The best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plans in Australia for March 2026

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is officially available in stores and telcos across Australia and while that may mean the excellent pre-order offers we saw in the lead-up to their release have now ended, there are still some great deals to be found.

Headlining the S26 Ultra are its new hardware features, the built-in Privacy Screen that dims when viewed at an angle, a horizontal lock feature that keeps video shooting steady (even if you turn the phone the other way around), and 60W wired charging (up from the S25 Ultra’s 45W).

Samsung has also touted plenty of new AI features, including a new photo editing tool using natural language prompts, a tool to remove background noise in videos, call screening and more. In short, it’s a formidable handset that has plenty to get excited about.

As expected, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is by no means a cheap phone, with prices starting at AU$2,199 for the base 256GB model. It’s also available in 512GB and 1TB storage options, which naturally increases the cost of the phone. The first two also have 12GB of RAM, while the 1TB gets a boost to 16GB.

The handset also gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, while also coming in a slightly thinner chassis at 7.9mm, compared to the predecessor’s 8.2mm, and lighter at 214g, versus the S25 Ultra’s 218g.

Our phones expert has called the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra the best Android phone ever, and is an automatic shoo-in for our best phones list.

If the new hardware innovations and software additions have enticed you to upgrade to Samsung’s latest top-tier phone, then I’ve found the best telco plans in Australia below:

Best overall Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan

Vodafone Small Plan | 60GB data | 24 months | AU$101.45 p/m

Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra have ended at most retailers, but Vodafone is still taking AU$700 off the handset price if you sign up for a 24- or 36-month plan. Combined with a AU$14 discount on the fees for the plan’s entire life, this is the best Aussie telco deal to get the latest top-tier phone from Samsung. The Small Plan also includes unlimited national calls and texts, as well as AU$5 per day of roaming with 5GB of mobile data.

Minimum total cost: AU$1,600.25 | Total cost over 24 months: AU$2,434.80

View Deal

Best premium Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan

Vodafone Medium Plan | 200GB data | 24 months | AU$111.45 p/m

For more mobile data and unlimited overseas calls and texts, Vodafone’s Medium Plan is better suited for an extra AU$10 per month. The AU$14 discount on the plan fees also apply here, which makes the AU$111.45 p/m cost the best Aussie telco deal for those needing lots of mobile data and unlimited overseas calls and texts to selected destinations.

Minimum total cost: AU$1,610.25 | Total cost over 24 months: AU$2,674.80

View Deal

Best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra plan with a smartwatch

Optus Choice Plus Plan | 50GB data | 24 months | AU$117.43 p/m

Optus is also discounting the handset price by AU$700, but the telco is adding a sweetener by throwing in a Samsung Galaxy Watch 8 for free if you sign up for an Optus Watch Plan. The plan fees aren’t discounted, hence the higher monthly cost, but this would suit someone who's looking for a smartwatch to pair with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Also included in the plan are unlimited national calls and texts, as well as AU$5 per day of roaming with 5GB of mobile data.

Minimum total cost: AU$1,553.32 | Total cost over 24 months: AU$2,818.32

View Deal

Outright Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 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 Ultra
• The Good Guys: Galaxy S26 Ultra available in 256GB, 512GB and 1TB
• Amazon: Same day delivery with the world’s biggest retailer

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Key Information

• Slimmer and lighter than the S25 Ultra
• New Privacy Display screen that dims when viewed at an angle
• Horizontal lock allows video stabilisation, even if you turn the phone around
• 60W wired fast charging

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra brought a new hardware innovation with the Privacy Screen, which dims the screen when viewed from the side to prevent onlookers from seeing the contents.

Also added is a horizontal lock feature for shooting videos, which acts like a digital gimbal of sorts to keep the footage you’re shooting level even if you turn your phone up to 360 degrees.

Samsung also managed to make the Galaxy S26 Ultra slimmer at 7.9mm, compared to the S25 Ultra’s 8.2mm, while also shaving off 4g from its overall weight. The brand managed to achieve this feat despite replacing the titanium chassis with the heavier aluminium.

Like with all the S-series Ultra phones, the S26 Ultra gets the latest top-tier Snapdragon processor, this time the Snapdragon Elite 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy. Samsung claims it provides CPU, GPU, and NPU performance over the S25 Ultra.

Wired charging is also faster at 60W, where the phone’s battery can go from flat to 75% in 30 minutes when used with a 65W charger. Wireless charging is at 25W, built on the Qi2 (v2.2) standard, but the phone has no magnets similar to Apple’s MagSafe and Pixel’s PixelSnap.

Samsung has also brought in a slew of AI features, like call screening, Circle to Search, natural language photo editing tools, new integrations with Google Gemini and Bixby is now powered by Perplexity.

The camera array is mostly unchanged from the S25 Ultra, but the 200MP main shooter and 10MP 5x optical zoom lens have wider apertures (f1.4 and f2.9, respectively) to capture more light and produce better low-light photos.

You can read our full Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review for more in-depth information.

The other new Galaxy S-series handsets, the base Galaxy S26 and the larger-screened S26 Plus, also received some upgrades. The S26 now sports a 6.3-inch screen (compared to the S25’s 6.2 inches) and a larger 4,300mAh battery (up from 4,000). The Plus meanwhile gets faster wireless charging rated at 20W, up from its predecessor’s 15W. You can check out the best Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus telco plans.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra specs compared