced as a super-premium device in limited quantities. In Korea, the strong consumer response led to all available units sold out. Customers in other countries still have the opportunity to purchase the device," a Samsung spokesperson told us at the time.

Honestly, that sounds like a success story and not one of abject failure. The Z Trifold is extraordinarily expensive and, I'm guessing, quite hard to manufacture, but if the supplies Samsung had sold out, that indicates demand, no?

Last month, after some digging, I was able to confirm that Samsung would be restocking in the US and other markets and might do so soon.

Less than a month later, it looks like that's what's happening.

As Samsung announced on Wednesday (April 8), "Samsung is bringing the Galaxy Z Trifold, the brand’s most advanced foldable innovation to date, back to its shelves."

It won't be everywhere in the US, though. Stores stocking it include Los Cerritos Center, California; The Galleria in Houston, Texas; and Roosevelt Center Mall in Garden City, New York. You can sign up to be notified about Galaxy Z Trifold purchase opportunities on Samsung's website.

Samsung hasn't adjusted the price and doesn't appear to be preparing for stronger demand or even necessarily to meet current demand. As noted on the site, "restocks go by fast!", and I suspect Samsung is happy to let the Galaxy Z Trifold sell out again.

What it appears we have here is a bleeding-edge device for those who like living on the tech edge. Samsung doesn't have to make more because it's not the Galaxy phone for everyone. That's the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — at least that's the one I recommend to everyone. For more budget-minded Galaxy fans, there's the excellent Galaxy S26 Plus, which we just reviewed.

• Samsung Messages is being shut down in July
• Users are unhappy about the closure, and especially with the suggestion that they move to Google Messages
• Over on Reddit, Samsung owners have posted their favorite alternative messaging apps

Samsung recently announced that it would be shutting down Samsung Messages in July 2026, and encouraged users to switch to Google Messages — but it seems that some users aren’t happy with the closure.

Across various Reddit threads, users have expressed disappointment, saying things like “we might as well get Google Pixels”, and “just switched and I already hate it”.

And the Pixel comment is a fair point — after all, people buy Samsung phones as much for their software as their hardware, and now there’s one less point of differentiation on that front.

It’s worth noting that not everyone is mad about this change, with some other users claiming Samsung Messages is inferior anyway. But whether through functionality concerns or disliking Google having a monopoly on their digital life, the majority of posts lament this news.

Other options

Sadly, there’s no workaround to keep Samsung Messages working beyond July, but if you don’t like Google Messages, there are at least alternative apps you could use.

In these same Reddit threads, Galaxy owners have been listing their favorite alternatives, including the heavily customizable Textra SMS and Handcent Next SMS messenger, and the security-focused Signal (though you can only message other Signal users with that).

Other mentioned alternatives include Pulse SMS, Fossify Messages, and ZenSMS, so there’s no shortage of options.

If you don’t have an issue with Google itself, then we’d still suggest Google Messages as your first port of call, as it’s a polished app with full RCS support. But if you don’t get on with it, then hopefully one of the options above will suit you better.

• Samsung Messages is shutting down in July 2026
• The move has been branded "dumb" and "sad"
• Users are being encouraged to use Google Messages

It's time to bid farewell to Samsung Messages: Samsung has announced that it's shutting down the app in the next few months, with users encouraged to make the switch over to Google Messages for their texting needs.

"The Samsung Messages application will be discontinued in July 2026," says Samsung (via 9to5Google). "Upgrade to Google Messages as your default messaging app today to maintain a consistent messaging experience on Android."

This is far from an unexpected move: last year Samsung said it was "sunsetting" Samsung Messages, although the app remained available in the Galaxy Store. Google Messages has been installed by default on both the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S26 phones.

Even if it's no surprise though, there are fans of Samsung Messages who will be disappointed the app is finally going away for good. The Reddit reactions include users saying "this is so dumb" and labeling the move "sad" and "annoying".

Making the switch

Samsung says you can get an exact date for the shutdown by opening up the Samsung Messages app on your phone. It's also provided instructions for switching to Google Messages, which you may need to download from the Play Store.

The first time you open up Google Messages, you should see a pop-up asking if you want to make it the default texting app. You can also do this by heading to Apps > Choose default apps from Settings.

"Once the Samsung Messages app is discontinued, sending messages via Samsung Messages on your phone will no longer be possible, except for emergency service numbers or emergency contacts defined in your device," says Samsung.

Samsung mentions the benefits of Google Messages on its support page, including full support for the RCS standard and (of course) various AI features. You can also opt to switch to third-party alternatives for messaging, including Pulse.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus: Two-minute review

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus is exactly what I expected it to be: a solid mid-tier Android smartphone that does enough to be great but doesn’t quite make it to excellence.

Powered by the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset for Galaxy, the S26 Plus topped even the most premium competitors on performance. Jumping into games like Destiny Rising on the highest graphics is a breeze, and you can genuinely expect to enjoy performance that's largely comparable to the best gaming phones on Samsung's latest flagship middle child.

The S26 Plus' 6.7-inch display is just as bright and colorful as the S26 Ultra's, highlighting all of the gorgeous colors in my favorite media content. Its premium svelte design is stunning in certain colorways, too, and the near bezel-less face makes for an immersive viewing experience.

The battery life is decent, but not the best. I got a full day’s use out of the phone's 4,900mAh cell, needing to charge it toward the end of the night. The 45W fast charging makes the process pretty seamless, though. But the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and some of its competitors offer longer battery life.

Then there’s the cameras, which are solid overall, but should’ve gotten a boost, especially considering that the S26 Plus received a $100 / £100 / AU$150 price bump over the Galaxy S25 Plus, bringing its tag to $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus is a great Android phone, but it’s not the best. If you’re looking for something that’s exactly this size, then the S26 Plus will serve you well, but if you don’t mind going up or down a size, you might find a better deal elsewhere. Again, that doesn’t remove all the great qualities that the Galaxy S26 Plus has to offer; it just means that its competitors do it better, albeit at varying prices.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: price and availability

• From $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849
• Launched on March 11, 2026

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus launched on March 11, 2026 in a prismatic spray, offering six different colorways and two variants of storage. You can purchase it directly from Samsung or any of the company’s retail partners.

At its starting price — $1,099 / £1,099 / AU$1,849 — you can get the Galaxy S26 Plus with 256GB of storage. That’s a $100 / £100 / AU$150 price hike compared with its predecessor. Bumping up to 512GB will cost you $1,299 / £1,279 / AU$2,149. That’s an $180 / £179 / AU$1,849 increase.

In other words, Samsung’s larger 6.7-inch phone is becoming less affordable, and that’s pretty frustrating if you’re someone who needs it. The iPhone Air is just a wee bit smaller (6.5 inches), but it costs less ($999 / £999 / AU$1,799). The iPhone 17 Pro Max sizes up to 6.9 inches and starts at $1,199 / £1,199 / AU$2,149, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL sits at 6.8 inches for $1,199 / £1,199 / AU $1,999.

So, yes, the price hike is frustrating, but the Galaxy S26 Plus sits in this weird niche space between price and size in relation to its premium competitors, so there’s still some solid value here.

• Value score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: specs

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: design

• Mostly the same as the Galaxy S25 Plus
• Gorgeous colors
• Cameras are elevated

For better or worse, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus looks pretty much the same as its predecessor (and its predecessors before that). It’s the exact same size and weight as the S25 Plus, at 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 millimeters and 190g. I’m not mad about this, though. Its thin build and round corners still give that svelte premium feel. The Galaxy S26 Plus also comes in a variety of colors.

Our review unit came in White, which is boring — sorry, not sorry. There’s Black and Silver Shadow, which fall in the same “meh” camp, but the more precious colors are Pink Gold, Sky Blue, and Cobalt Violet (my favorite). Tech products that offer more than shades of gray are a solid win.

The biggest design difference between the Galaxy S26 Plus and its predecessor is the appearance of its cameras. Now, the phone's rear module is slightly elevated on a platform. Apart from that, everything else is the same. The power and volume buttons are on the right, there are microphones on the top edge, and the bottom holds room for the USB-C port, SIM slot, speaker, and microphone.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus still features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2 for protection against drops and scratches, but the S26 Ultra features Gorilla Glass Armor 2, which prioritizes reducing reflections as well as durability.

