Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Sky Blue 256GB

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a statistical disaster: its total score of 19.2/100 makes it one of the worst-performing flagships we've ever tested, with a camera that's worse than 89% of phones and a display that's even further behind. Despite an incredibly enthusiastic fanbase, you're paying $1,400 to $1,900 for a phone that mid-rangers beat easily. Seriously, buy almost anything else.

With an unspecified processor but 12GB of RAM and the latest One UI 8.5, the S26 Ultra lands in the middle of the road for raw performance—only 45% of phones we test are slower. In day-to-day use, that means apps open fine, but anything demanding like heavy multitasking or gaming reveals stutters that you wouldn't expect for $1,900. For comparison, the OnePlus 15 with similar RAM but a known Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 routinely benchmarks in the top 20% of our database. Samsung's bloatware doesn't help either; our tests showed background processes eating into that 12GB more aggressively than on stock Android.

Stacked against its competitors, the S26 Ultra stumbles at every turn. The iPhone 17's camera glides into the top tier of our tests, while the S26 Ultra's is near the bottom. The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, with its stock Android and 5G, offers a smoother experience for $700 less. And the OnePlus 15's battery life (better than 87% of phones) makes the S26 Ultra's endurance look sad. Even the Motorola Razr ultra 2025, a foldable with inherent trade-offs, manages a better overall score thanks to a competent camera and display. Newer entries like the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and Google Pixel 10a have also leapfrogged it in our rankings, pushing the S26 Ultra further down the competitive order. Short of needing Samsung's specific Galaxy AI features, there's no logical reason to pick this phone.

The S26 Ultra now starts at $1,400, a 26% drop from its $1,900 launch price, but its value score of 24.3/100 remains abysmal. You could buy an iPhone 17 for $1,099 or a OnePlus 15 for $799 and get better cameras, faster performance, and modern 5G connectivity. Even the ASUS ROG Phone 9 Pro, which starts at a similar $1,799, obliterates this phone in every gaming and display metric. If you're hunting for a deal, the S26 Ultra is still the last place you should look, though the price cut at least makes it slightly less insulting.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra lands in our database with a total score of 19.2 out of 100, placing it well behind the pack for a flagship phone. At a starting price of $1,400, it's now more accessible than at launch, but you're still looking at a device that struggles in nearly every measurable area, from display to connectivity. The camera, which Samsung markets heavily, is outperformed by 89% of the unlocked phones we test. The battery life and performance aren't much better, sitting in the bottom half of the field.

Despite all this, Samsung devotees seem to love it. The 4.8-star rating from over 18,000 reviews and our social proof metric ranking among the best phones for customer enthusiasm suggest that buyers are either swept up in the Galaxy AI hype or simply upgrading from older models. But the numbers tell a harsher story: this is a phone that costs as much as a Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and an iPhone 16 Pro Max while delivering less in almost every category we measure.

Anyone who values objective performance, battery life, or a decent camera should run, not walk, from the S26 Ultra. The display and connectivity are equally poor, so photographers, gamers, and travelers who need reliable signal will be sorely disappointed. If you're upgrading from a recent phone—especially a OnePlus, Pixel, or iPhone—you'll notice a downgrade in nearly every aspect. This phone is only for Samsung die-hards who care more about brand loyalty than specs.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a perplexing device. It scores terribly on objective measures, yet buyers rave about it. For the vast majority of people, this phone is a hard pass. Even with the price drop to $1,400, you're paying a massive premium for an outdated phone that's been outclassed by competitors half its price and now faces stiffer competition from its own predecessor, the S25 Ultra. If you're salaried at Samsung or have an unlimited budget and an irrational fondness for One UI, maybe you'll find joy, but the data screams: skip it.