Samsung Galaxy S26+ Review: Everything you Want, Nothing More

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The Samsung Galaxy S26+ is the middle child of the South Korean firm’s trio of new flagship phones for 2026, providing users with a bigger display experience over the base model S26, at a price which isn’t quite as prohibitive as the S26 Ultra.

Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 series, like its predecessors, offer a handful of incremental hardware upgrades, while the firm’s focus remains firmly on its AI proposition.

It means there’s not a huge amount that’s new on the hardware side of things over the Galaxy 25+ this phone is replacing, with most of the action happening in the software and with AI.

And with Samsung increasing the prices across the whole S26 series this year, the Galaxy S26+ finds itself battling it out with excellent big-screen smartphones such as the OnePlus 15, which is cheaper.

The S26+ is a bit of a black sheep when compared to Apple’s and Google’s trio of flagships. Both of those opt for two ‘Pro’ models, and a single base model, whereas Samsung is continuing with the Ultra as its only true Pro model rival, with the S26+ just a larger screen version of the S26.

In fact, the Galaxy S26+ is the same price as the Google Pixel 10 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro. While both of these phones have smaller displays than the Samsung, they do inherit more high-end features.

How much you value Samsung’s One UI software and the AI additions will likely determine whether or not the Galaxy S26+ is the phone for you.

Design & Build

• Familiar design, premium and well-built
• IP68 rated against dust and water, allowing it to survive a dunk in the tub
• Those with smaller hands might want to opt for the S26 instead

If you’re familiar with Samsung’s previous couple of flagship series, the design of the Galaxy S26+ will offer up a certain amount of deja vu.

The blueprint for the phone has been kept pretty much the same, with the exact same dimensions as the S25+, which itself was only fractionally different to the S24+.

While it’s a little disappointing not to see Samsung push the boundaries of design, at the same time, the current design is sleek, premium and functional. As the saying goes, if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.

The only visual change for the Galaxy S26+ is found on the rear, where the trio of cameras now reside on a vertical, oval island. As the cameras themselves are raised above the island, it means the camera array as a whole protrudes a little more.

Luke Baker

This isn’t a huge issue, but it’s something that irks me – and is an issue with all phones which have a camera array in the corner – as the phone isn’t stable when placed on a desk or table. Tap away and the whole thing wobbles and I worry for the cameras. A case can solve this wobble, though, if you’re at all concerned.

A case will also provide you with more grip, as while the smooth glass and metal finish look great, it’s also pretty slippy.

There are also some new colours, though I got the plain Black to review. If you don’t want one of the core Black, White, Sky Blue or Cobalt Violet options, then head to Samsung’s official store for the exclusive Silver Shadow or Pink Gold.

The good news is the S26+ is very well made. Its Armor Aluminium frame, and strengthened Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass looks and feels classy. The power and volume buttons on the right have a nice tactility to them, and the slender bezels round the screen complete the premium aesthetic.

John McCann / Foundry

You also get IP68 dust and water protection, meaning the Galaxy S26+ can survive immersion in up to 1.5m of fresh water for up to 30 minutes. Handy if you accidentally let it slip in the bath.

A quick word of warning on the size of this phone, though. As the S26+ has a 6.7-inch display, it’s tall and wide. Those with smaller hands might prefer its compact sibling, the Galaxy S26, which has a 6.3-inch screen for easier one-handed operation.

Screen & Speakers

• Wonderfully sharp, colourful screen
• Great for gaming and video streaming
• Not quite as bright as some rivals

The Samsung Galaxy S26+ features a glorious 6.7-inch AMOLED display that pops with colour, and the QHD+ (3120 x 1440) resolution means this is a panel packed with pixels, with a density of 516ppi.

That’s more pixels per inch than both of its siblings (even the S26 Ultra), as well as the Pixel 10 Pro duo (495ppi & 486ppi) and the two iPhone 17 Pro handsets (both 460ppi).

Then there’s Samsung’s “mobile Digital Natural Image engine” (mDNIe), which is said to offer “four times better processing precision for richer tones.” The result? A wonderfully sharp screen, which is great for streaming video and playing games.

One area where the screen is let down slightly is brightness. The Galaxy S26+ has a peak brightness of 2600 nits, which is somewhat lower than the Pixel 10 Pro (3300 nits) and iPhone 17 Pro (3000 nits). It is better than the OnePlus 15, though, which only manages 1800 nits.

John McCann / Foundry

What this means in real life is still good visibility in direct sunlight, but it’s not quite as clear in these situations as the Apple and Google handsets at the same price.

The display supports 1-120Hz variable refresh rate, allowing gamers to dial up performance when they need it, while also allowing the S26+ to dial the refresh rate all the way down for static text pages to help conserve energy. A high refresh rate also means smooth scrolling, which makes the One UI 8.5 interface feel slick under thumb.

This is becoming an increasingly standard feature across smartphone screens, so it’s good to see Samsung keeping up with the competition here. The OnePlus 15 leads the mainstream pack at 165Hz, though it’s a case of diminishing returns.

Just note, you don’t get Samsung’s new, world-first privacy display, which is exclusive to the S26 Ultra.

You also get stereo speakers on the Galaxy S26+, providing pleasing sound when held landscape for video or gameplay. Volume goes to a decent level and doesn’t get too distorted, and there’s Bluetooth connectivity if you want improved sound via headphones or an external speaker.

There is no 3.5mm headphone jack, which is no surprise, as this was ditched a while back on the flagship S series.

Specs & Performance

• World’s first 2nm chipset and 12GB of RAM
• Redesigned vapour chamber for improved thermal management
• Choose from 256GB or 512GB, no physical expandable storage option

The Galaxy S26+ (and its non-plus sibling) features the world’s first 2nm chipset, Samsung’s Exynos 2600. Samsung claims its new chip offers a 36% improvement in NPU for faster AI, a 23% GPU improvement, and a 7% increase in CPU processing over the chip found in the S25+.

A look at the Galaxy S26+’s Geekbench 6 multi-core score (10,610) confirms the power uplift over the S25+ (9,430) – although it’s still outperformed by the