However, just like the S26 Ultra, the Plus is rated for IP68 water and dust protection. That means the device is completely dust-tight and can withstand immersions in water beyond one meter (up to three). I wouldn’t go testing this in the bathtub, though. But if you happen to drop it, the S26 Plus should be fine.

Overall, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus still looks great. It would be nice for Samsung to get more experimental with its design, but the Galaxy lineup still cleans up nicely.

• Design score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: display

• 6.7-inch AMOLED
• 3120 x 1440 resolution
• 120Hz refresh rate
• 2600-nit peak brightness

If you’re looking for a stunningly bright floating piece of glass on which to watch all your favorite content, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus’ 6.7-inch AMOLED delivers just that.

With a near bezel-less screen and a peak brightness of 2600 nits, its 3,120 x 1,440 resolution display makes everything in the background practically fade away (fun fact: the phone actually defaults to 2,340 x 1,080 to save battery). The cutout for the selfie camera is always going to be mildly distracting, but it's pretty tiny.

In Destiny Rising, the ethereal valley that leads to Haven popped against the gorgeous blues and pinks on the horizon. While it’s not necessarily a gaming phone by trade, the Galaxy S26 Plus put in the work to make the world of Destiny look good.

With the S26 Plus’ adaptive 120Hz refresh rate, the navigation experience felt super smooth, and it also allows games to climb up to 120fps (although Destiny hovered around 60fps).

The S26 Plus’ screen is just as good as the Ultra’s, with one exception — the Privacy Display on the latter phone, which adjusts the screen so people around you can’t see what you see. You won’t get this extra layer of privacy on the middle child in Samsung’s lineup. I wouldn’t necessarily weep over it, though. There are privacy screen protectors that can accomplish the same thing.

• Display score: 4.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: cameras

• 50MP main (f/1.8)
• 12MP ultra-wide (f/2.2)
• 10MP 3x telephoto (f/2.4)
• 12MP selfie-cam
• Up to 8K/30fps video

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus’ camera suite is effectively unchanged from the previous generation. On the rear, you get a 50MP main, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera, while the front sports a 12MP selfie camera.

I took a lovely trip to the park and put the Galaxy S26 Plus’ cameras to work. One common occurrence I noticed while taking photos is that the ultra-wide camera captured slightly bolder colors, and it’s most noticeable when looking at the sky. Meanwhile, the other rear cameras captured more flat images. They don’t lack color per se. It seems like it would be a more natural representation, but the images captured by the 50MP main and 10MP 3x telephoto cameras were just faintly duller than real life.

However, when it came to clarity, all of the rear cameras excelled at capturing highly detailed images. It’s easy to get high-resolution photos, but it’s another thing when a camera sensor can focus on exactly what you need it to, providing both a sharp and clear image. Naturally, the 10MP 3x telephoto lens was better at this than the rest, capturing the individual notches in the wood of a gazebo from far away.

I’m also impressed by the S26 Ultra's digital zoom, which can go up to 30x. You’ll rarely be using it all the way turned up, but there are several shots where I needed to crank past 3x to get a full image of something. Despite using a digital zoom, images like the birdhouse (as you'll see below) looked great. Although you’re losing a decent amount of detail the further you zoom in.

However, a really cool image I captured was around dusk, when there was still some blue in the sky, but the moon was out. The standard lens couldn’t capture any detail because of the surrounding light, but zooming in 30x allowed the camera to focus on the moon. The S26 Plus is not winning any awards in astronomy photography, but being able to capture the craters on the moon was cool.

Overall, then, the S26 Plus' camera array is solid as is, but the biggest issue it’s facing is the tech itself. The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is close in price, and it sports a 48MP ultra-wide camera and a telephoto lens with 5x optical zoom. For that aforementioned price hike, we should’ve had at least some upgrade to the camera array, but we’re stuck with the same hardware as last year’s model. Hopefully, this’ll change in the future (without another price hike).

• Camera score: 3.5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: performance

• Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset is fiercely competitive
• Overall punchy performance

Like its siblings, the Galaxy S26 Plus is outfitted with a Qualcomm Snapdragon Gen 8 Elite 5 chip that's specifically designed for Galaxy phones. Whatever Qualcomm and Samsung cooked up is supposedly meant to work better overall for the system. Well, running the standard Geekbench overall performance test proved that it outpaced its predecessor. It also beat the scores of Apple’s A19 Pro.

Getting into the crunchy numbers won’t tell you the real story, though. I played around with the S26 Plus for a week, and it reflected my inputs with incredible speed. I navigated through games, responded to emails, and voice chatted with friends with no noticeable slowdown.

I jumped into Destiny Rising in performance mode, and the game ran at a smooth 60fps. It kept up with my wild spray-and-pray tactics as I tore through the opening area. I didn’t see any screen tearing, and despite not being branded a gaming phone, the S26 Plus didn't suffer any performance drops.

However, I did notice that under a little pressure, it does get warm near the cameras. It’s not dramatic, but something to keep in mind if you’re out in the sun using your phone. I’ve had smartphones overheat on me at the beach, for instance.

Overall, even as the middle child of the Galaxy lineup, the S26 Plus is highly competitive with the best out there.

• Performance score: 5 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: software

• AI everywhere
• More personal suggestions
• Unreliable generative AI features

The Galaxy S26 Plus ships with Android 16 dressed up in Samsung’s One UI 8.5 suit. Of course, it’s packed with a bunch of AI features that you may not ever use, many of which are facilitated by Samsung’s Galaxy AI as well as Perplexity, Bixby, and Google Gemini. It’s very much a “choose your Pokémon” situation.

Despite my reservations with AI, one of my favorite features is the automatic call screening, which Pixel phones have been doing for years now. But it’s nice not having to answer marketers or scammers on a Galaxy phone.

There is a new Galaxy AI feature called Now Nudge. It’s designed to constantly read what’s on your screen and suggest relevant actions, like creating a calendar event or sharing photos. It’ll also recall information, like saved contacts or location details.

Then there’s Now Brief, located at the bottom of the lock screen. Opening it will give you the weather, your calendar for the day, and whatever bleak news update is going on in the world. These features were useful for sure, but I don’t think you’re missing anything by not using them.

You’ve also got generative AI tools like Photo Assist and Creative Studio. I’m not a fan of generative AI tools, but for personal use, these are fine. The former is helpful for editing photos. I tried using it to change my hair color, and it worked well, except the original quality of the image became fuzzy. I tried recreating my epic goth D&D character in Creative Studio, but apparently, using “goth” was inappropriate. Then I tried creating a “fantasy warrior,” and it showed me a fantasy setting instead. Then I asked it to simply create a “woman and her dog” — it only made the dog. Creative Studio isn’t averse to creating people because one of the default prompts is to create a wedding couple. For my testing, however, it was incredibly unreliable.

Google is rolling out its Agentic features for Gemini. These will allow your smartphone to do more background tasks. For example, you could ask Gemini to call you an Uber, and all you need to do is review its work and accept. It’s great in theory, but it’s still under development. With more apps to follow, we'll get a better picture of its utility in Gemini in the future.

If you don’t want to use Google Gemini, you can use Bixby instead, which can accomplish similar tasks thanks to its being directly connected to Perplexity AI.

There are a lot of features packed into the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus. Well, I’d argue too many. And it’s unlikely one person will use them all. You could argue that Samsung is covering all its bases, but if you’re not big on AI to begin with, it can get overwhelming.

• Software score: 4 / 5

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: battery life

• 4,900mAh battery
• 45W fast charging
• No magnets

Despite its smaller battery, the Galaxy S26 Plus managed to last me quite a while throughout the week before needing to charge. With very limited use, I got over two days out of it. When it came to focused use, it lasted the whole day before I had to plug it in. In both use cases, the S26 Plus was set to max resolution and refresh rate.

The S26 Plus also charges remarkably fast. It features 45W charging, and it took only an hour to fully charge with Super Fast Charging 2.0. It does come with 25W wireless charging, but the back isn’t magnetic, so you’d need to get a case to make use of magnetic charging accessories.

While the S26 Plus served my purposes, it’s not the most long-lasting smartphone out there. The S26 Ultra comes with a battery that’s larger by just 100mAh, but despite the small difference, it lasted longer in my testing than the S26 Ultra by quite a few hours.

Regardless, thanks to the efficiency of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chipset, the Galaxy S26 Plus will get you through the day before you need to charge it at night. Well, keep in mind the intensity of use. If you’re burning through Destiny Rising, then you’ll be burning through your battery.

