SamsungsmartphoneLast featured Sept 2026
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
I'd buy itI'd buy this.
Conflicted over the lack of camera and battery upgrades, but he concludes it is the most complete Android phone and a great all-rounder for most people.
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Links go to Amazon UK for United Kingdom.
- Price when I covered it
- £900+
- Featured in
- 9 videos · 2026–2026
- Category
- Phones · Flagship
What I liked
- Privacy display feature
- Charges faster than any iPhone
- 10 hours of battery
- More powerful
- Better screen
- Better battery
What I didn't
- Bottom of the pile in dark shots
- Feels iterative
- Shorter battery life than Oppo
- Camera not as good as Oppo's
- Cameras and battery size unchanged
- AI features mostly toys with low resolution output
In my words
Straight from the video. Tap a timestamp to hear me say it.
“he pulled out his S26 Ultra, showed me this privacy display thing”
“Samsung's S26 Ultra was a fair margin ahead at 10 hours on the dot”
“you're getting a lot more phone by going Samsung.”
“It's got a better screen, better battery, and an S Pen.”
“I think the reliability of Samsung's super refined image processing makes this a better phone for most people”
“Samsung started to feel very iterative over the last few years.”
Every time I covered it
Most recent first, so you can see if my view has changed.
6:42iPhone 18 Pro Review - My Last iPhone?Mentioned for its privacy display feature, and Samsung's camera is compared unfavourably to the iPhone's.
Watch this bit
1:43iPhone 18 Pro Unboxing - This Needs ExplainingLasted 10 hours and charges faster than any iPhone, but is weaker in dark photos.
Watch this bit
12:16Google Pixel 11 Hands on - The Phone Crisis Begins.The better buy than the top Pixel at the same price, with more power, a better screen and battery, and an S Pen.
Watch this bit
0:19I Tested Smartphones from Every CountryRefined, feature-packed flagship with a great camera pipeline and S Pen, but feels iterative and loses to Oppo in the semi-final.
Watch this bit
10:12How Tech Companies Lie to You.Its privacy display is a rare example of a software feature that needed real hardware changes.
Watch this bit
0:00Samsung S26 Ultra Review - Breaking Point.Conflicted over the lack of camera and battery upgrades, but he concludes it is the most complete Android phone and a great all-rounder for most people.
Watch this bit
0:07The Ultimate 2026 Battery TestSurprised him by beating last year's model, reaching 12 hours with the same battery thanks to a better chip and cooling, though still behind the Chinese phones.
Watch this bit
0:00The new Samsung INVISIBLE Display!Explains how the new hardware privacy display works and why it goes beyond a privacy screen protector, without giving an overall verdict on the phone.
Watch this bit
0:00Samsung S26 Ultra Hands on - What's ACTUALLY New?A refined but incremental flagship with a clever yet flawed privacy display and a battery that has not grown, leaving him satisfied but not excited.
Watch this bit
Why it's on these shelves
- Iterative
“Samsung started to feel very iterative over the last few years.”
▶ 20:18 - Actually innovative
“It's a software feature, but it's one that actually required them to physically change the way they built the display to work.”
▶ 10:12 - Battery hero
“this phone lasted a very long time thanks to a more efficient chip and a more efficient display”
▶ 10:37 - Built to last
“They give you 7 years of software updates versus four to five on most others.”
▶ 11:26 - Battery hero
“S26 Ultra, which at 12 hours is like sick”
▶ 10:55 - Actually innovative
“because this is actually happening now on a hardware level, we can also darken things selectively.”
▶ 0:27 - Iterative
“None of this is revolutionary, but a handful of refinements that all feel like they're heading in the right direction”
▶ 4:04
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