I’m using every trick in the book to get the best price for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

A collection of Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra photos — (Image credit: Future)

With a new phone launch comes a flurry of deals and promotions from dozens of major networks and retailers. I’m here to help you cut through the noise and find the one standout offer that combines all the biggest discount codes, trade-in rebates, and freebies that give you the most value for money.

If you want to cut straight to the chase, then I believe that the official Samsung Store has the best launch offer for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The deal includes the new phone, a free double storage upgrade to 512GB, a free pair of Galaxy Buds4 Pro (worth £219), and a free case (worth £44) when you use the code S26LIVE at checkout. To get it, you need to pair the phone with a 24-month contract on Three that includes unlimited minutes and data for £25 per month and a £699 upfront fee.

I’ve seen that Samsung is also sending additional voucher codes to some wannabe buyers, existing customers, or those who pre-registered interest in the new devices ahead of yesterday’s big livestream reveal. The value of these is anywhere between £50 and £150, so if they’re eligible to be applied to this promotion, you can stack the savings even further.

A screenshot of my cart featuring a deal on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — (Image credit: Future)

If I combine all of those offers and look at doing it myself, I could potentially trade in my Galaxy S23 Plus to get the S26 Ultra for £412 upfront and £25 per month for 24 months. That’s just over £1,000 total over two years for the phone, the latest Galaxy Buds4 Pro, and a case. A solid saving of around £500 compared to buying everything separately.

How does that compare to other S26 Ultra deals?

Even without a substantial trade-in or voucher codes, this Three offer via Samsung beats all the other networks I’ve checked. Let’s run through a few.

At EE, a similar £700 upfront free and unlimited contract will set you back just over £50 a month for the same two-year period, and it doesn’t include free earbuds or a free case, either.

Vodafone contracts are even more expensive, with its unlimited option with the Galaxy S26 Ultra costing £87.25 per month for 24 months. That’s with just a £50 upfront payment, but again, doesn’t include any freebies.

Alternatively, one of the best options I’ve found if you want to avoid a hefty upfront cost is at Tesco Mobile. Its standout deal is the Galaxy S26 Ultra with 100GB of data for £52.99 per month on a 36-month contract and £0 to pay upfront. Still, with that, you’ll be paying considerably more compared to the Three offer over the course of the contract. And, yep, there’s no free buds or case, again.

What about SIM-only options?

What if you’re like me, though, and considering sticking with your existing super-cheap phone contract and just want a new handset? Well, it’s looking best to stay with the Samsung Store again, as you can make use of a limited-time promotion to get £100 off the Galaxy S26 Ultra if you check out with PayPal.

That may only make a small dent in the price of the phone, but if you combine it with the best trade-in values at Samsung for your current phone, then you get one of the best SIM-free deals at launch that’s better than offers at the likes of Amazon and Currys.

So, these are your options. I genuinely think that the Three offer at Samsung is one of the best we’ll see in the preorder phase, thanks to the low monthly cost, freebies, and the option to reduce the upfront fee with a strong trade-in.

If you want to do a bit more research on the phone before committing to anything, though, do check out our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on for everything you need to know about the new phone. You can also check out all of the Samsung Galaxy S26 preorder deals that are available.

How to get the best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra deal

Navigate to the Galaxy S26 Ultra at Samsung
Choose the 512GB model to get double the storage for the same price as the 256GB version
Select the Three Advanced pay monthly contract
Choose the option with unlimited data and minutes, and a free pair of Galaxy Buds4 Pro, for £25 per month and £699 up front
Add a trade-in if you have an existing device you want to hand over for extra savings of up to £607
Enter the code S26LIVE at checkout to get the Clear Magnet Case added for free

More Samsung Galaxy S26 deals

Samsung Galaxy S26: from £30 per month with £12 upfront
The Samsung Galaxy S26 preorder offer at Sky has the latest devices available from £30 per month with an extra £12 upfront cost. You also get a Galaxy Watch8 Classic included for free with the S26 Ultra, or a standard Galaxy Watch8 with the S26 or S26 Plus. All models get the double storage upgrade to 512GB. If you want to pair the device with a SIM, you can get unlimited data for £19, or packages starting at 5GB for as little as £6 per month.

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James Pickard is a Deals Editor at TechRadar. After many years of scouring the net for the cheapest games and tech for his personal use, he decided to make it his job to share all the best bargains and coupon codes with you. James also has almost a decade of experience covering some of the biggest sales events of the year at Eurogamer and VG247, including Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Amazon Prime Day. When not deals hunting or stacking coupon codes to get the biggest savings, James can be found on the PS5, watching a classic film noir or cheering on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

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