• Battery score: 4 / 5

Should I buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus?

Buy it if...

Don't buy it if...

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus review: also consider

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus is a strong mid-tier smartphone, but you could get more elsewhere if you're willing to pay a bit extra.

How I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

• Review test period = 1 week
• Testing included = Everyday usage, including web browsing, social media, photography, gaming, streaming video, music playback
• Tools used = Geekbench 6

First reviewed: April 2026

When the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was launched in late February, it was the first time in years that I felt excited for a new flagship launch, thanks to rumors of innovations like the Privacy Display in the lead up to the big reveal. On seeing the new phone in person, even the Super Steady Horizontal Lock feature for shooting videos seemed like a fabulous idea.

As a recent iPhone convert from only a year ago, I honestly thought the S26 Ultra would lure me back to Android, especially since my iPhone 16 Pro Max is a generation behind.

First impressions of the S26 Ultra were great, and the aforementioned features lived up to their hype as far as I was concerned, and the handset itself has impressive specs. But it ultimately failed to convince me to switch back to Android thanks to some disappointments that put me off the S26 Ultra.

AI phone? No thanks

Samsung leaned hard into the Galaxy S26 Ultra being an “AI phone”, and rightly so. The Super Steady feature and the AI-powered call screening were highlights for me, but most of the AI additions were novelties that aren’t particularly useful.

The “Now” features were highlighted during the launch, but none of them were useful to me. The Now Brief widget was meant to show me how my day went, but it was nothing more than the weather, my calendar and recommended YouTube videos that were already on my Watch Later playlist.

The Now Bar works somewhat similarly to the iPhone’s Dynamic Island, but I found it less useful — plus it only lives in the home screen whereas the Dynamic Island is always there. Now Nudge, meanwhile, felt like nothing more than glorified predictive texting, and it also doesn’t help that it’s only available through Samsung Keyboard (I prefer Gboard for Android phones).

The S26 Ultra added a prompt-based generative AI photo editing tool called “Photo Assist” , which is useful in theory, but the end result makes it obvious that AI did a lot of the heavy lifting. The image generation feature, Creative Studio, is also just another novelty, and it also outputs lower-quality pictures.

Samsung also added Perplexity to its Bixby voice assistant, which just feels like a replication of the existing Google Gemini integration that I already use, which is more than enough for my needs.

That camera bump and what’s not there

Samsung also boasted how much slimmer and lighter the S26 Ultra is compared to its predecessor, which unfortunately resulted in a much more prominent camera bump.

The bump is so big that the handset wobbles quite vigorously when placed on a flat surface — hardly the kind of movement I want to see from a device this expensive. Seeing the bump immediately made me look for a case thick enough to make the S26 Ultra lie a little bit flatter. This means I’d end up hiding that thin chassis that Samsung was boasting about inside a thick case, which kind of defeats the purpose.

Speaking of cases, using them to add magnetic charging just isn’t the same as the built-in magnets in iPhones and Google Pixel phones. It doesn’t help that the S26 Ultra’s camera bump design also blocks some accessories from attaching properly to the cases’ magnets.

The S26 Ultra also switched back to aluminum after using titanium, with Samsung citing better thermals, ergonomics and cost reasons. It’s understandable, but I’ve gotten so used to my iPhone’s titanium chassis that the S26 Ultra now feels comparatively cheaper.

It’s iOS for me… at least for now

With the AI overload from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I’m actually glad that Apple Intelligence didn’t take off, as my iPhone is virtually generative AI-free. I don’t have Siri activated, and having that option is a big plus for me. I use Gemini for all my AI needs, which isn’t a whole lot — like doing research for shopping and looking up recipes.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max does have a prominent camera bump as well, but its design makes the handset less wobbly when placed on a surface. My iPhone case also doesn’t add too much thickness to the handset, while also making it lie flatter on a table.

MagSafe is, in my opinion, a game changer — and it’s not because of improved wireless charging. I love how it changed the way accessories interface with iPhones, where I don’t have to worry about cheap plastic mounts and tripods rubbing on the handset.

My last point is somewhat unfair to the S26 Ultra, but I’ve invested in other Apple devices like an iPad, an Apple TV 4K and a Mac mini, so their integration with my iPhone was something I missed when I temporarily switched to the S26 Ultra. I also own a pair of AirPods and some AirTags, and even a Find My-compatible MagSafe wallet to further entrench me into the Apple ecosystem.

With all that said, my thoughts on the S26 Ultra could still change in a few months (maybe Samsung delivers something game-changing with its software updates?), given that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is also an older device. But then again, there are many more flagships expected to come out later in the year, so I’m not holding my breath.

If the fancy features and high price of the Galaxy S26 Ultra don't speak to you, then Samsung's new affordable phones might be more up your street.

First up, there's the Galaxy A37, a low-priced little gem that'll likely end up in the middle of the eventual Galaxy AX7 series. Then, for a little more power, you've got the Samsung Galaxy A57, which could well end up being the top A-series model of 2026. This Galaxy A56 successor steps up the specs — but the price too, so it might be more than some buyers want.

To help you decide which of these two cheap Samsung phones is best for you, we've compared their prices, specs, and key features below. We haven't put either device through our full review process just yet, but you can find our initial impressions of the pricier model in our Samsung Galaxy A57 hands-on.

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: specs comparison

Before we dive into the specifics of each phone, let's take a look at their key specs.

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: price and availability

While Samsung's A-series phones have spotty availability across the globe — different combinations go on sale in different regions — it seems that both the Galaxy A37 and Galaxy A57 will get wide releases when they hit shelves on April 10. They'll be available in different color and storage varieties, though.

What's in a name? Well, in this case, a clear indication of how these phones compare. This is the 7th-gen wave of Samsung's Galaxy A series, hence the second number, but the first refers to their placement in the line-up. Naturally, 5 is better than 3.

So, you can buy the Samsung Galaxy A37 for $449.99 / £399.99 / AU$599. That's for its base model, with 128GB storage and 6GB RAM, but there's also a model with 256GB storage and 8GB RAM. This sells for $539.99 / £459.99, but won't be coming to Australia.

Now for the Samsung Galaxy A57, and it gets a little bit confusing as there are different sizes in different regions.

In the US, the base model has 8GB RAM and 128GB storage, and goes for $549.99, while in Australia it sells for AU$749, but this model isn't on sale in the UK. The next step up has 8GB RAM and 256GB storage, and it sells for $609.99 / £529.99 / AU$849.

In the UK, there's also a £699.99 model with 512GB storage and 12GB RAM. That's not cheap, and it's bordering on Galaxy S26 territory.

Winner: Galaxy A37

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: design

To the naked eye, these phones are near-identical; when I saw and photographed the Galaxy A57 and A37 ahead of release, I failed to tag all my pictures, and now have about 20 images that could be either device. I've no way of telling.

Perhaps the colors are one giveaway. The Galaxy A37 comes in Charcoal, White, Lavender, and Graygreen (all prefixed by 'Awesome', in classic Samsung Galaxy A-style), while the A57 arrives in Icyblue, Navy, Lilac, and Gray variants. Not all colors are available in all regions, mind you.

The Galaxy A57 also has a slight 'gradation' effect on its rear panel, which should appear like a flickering and shiny gradient, but it's quite hard to see.

Picking the phones up does reveal one difference. While they're both IP68-rated, with metal frames and Gorilla Glass Plus front and backs, the A57 is thinner. It's just 6.9mm across, compared to the A37's 7.4mm, and it feels more slender as a result. That's the biggest design difference between the two.

Winner: Galaxy A57

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: display

The Samsung Galaxy A57 and A37 again match (for the most part) when it comes to their displays.

Both have 6.7-inch 1080 x 2340 displays that reach 120Hz, and are broken up by a punch-hole cut-out at the top for the front camera.

They also get the same screen upgrades over their respective predecessors. Their brightness goes to 1900 nits, and they enjoy what Samsung calls Vision Booster tech, which bumps up the brightness and vibrancy when you're watching content outside.

However, the A57 gets one enhancement: instead of using Super AMOLED for its panel, as the A56 did (and as the A37 does), it gets AMOLED Plus. This squeaks out a little extra color, so content will look a tiny bit better.

A more dramatic difference can be seen in their respective bezel sizes: both have smaller bezels than their predecessors, but on the A37, it's still noticeable as a thick ring around the display. On the A57, it's minimal, like in a flagship phone.

Winner: Galaxy A57

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: cameras

One of the key upgrades that both the Samsung Galaxy A57 and A37 enjoy over their predecessors is that they have an enhanced ISP, or Image Signal Processor. This is the brain that optimizes pictures you take for brightness, saturation, contrast, and the like.

They also both enjoy new Low Noise modes, changes to in-app camera zoom (it now feels more seamless), and faster shutter speeds.

The actual cameras, too, are almost identical: both have a 50MP main and 5MP macro camera, and the A37 has an 8MP ultra-wide while the A57 bumps that to 12MP.

Both phones also have a 12MP selfie camera. So, it's close, but the A57 gets some extra pixels.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 does enjoy some upgrades over the A36, including a bigger main camera sensor, HDR boosts, and advanced portrait modes. But these just bring it closer to its pricier sibling, instead of giving it an edge.

We'll be able to give a proper verdict on the camera quality of both phones (and share image comparisons) when we've tested them fully.

Winner: Galaxy A57

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: performance and software

The differences between these two phones have so far been minor, but that changes now.

Not with software, mind, because both are identical on that front. They come with One UI 8.5 installed out-of-the-box, and Samsung has pledged 6 years of operating system and security updates to both models.

The phones have Bixby-powered AI, Voice Transcription on calls and in the Recorder app, and shared actions across apps. However, other than enhanced Circle to Search functionality, most of the key S26 tools don't make their way across to these mid-range devices: there's no Audio Eraser, Privacy Display, or Finder upgrades.

It's the performance department that sets these phones apart from one another.

The Samsung Galaxy A37 has an Exynos 1480 chipset, while the Galaxy A57 has an Exynos 1680 chipset. Both are made by Samsung itself, and the numbers give the game away: the Exynos 1680 is, quite simply, a more powerful chipset. If you want more power, the A57 is the way to go.

The A37 certainly won't stutter during everyday tasks like streaming or scrolling, but as soon as you boot up some demanding mobile games or attempt any form of video editing, the Exynos 1680 chipset in the A57 will reveal its superiority (though if you want real smartphone power, you'll need to choose one of the best Samsung phones).

Winner: Galaxy A57

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: battery

When comparing two very similar phones, it's natural to have a lot of ties or close calls, but here we've finally got a department where the cheaper of the two can shine.

Both the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37 have the exact same battery size: 5,000mAh, the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Due to the A57 having a more power-hungry chipset and a more advanced display, it'll likely go through its battery a little quicker. Now, the difference could be pretty minimal, coming down to just minutes of real-world time, but it's a point in favor of the A37.

Of course, we'll need to conduct some proper lab testing to confidently say that one is better than the other, but with the A37 being markedly cheaper than the A57, it edges the A57 in this department.

Both have Samsung's Super Fast Charge 2.0, too, so will power up at 45W. There are no wireless charging capabilities to speak of in either, unfortunately.

Winner: Galaxy A37

Samsung Galaxy A57 vs Samsung Galaxy A37: early verdict

When comparing the Samsung Galaxy A57 and Galaxy A37, we're putting two differently-priced members of the same family head-to-head.

It's only natural that the Galaxy A57 is a better phone than the A37 in a lot of ways: it costs more. Its cameras and display show marginal improvements over the A37, while its design and processor reveal bigger ones.

But it's not that much of a step up over the A37, and you're getting a very similar package at a lower price point in its sibling. We've only given the A37 the advantage in the battery and price sections, but it's a close competition in every quarter.

If you're conscious about cost, you wouldn't be losing that much by opting for the A37. But if you want the objectively better phone, then the A57 is the way to go.

Again, we still need to put both devices through our full review process, so stay tuned to TechRadar for our full verdicts on each. Both phones will be available from April 10.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has arrived, and on paper, it looks like exactly the kind of update Samsung likes to make to its biggest flagship: it's slimmer, faster, and a little smarter, but doesn't stray far from a formula that already worked. Put it next to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and you're looking at a more polished version of one of the best phones money can buy.

That leaves the Galaxy S25 Ultra in an awkwardly strong position: it's still a premium, hugely capable phone with excellent cameras, outstanding battery life, and more power than most people are ever going to need. The newer model may be thinner and more advanced, but the older one has not suddenly become less impressive, especially if it starts showing up with discounts or generous contract deals.

So, which device makes more sense for you? In this Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Galaxy S25 Ultra face-off, we've compared their price, designs, displays, and more key features to help you answer that question.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: specs comparison

Before we dig into the details, here’s an overview of both phones’ key specs:

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: price and availability

Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra in March 2026, with prices starting at $1,299.99 / £1,279 / AU$2,199 for the 256GB model, rising to $1,499.99 / £1,449 / AU$2,199 for the 512GB model. A 1TB version is also available for $1,799.99 / £1,699 / AU$2,649.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra arrived a year earlier and started at $1,299 / £1,249 / AU$2,149 for 256GB, then $1,419 / £1,349 / AU$2,349 for 512GB, and $1,659 / £1,549 / AU$2,749 for the 1TB option above that.

That leaves the basic shape of this contest pretty clear. In the US, Samsung has effectively held the line at the entry level, but in the UK, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has edged up in price, and the gap gets wider once you move beyond 256GB.

The newer S26 Ultra is not wildly more expensive, but it is still asking for more money in a category where the S25 Ultra already felt firmly premium.

Winner: Galaxy S25 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: design

At a glance, these two phones are clearly cut from the same cloth, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra does make a better first impression.

To start with, it's slightly thinner and lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra (at 7.9mm and 214g), and Samsung has softened the corners a touch, which helps it look and feel a little less severe in the hand.

There is also a new raised camera surround on the back, giving the S26 Ultra a fresher look without pushing into full redesign territory.

Mind you, the Galaxy S25 Ultra still looks and feels every bit the premium flagship, with its strong titanium frame, built-in S Pen, and more squared-off Ultra styling. You won't be disappointed by the appearance of either phone.

Interestingly, the two phones do actually use different materials, with Samsung moving from titanium on the S25 Ultra to Armor Aluminum on the S26 Ultra. That sounds like a downgrade, but in real-world use, aluminium has slightly better thermal performance than titanium.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: display

This is one of the closest sections in the whole comparison.

Both phones pair a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 1440 x 3120 resolution, a 1Hz–120Hz adaptive refresh rate, and a peak brightness of 2,600 nits, so the core experience is much the same on paper.

Essentially, the Galaxy S25 Ultra already had one of the best screens around, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra does not try to reinvent that formula.

The new twist is Samsung’s built-in Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which narrows viewing angles to make the screen harder to read from the side, giving the newer phone a genuinely useful extra. Of course, you can get this effect on other phones using a special screen protector, but it's nice to have the option to turn it on or off on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The trade-off is that our testing found the S26 Ultra to be slightly dimmer than the S25 Ultra in practice, even if the difference is small enough that most people are unlikely to notice it day to day. Some users have also complained of headaches being caused by Privacy Display, though that's not something we've experienced ourselves.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: cameras

2026 is not a year in which Samsung has ripped up its flagship camera hardware and started again.

Both the Galaxy S26 Ultra and S25 Ultra give you a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide, a 10MP 3x telephoto, a 50MP 5x telephoto, plus a 12MP selfie camera, so you're covered at a very high level with both phones.

On paper, in fact, the two camera setups look almost identical, but the S26 Ultra does slightly pull ahead when you dig into the details.

Samsung has widened the main camera’s aperture from f/1.7 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra to f/1.4 on the S26 Ultra, and the 5x telephoto moves from f/3.4 to f/2.9, which helps both lenses gather more light in darker scenes.

Samsung claims 47% more brightness for the main camera and 37% more for the telephoto, and while those figures don't make the S26 Ultra a drastically better camera phone than the S25 Ultra, our review found the S26 Ultra to be a touch clearer and cleaner in low light and at longer zoom ranges.

Video is strong on both phones, too. The Galaxy S25 Ultra can shoot in up to 8K at 30fps, so it's not missing any headline capture mode, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra builds on that with more advanced video tools aimed at people who want to do more than just point and shoot (like the APV codec).

The newer phone also boasts an amazing Super Steady mode, which uses a gyroscope and accelerometer to hold the horizontal plane even as you turn the S26 Ultra a full 360 degrees. It's quite something in reality.

Of course, the S25 Ultra is not suddenly a weak camera by any means, and indeed, it featured on our list of the best camera phones for most of 2025. But in a head-to-head shootout, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the more capable photography package, even if the upgrade is more about refinement than reinvention.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Camera samples

To help you visualize the similarities and differences between the two phones' cameras, here's a selection of similar images taken by TechRadar's Editor-at-Large, Lance Ulanoff, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Galaxy S26 Ultra camera samples

Galaxy S25 Ultra camera samples

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra: performance and software

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has the easy but potentially undeserved win here.

The device runs on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, comes in a choice of either 12GB or 16GB RAM, and ships with Android 16, giving it the stronger spec sheet and a little more long-term breathing room.

Samsung also claims meaningful gains in CPU, GPU, and NPU performance, which matters less for basic day-to-day use than it does for gaming, heavy multitasking, and the growing pile of AI features.

That said, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is hardly struggling: it already felt excessive for most people, with a Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy chip, 12GB of RAM, and more than enough power for demanding apps, photo editing, and years of use.

The performance gap, then, is real but not dramatic in everyday use. In truth, 99% of users won't be able to tell the difference in power between these two phones.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra looks better equipped for the long haul (you'll also get one extra year of software support), but the Galaxy S25 Ultra continues to offer more power than most buyers will ever truly need. Both are powerhouse performers.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra: battery

When it comes to battery life, the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't change much on paper, but it still has a small advantage, keeping the same 5,000mAh battery as the Galaxy S25 Ultra but adding faster charging at up to 60W wired and 25W wireless.

As with performance (and cameras, and display...), the Galaxy S25 Ultra is hardly weak in this area. Its 5,000mAh battery already delivers excellent stamina, and 45W wired charging plus 15W wireless charging is still solid by flagship standards.

Indeed, in our testing of the S25 Ultra, it managed to run for 18 hours and 35 minutes at the standard 60Hz refresh rate, only dropping to 17 hours and 15 minutes when we switched to the more resource-intensive adaptive refresh rate.

It's a similar story for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which we found comfortably lasted beyond 24 hours in normal use, even with the brightness pushed up, the refresh set to 120Hz, and the resolution at QHD+. In a similar screen-on lab test, it would surely last just as long as the S25 Ultra, if not longer.

For many buyers, battery life is unlikely to be a deciding factor between these two phones, because both are built to go the distance.

Winner: Galaxy S26 Ultra

S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra: verdict

In short, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is — surprise! — the better phone overall. It's slimmer and lighter, adds a couple of useful camera upgrades, brings faster on-paper performance, and charges more quickly, all without losing the core strengths that made the S25 Ultra so easy to recommend last year.

The catch is that the Galaxy S25 Ultra has not dropped far behind: it's still a brilliant flagship with a huge, high-quality screen, excellent cameras, top-end power, and battery life that remains hard to fault.

If the official price gap is wide enough, or you find a strong deal on the older model, it's arguably the better pick. But in a spec-by-spec comparison, the newer Galaxy S26 Ultra takes the crown.

Overall winner: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

If you’ve been mulling picking up one of Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 handsets but missed out on the enticing pre-order specials, you’ve now been given a second chance at scoring one of the better deals. Samsung and a selection of Australian retailers have brought back the free storage upgrade offer for a limited time, representing a saving of AU$300 across all S26 handsets, including the Plus and Ultra models.

As with the pre-order specials, the 512GB variants of all models have had AU$300 shaved off their prices, meaning they now cost the same as the 256GB. There’s also a AU$300 discount on the 1TB S26 Ultra, which brings it down to AU$2,649 – the regular 512GB price.

These deals run until April 15 at Samsung Australia and The Good Guys, while JB Hi-Fi and Amazon have not indicated an end date for the promotion.

Samsung Australia has also sweetened the deal with an extra 5% off the upgraded models if you use the code AI-26SAVE at checkout, but this will end sooner on April 8.

In our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review, we called it "the best Android phone ever" thanks to its thinner and lighter chassis, brighter photos and the addition of the Privacy Display, a feature that dims the screen when viewed at an angle to prevent onlookers from snooping.

Another standout feature is the Super Steady Horizontal Lock, which locks the phone’s video to a smooth, horizontal plane, even if you turn the camera a full 360 degrees.

As for the S26 and S26 Plus, the most significant change was their pricing, with the former now starting at AU$1,549 and the larger sibling costing AU$1,849 (up from AU$1,399 and AU$1,699, respectively) although, to compensate, the storage options now start from 256GB instead of the 128GB of their S25 counterparts.

Which is why we think this double storage offer coming back makes the handsets more worthwhile with 512GB of storage instead of the base 256GB.

While there is some time for you to make your decision, take note that the AI-26SAVE coupon is valid until April 8, while the double storage offer will end on April 15.

All hail the rise of the affordable smartphone. $1,000 flagships are so yesterday. Today, it's all about sub-$600 and even sub-$500 pocketable handsets that somehow manage to match their pricier cousins on looks and AI capabilities while mostly hiding the hardware shortcomings that most might not notice anyway.

This fact was made clear to me when I anecdotally compared the attractive new Samsung Galaxy A57 with its more expensive (and smaller) counterpart, the Samsung Galaxy S26. I've now seen these phones in person and can say with conviction that, at a glance, they're both attractive devices.

I'd go even further: the A57 in its singular shade, Awesome Navy, is the better-looking phone (additional colors are available in other markets). There's just something about how it goes sort of two-tone around the pill-shaped camera array. I mean, it's downright eye-catching, and if you're walking around with the 6.7-inch handset, you're bound to get a few appreciative looks.

Usually, though, that lovely exterior has some failings in durability and protection, but now the A series has IP68 support and Gorilla Glass Victus+ on the front and back. And at 179g, it's only 12g heavier than the smaller Galaxy S26 (but 11g lighter than the similarly sized S26+).

I know: a smart-looking phone is not enough, even if it does start at just $549 / £529 / AU$749. You need a good screen, decent cameras, good performance, and more than a little AI. The thing is, the A57 apparently has that.

Now, on paper, the A57 pales in comparison to the Galaxy S26, which has a bright (up to 2,600 nits) AMOLED screen that can shift from 60Hz up to 120Hz. It has three high-quality cameras on the back: a 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP 3x optical zoom. And powering all of this is the impressive Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (or Exynos 2600 in Europe), a beast of a mobile CPU that brings graphics and imaging power, and deep wells of on-board AI processing.

The A57 pulls back on much of that. The screen is a zippy 120Hz, but it's also stuck there, which might impact the longevity of the 5,000mAh battery. The screen gets bright, but 1,900 nits falls short of the S26 benchmark.

Then there are the cameras. There appear to be three lenses on the back, but none is a telephoto. Instead, you have a 50MP wide, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 5MP macro (both phones have front-facing 12MP selfie cameras).

The A57 only has an Exynos chip. Now, I admit to being biased against these chips, which are not Qualcomm-, Google Tensor-, or Apple Silicon-grade. But Samsung told me that, versus the last gen (Exynos 1580), the Exynos 1680 is 10% and 7% faster, respectively, on the CPU and GPU front, and a whopping 42% faster in the NPU space (more on why that matters in a bit). It's only backed by 8GB of RAM, compared to the S26's 12GB, though again, I'm not sure you'll notice (interestingly, a 12GB RAM option is available in the UK).

While I don't yet have performance numbers, it is worth noting that the A57 has the same size vapor chamber (which manages heat coming off the CPU) as the S26+. Why would you need such a chamber if the chip weren't cooking at least a little bit?

What's important to note here is that this Exynos chip supports virtually the same level of image processing you'd find on the S26. Sure, there are fewer lenses, but, as I compareD the view from each lens on both the S26 and A57, I could see that the latter was up to handling challenging lighting conditions and making me look pretty good in a selfie.

As a prosumer photographer, I would miss the S26's 3x optical zoom camera. Mind you, the 2X image crop zoom I get on the A57 doesn't look half bad. As for the macro on the A57, to be honest, it doesn't, in my early assessment, look like it really compares to the macro capabilities on the S26.

Tons of AI here, too

Samsung's S26 lineup has so much AI, it's like they're all wearing giant, feathered intelligence hats; you scarcely know where to look. You could choose Bixby for phone system information or ask it a general question and let Perplexity take the wheel. Or maybe you choose Galaxy AI to edit your photos or create new imagery from sketches. If those aren't your preference, you can switch to the powerful Google Gemini for help with the world you see in front of you, deep answers, and an impressive Circle to Search on images to "Find the Look."

The wild thing is that all this is basically replicated on the Galaxy A57 (you only miss out on power-hungry generative tools like Drawing Assist). You get Auto Trim, Object Eraser, AI Select, and even Best Face, which, as the name implies, lets you apply the best face to your portrait photos.

I had a little time to try this out on myself and a Samsung rep. You need to turn on Motion Photos (basically letting the phone record a second-or-so of video with each image) to access the feature. We did so and then took my picture while I made a few silly faces.

In the gallery, we swiped up on the photo to reveal the Best Face control and then selected it to let the Galaxy AI get to work. It found a few of my best looks, and I tapped each one to replace my mug with another one.

This didn't take long and works just as smoothly as it does on the S26.

Let's be clear: I haven't spent hours with the Samsung Galaxy A57. Instead, I did a quick assessment of its features and general capabilities versus the Galaxy S26. In that brief time, I came to the conclusion that I would probably like this phone, and if someone came to me trying to decide between the S26 and the A57, I'd first ask them about their budget. If the $899.99 S26 was stretching it, I could comfortably point them to the A57 and say, "You won't regret it."

We'll be running a full review of the Galaxy A57 in the coming weeks, so stay tuned to TechRadar for our full verdict. In the meantime, check out our Samsung Galaxy A57 hands-on for more first impressions.

The Galaxy Z Fold 7 notwithstanding, Samsung is clearly in its ‘iterative upgrade’ era when it comes to smartphones (see the “eminently familiar” Galaxy S26 Ultra), and the company’s latest A-series model, the Galaxy A57, continues the theme of refinement over reinvention.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, especially as the Galaxy A56 remains one of the best cheap phones you can buy, but it does mean the company's latest mid-range upgrade is a tale of subtle under-the-hood improvements rather than radical design tweaks.

Sure, the Galaxy A57 is slightly thinner and lighter than its predecessor, and it’s available in some slick new colors (Awesome Navy is, *sigh*, actually pretty awesome), but the most interesting changes are buried beneath the phone's aluminum frame and glossy Gorilla Glass panels.

Chief among them is Samsung’s new Exynos 1680 chipset, which boasts better CPU, GPU, and NPU performance than the Exynos 1580 in the Galaxy A56, as well as support for a new image signal processor (ISP) and LPDDR5X RAM.

We described the Galaxy A56 as a “jack-of-all-trades handset” that “could do with a bit more power” in our Galaxy A56 review, and Samsung has clearly obliged that request in the Galaxy A57. I still don’t expect it to handle high-end mobile games anywhere near as well as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5-equipped Galaxy S26 — you can forget about playing Call of Duty: Mobile on the highest graphics settings — but this new mid-ranger should deliver significantly improved benchmark results over the A56. It’s got a 13% larger vapor chamber, too, which certainly won’t harm its gaming performance.

As for storage and RAM capacities, the Galaxy A57 is available in a choice of either 256GB/8GB or 512GB/12GB in the UK, and 128/8GB or 256GB/8GB in the US and Australia. Presumably, Samsung is once again offering different storage options for different regions due to different market demands and regulations, but this variance does make analyzing the phone's new price a little tricky (more on this later).

The A57 uses the same 5,000mAh battery as the A56, meaning you should get well over a day of use from a single charge. We managed to eke out around 28 hours of video playback from the A56 during testing, so Samsung’s newer phone should fare just as well, if not better, thanks to its more efficient Exynos chipset.

And when you do come to charge the A57, you can expect to reach the 60% mark in 30 minutes via a 45W charger. That puts the phone on par with the flagship Galaxy S26 Plus for wired charging speed, though — in keeping with previous A-series models — there’s no wireless charging to speak of.

Other omissions include the two big S26-exclusive features, Privacy Display and Super Steady with Horizontal Lock, and you’ll still have to fork over more money for one of the best Samsung phones (or wait for the inevitable Galaxy S26 FE) if you want a dedicated telephoto lens. This is a mid-ranger, after all.

The Galaxy A57 does, however, sport a capable 50MP wide lens, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 5MP macro lens, which is a relatively versatile combination if you’re not shooting at a great distance. The phone’s new image signal processor (ISP) also brings Low Noise Mode to the A series for the first time, and switching between its ultra-wide and main lenses is now smoother than before.

In other words, the A57 shouldn’t be thought of as a total non-starter for keen mobile photographers, and its bright and crisp 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display — which is bordered by slightly thinner bezels this time around — is a dazzling canvas on which to display your snaps.

In terms of software, the Galaxy A57 gets the Awesome Intelligence suite of AI features, rather than the full Galaxy AI package, which is again reserved for the best Samsung phones. Mind you, the gap between the two is now smaller than ever — you don't get generative tools like Drawing Assist on the A57, but you do get Object Eraser, AI Select, Voice Transcription, Auto Trim, Best Face, and more.

Both Bixby and Circle to Search have been upgraded, too, and so the most useful software tools are present and correct. It no longer feels like you have to pay top dollar to get a truly AI-capable smartphone in 2026.

'A device for everybody'

Samsung hasn’t messed with its winning A-series formula in the Galaxy A57; instead, it's focused on boosting chipset performance and image processing to lessen the gap between its mid-range handsets and the premium S series.

“The A57 is a device for everybody," Kadesh Beckford, Smartphone Product Specialist at Samsung MX, told me at a pre-briefing event for the Galaxy A57. "It's thinner and lighter than before — you can feel the changes — but there isn't any form of compromise on performance or battery. We've actually increased the [size of the] vapor cooling system, and we’ve added a faster processor and extremely fast RAM, all while refining the phone’s design with thinner bezels. It's a device for every situation."

The only real criticism I have of this year’s A-series model is the price hike. The Galaxy A57 starts at $549.99 / £529 / AU$749, where last year’s A56 started at $499 / £499 / AU$699. Now, $50 / £30 / AU$50 isn’t a massive increase in itself, especially as you’re getting more storage for your money in the UK, but that £499 price already represented a £60 increase over the starting price of the Galaxy A55, which wasn't made available in the US. The A57, then, costs almost £100 more than its predecessor once removed, which is a pretty hefty jump for just two generations.

Still, as value goes, the Galaxy A57 looks set to be another easy recommendation for users who don’t need outrageous zoom capabilities or benchmark-breaking power. It begins shipping on April 10 in a choice of Awesome Gray, Navy, Icyblue, and Lilac (though the US only gets Navy).

Stay tuned for our full review of the phone — as well as its cheaper sibling, the Galaxy A37 — in the coming weeks.

• Samsung is updating Quick Share
• The wireless file and photo sharing feature will now support iPhone's AirDrop
• Only the Galaxy S26 series for now

Samsung just broke through a major platform barrier, and one that is certain to thrill both iPhone and Samsung Galaxy owners: Its version of Quick Share will soon support Apple's AirDrop.

Quick Share and AirDrop perform essentially the same function but on distinctly separate platforms (Android and iOS, respectively). Each lets you quickly transfer files, photos, and videos wirelessly from one phone to another. Both use Bluetooth and Wi-Fi to establish the ad-hoc connection. Neither, until now, has worked across iPhone and Galaxy phones, but that's about to change.

Starting on March 23 in South Korea and over the following week in the US, Quick Share will receive an update that lets Galaxy phones share files to iPhones via AirDrop. The caveat — and it's a big one — is that it will only work with Samsung Galaxy S26 phones. Samsung says they'll be adding more devices "at a later date."

Enabling the feature should be easy. On your Galaxy S26 device, open the Quick Panel and select Connected Devices and then Quick Share. Next, select the new "Share with Apple Devices." After that, you'll have the option to select a nearby iPhone, assuming they are open to Everyone (or Contacts, we presume).

Following Pixel's lead

Samsung's update follows Google's local sharing technology update that also added AirDrop support to Quick Share on Pixel devices late last year. Quick Share on Pixel 10 devices shares the same architecture as Quick Share on Galaxy phones, so it's not all that surprising that S26 phones now have AirDrop capabilities.

At the moment, it's not clear if the S26's version of Quick Share will follow the Pixel 10's lead and also allow iPhones to AirDrop files to Galaxy S26 phones. It's easy to do on the Pixel 10 and, if Samsung misses that feature, this Quick Share update would only be half a solution. Still, since this is likely based on Google's technology, there's good reason to believe it'll work both ways.

This expanding AirDrop support can only mean good things for future Android devices from all sorts of manufacturers, since this support is clearly coming at a platform level.

• Samsung is reportedly already winding down sales for its Galaxy Z TriFold
• Sales will apparently stop in South Korea first before the US
• Some users are frustrated at this move, but others knew it would happen

Update, March 18: This story was updated to include a statement from Samsung.

Original story follows:

After a short three-month lifespan, Samsung has started winding down sales of its Galaxy Z TriFold smartphone — so if you were hoping to score one this year, you might be too late to the party.

Rumors that the Galaxy Z TriFold might be taken off sale first started with a report from South Korean website Donga. It claimed that Samsung would be ending all sales of the Galaxy Z TriFold in South Korea after its final restock this week — with sales then expected to stop in the US, where “sales are scheduled to continue until the current production volume is sold out”.

Those rumors were then backed up by a Bloomberg report on March 17. A Samsung spokesperson apparently confirmed to Bloomberg that the company would be discontinuing the Galaxy Z TriFold in the US once it has cleared its remaining inventory.

In a statement, Samsung told us: "The Galaxy Z TriFold was introduced as a super-premium device in limited quantities. In Korea, the strong consumer response led to all available units sold out. Customers in other countries still have the opportunity to purchase the device."

When Samsung unveiled its $2,899 tri-folding smartphone in December last year, it was a roaring success, selling out within minutes of going live because of its revolutionary three-screen folding. So why is Samsung pulling the plug on one of its most innovative devices?

Though some users have openly expressed their disappointment for the death of the TriFold (one said the move is “infuriating”), avid tech nerds saw this one coming from a mile away.

Comment from r/GalaxyFold

Although the Galaxy Z TriFold sold out at a very fast rate, this is largely due to the fact that Samsung put it live in small batches (the first two allotments were only 3,000 units each apparently). But this was intentional on Samsung’s part, because the tech giant never meant for the Galaxy Z TriFold to enter mass production.

More so, Samsung's intention for the Galaxy Z TriFold was to simply show off the level of innovation that the company is capable of achieving, rather than producing it with the average consumer in mind. And that seems reasonable, considering most people won't want to lug a 10-inch folding phone-tablet around in their daily life.

However, that’s not the only reason why users think Samsung has killed off the Galaxy Z TriFold.

When it comes to production costs, let’s just say there’s a reason why Samsung had to add the near $3,000 price tag. The report mentions that industry costs for the Galaxy Z TriFold are sky-high, especially for the device’s central features like DRAM and NAND flash, making it incredibly difficult for Samsung to turn over a profit if it was marketed to the casual user.

Despite the inevitable outcome, it doesn’t mean that users aren’t upset at Samsung’s decision to cease one of its most interesting devices. This is largely down to its scarce market availability, with many customers claiming they never had the chance to score one in the first place.

On the other hand, a wave of users have defended the move, given that it was never meant to be a permanent member of the Samsung Galaxy Phones family in the first place.

What do you think of Samsung’s decision to stop selling the Galaxy Z TriFold? Are you also disappointed, or is this what you expected?

• Samsung acknowledges Galaxy S26 Ultra display brightness variation
• It's a product of the new Privacy Display feature
• It's unlikely to impact the user experience

Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra display slightly dimmer because of the new Privacy display technology? The short answer is yes. However, I just received the more considered answer from Samsung, and it definitely sheds some light on the display brightness controversy.

Last week, I reported how, based on both benchmarks and my own tests, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch display does, when viewed at an angle, appear slightly less bright than the Galaxy S25 Ultra screen.

These tests confirmed findings of both other tech publications and our own Future Labs test results, which found slight variations in nits and color density, both of which favored the S25 Ultra.

When I wrote the story I asked Samsung for comment. It didn't respond prior to publication, but it's now provided me with an official statement which reads as follows:

"Privacy Display is designed to protect user's privacy by providing a vivid visual experience for using the phone in normal use cases. Some variation will be seen when the phone is held at certain angles and when set to maximum brightness, however, any impact on actual usage when holding the phone should be negligible."

It's real

Let's start with the obvious. Samsung is not denying that "some variation" will be seen, and it's implicit in their statement that Privacy display (pixel-level tech that hides your screen from prying eyes viewing it from off angles) is to blame. Of course, the caveats are that the phone must be "held at certain angles" and that it's also necessary to set it to maximum brightness.

I tend to agree with Samsung's assessment, though, that the impact of these variations is negligible. I never noticed it during my initial testing. To test the theory, I had to put it alongside the S25 Ultra, make sure the brightness settings on the S26 Ultra and the older phone matched, and then view them from an angle to really see the brightness difference.

Also, when I lowered the brightness as Samsung instructed, I did indeed notice less of a variation.

Is this the end of 'PrivacyDisplayGate'? Probably. While there were some on Reddit who reported nausea and eyestrain from using Privacy Display, I've experienced none of that, and that's despite spending hours at a time using the flagship phone.

Ultimately, Privacy Display is one of the reasons I loved this phone, calling it in my review, "a true bit of display hardware innovation that has no equivalent on any other modern smartphone." Even if it does shave the tiniest bit of brightness off the display, I think it's worth it, and I stand by my assessment of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Do you own a Galaxy S26 Ultra? What's your experience been like? Tell us in the comments below.

• The first build of One UI 9 has appeared
• We also have screenshots from the software
• Expect a launch sometime later in 2026

We haven't yet seen a wider rollout of the One UI 8.5 software that made its debut on the Samsung Galaxy S26 phones (unveiled at the end of February), but it seems progress is being made on One UI 9 too — as the first build of the update has just shown up.

As tipster Tarun Vats reports, there is now an official One UI 9 build on Samsung's servers – and the folks at SamMobile have been able to get it up and running on a phone. It's an important milestone in the development of any Android update, and worth noting.

The same source goes on to say that development will follow the same timeline as we saw last year with One UI 8 (based on Android 16). You may remember that after months of beta testing, it launched in July 2025 with the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7.

Older phones started to get One UI 8 from September 2025, so expect the same sort of cadence throughout 2026. It may not be too long before a One UI 9 beta program opens up (though you'll probably need a newer Samsung phone to access it).

Here's what's coming

At this early stage, the screenshots shared by SamMobile don't show much in the way of chances, but we know One UI 9 is going to be based on Android 17, and so that gives us some clues about what might be coming down the pipe with this major update.

Android 17 is already in beta testing on Pixel phones, and there are some interesting upgrades on the way: better support for lock screen widgets and app windowing for example, as well as improvements to how Android looks on less typical screen sizes.

It also seems as though Android 17 will support an iOS-like notification tweak, which means you'll be able to swipe down from the top left corner to show your notifications, and swipe down from the top right corner to show the Quick Settings.

No doubt there's more to come with Android 17 ahead of its grand unveiling at Google I/O 2026 in May as the Android 17 beta program continues. As usual, Samsung will apply its own tweaks and enhancements on top of Google's codebase as well.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is unquestionably a brilliant flagship smartphone with a powerful, AI-ready processor, excellent cameras, a splendid design, and feature highlights like Super Steady Video and Privacy display. However, it's that last bit that may be responsible for a rather surprising S26 Ultra issue: the screen is ever-so-slightly dimmer than the S25 Ultra, even with the Privacy display disabled.

There have been online complaints about the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen, including some claiming it causes eye strain. As someone who spent many days staring at the 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen, I can tell you that I never experienced that. As far as I could tell, the screen looked bright, clear, and color-rich.

Still, I had been hearing about the change in brightness, which some thought might be attributable to the new Privacy display; the technology can make it almost impossible for someone to spy on your S26 Ultra display at off angles. This is not a software feature. Privacy display uses alternating narrow and wide pixels, turning off the latter when you enable the feature. When I did so, especially with the Maximum Privacy Protection setting enabled, I noticed that even on-angle, the screen looked slightly desaturated, meaning that there was a small concession for that level of screen privacy.

When I asked Samsung about this, they confirmed, "When Maximum privacy protection feature is turned on, overall contrast ratio of the display gets lower/dimmer."

When I turned off Privacy Display, however, I did not notice any difference, and the S26 Ultra screen appeared as bright as ever.

After reading today's story and the concerns of Reddit, however, I decided to take another look.

First, I dug back into the Future Labs benchmarks, focusing specifically on brightness in Nits and color volume. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is rated by Samsung for 2600 peak nits, the same number as the S25 Ultra's screen (other than Privacy display, these panels are essentially identical), but it's rare for any flagship to meet these criteria under all of our test conditions.

As you can see below, HDR brightness is generally lower than the rated number for both phones. However, you might also notice that there is a very tiny difference between the S26 Ultra and S25 Ultra, and, yes, the S25 Ultra is ever-so-slightly brighter in our tests. It also bests, by a very slim margin, the S26 Ultra in color volume.

The variances are so small as to be negligible, and I'd challenge anyone to notice these differences at a glance. If you happen to be holding an S26 Ultra, I'm sure you see the same bright and colorful screen I did. I, however, have an advantage. I still have the excellent Galaxy S25 Ultra on hand.

I decided to conduct a simple side-by-side visual test. First, I made sure both phones had all their platform updates. Next, I made sure that all screen settings were the same, including resolution and brightness. I turned off adaptive brightness and, on the S26 Ultra, made sure Privacy Display was off.

Then, I placed the two phones next to each other, screen up.

Looking dead on, with my eyes perpendicular to the screen, I thought I detected a slight difference, with the S25 Ultra possibly a hint brighter. The difference is so small, I'm not sure it's evident in this photo.

However, when I shifted perspective to more of an off-angle view, the difference was stark. Granted, I would not normally view my screen this way, but I think this offers some evidence that the difference may be driven by how Samsung is now handling wide pixels. In Privacy display, they are turned off, but perhaps their configuration, even with Privacy display off, is slightly altered as compared to how the S25 Ultra's pixels are arrayed.

I have sent Samsung the image and asked for comment. I'll update this post with their reply.

What I think we may have here is a reasonable tradeoff: an almost imperceptible screen adjustment on brightness (and maybe color saturation) for a powerful and currently unmatched mobile phone privacy tool.

I have suffered zero eyestrain using the Galaxy S26 Ultra and stand by my original review. It's still the best Android out there. That said, Samsung should step forward and outline exactly what the Privacy display technology does or does not do to the screen in default mode and address the small changes in screen brightness.

Update 2-16-2026 12:15PM ET: After this story was published, I received a statement from Samsung on the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen and, specifically, the Privacy Display's impact on screen brightness. Here's the statement in full:

"Privacy Display is designed to protect user's privacy by providing a vivid visual experience for using the phone in normal use cases. Some variation will be seen when the phone is held at certain angles and when set to maximum brightness, however, any impact on actual usage when holding the phone should be negligible."

Samsung does not deny the visual impact, noting "some variation will be seen" but adds that this is only "at certain angles" and with the further condition of the display being set to "maximum brightness.

• The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a new Privacy Display
• Some users are complaining that it causes eye strain and nausea
• Other Galaxy S226 Ultra owners aren't seeing any issues

Samsung's 2026 flagship phone earned plenty of praise in our Galaxy S26 Ultra review, but we're seeing a significant volume of complaints concerning one of its key selling points: the Privacy Display that hides what's on screen from those around you.

This is done through some clever screen technology trickery, and you can switch it on or off in the phone's settings. However, as reported by Android Police and others, a number of users think the display upgrade isn't very easy on the eyes.

"The new display is making me nauseous," claims one Redditor who is returning their Galaxy S26 Ultra handset, while others are complaining of eye strain or finding the screen fuzzy compared to their previous smartphone display.

This is obviously not affecting everyone, though – as you'll see if you scroll down those Reddit threads, some users are having no issues at all with the Galaxy S26 Ultra display, and we didn't see any problems when reviewing the device ourselves. In fact, the reaction to the phone overall has largely been very positive.

Compromised screen quality?

Some of the biggest tipsters on X are weighing in on the controversy, with Tarun Vats saying the display makes their eyes feel "tired and slightly uncomfortable" (with screenshots attached), and Ice Universe less than impressed too.

Samsung hasn't shared too many details about how Privacy Display works, but it essentially limits the light emitted by individual pixels. It means the screen (or certain parts of it) can only be viewed from directly in front of it.

Even with Privacy Display disabled, however (which is the default setting), there are complaints on Samsung's forums and social media about a downgrade in screen quality — perhaps a necessary compromise for the option of extra privacy.

It's worth remembering that there were similar eye strain complaints when Apple rolled out its Liquid Glass update for iOS, though such complaints seemed to have died down in the months since iOS 26's initial rollout.

In any case, Samsung's new display tech seems to be affecting different users in different ways. If you're a new Galaxy S26 Ultra owner, have you experienced any eye strain? Let us know in the comments.

Update: Samsung responds to questions about the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra display.

We discussed Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra, its privacy display and more in the latest episode of the TechRadar Podcast. Check it out below!

Samsung officially unveiled the much anticipated Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus in February, with some fresh upgrades over the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus.

The base model Galaxy S26 sports a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen over its predecessor (6.2 inches), and its storage options now start at 256GB, double from the S25's starting 128GB option. The battery also gets a boost to 4,300mAh, up from 4,000mAh.

The larger-screened Galaxy S26 Plus, meanwhile, retains the 6.7-inch display and 4,900mAh battery from its predecessor, and gets Samsung's new Exynos 2600 chipset, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip reserved for the top-tier S26 Ultra. While the battery capacity is the same, the S26 Plus has 20W wireless charging, compared to the S25 Plus’ slower 15W.

If you’re looking to buy outright, the range is available at retailers like Amazon, JB Hi-Fi and The Good Guys. Buying direct from Samsung will also let you pay in instalments of up to 24 months. When paired with one of our best SIM-only plans, buying outright will be the best bang-for-buck option.

These are flagship phones, so the base models of the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus won’t fit in our best cheap phones list. It also doesn’t help that both handsets are more expensive than the S25 lineup, with the base model S26 starting from AU$1,549 (up from the S25’s AU$1,399) and the S26 Plus from AU$1,849 (vs the S25 Plus’s starting price of AU$1,699). This would make paying in monthly instalments an attractive option for some.

In fact, Optus is offering generous discounts for EOFY on both the handset price and plan fees, provided you sign up for a long-term plan.

With so many options available to score a brand-new upgrade, finding the best plan for these new handsets may not be the most straightforward process, so we’ve done the hard work for you. Take a look at our picks for the best phone plans for the Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus below:

The best Samsung Galaxy S26 plan

The best Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus plan

Compare Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus plans

Outright Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus deals

Want to opt for a SIM-only plan and not be tied to a telco? There are plenty of options for buying the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus outright:

• Samsung: pay in instalments of up to 24 months through Samsung financing; also save up to AU$865 when you trade in your old device
• JB Hi-Fi: trade in your old tech for a JB Hi-Fi gift card to be used on a Galaxy S26 series handset
• The Good Guys: Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus available in 256GB and 512GB
• Amazon: Same day delivery with the world’s biggest retailer

Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus: Key Information

• Slightly larger 6.3-inch screen for the base Galaxy S26
• Larger 4,300mAh battery for the S26
• Faster wireless charging for the Galaxy S26 Plus

Samsung’s new range of S-series phones have had some modest hardware upgrades over its predecessors, but they now all start with storage options from 256GB instead of 128GB with the S25 lineup last year.

The base Galaxy S26’s main upgrades were its screen size (6.3 inches versus the S25’s 6.2 inches) and its battery capacity (4,300mAh from 4,000mAh from the S25), while the Plus gets 20W wireless charging, up from 15W for its predecessor.

Both phones retain their IP68 dust and water-resistance rating from their predecessors, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 protection, and camera arrays (50MP main, 10MP telephoto, 12MP ultrawide and 12MP front-facing).

On the software side of things, AI is at centre stage yet again with Galaxy AI features like the proactive Now Nudge notifications, predicting the next task you might need to do, as well as Bixby getting a boost through a partnership with Perplexity to answer non-phone related prompts. The phones also come with AI-powered call screening, document scanning and new AI photo editing tools.

Unfortunately, both the headline-grabbing Privacy Display and the gimbal-like horizontal lock video mode are only exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, so if you’re specifically looking for those features, you can check out the best Galaxy S26 Ultra plans.

Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus specs