Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus Review: Another Year of Minor Spec Bumps
New chipsets and slightly bigger batteries can't disguise a phone lineup running low on fresh ideas
Both phones get new chipsets, the S26 receives a larger battery, and the Plus gains faster wireless charging — but these are incremental tweaks rather than meaningful upgrades. Perhaps most disappointingly, Samsung has not followed Google in adding magnetic Qi2 charging to the phones, missing an opportunity to differentiate.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra at least offers Samsung's privacy display as a compelling reason to upgrade, but that technology hasn't trickled down to the standard models. The result is a pair of phones that are perfectly good but struggle to justify an upgrade from last year's S25 or even the S24.
Samsung has been more adventurous with its foldable lineup in recent years, treating the Flip and Fold lines to major hardware upgrades while the S-series coasts on iterative improvements.
Analysis
Why This Matters
Samsung's flagship phones set the tone for the Android market. When they coast, it signals a broader stagnation in smartphone innovation.
Background
The smartphone industry has struggled to deliver compelling annual upgrades for several years. AI features are increasingly the differentiator, but hardware innovation has plateaued.
What to Watch
Whether Samsung's foldables continue to get the real innovation while the S-series becomes the "safe" mainstream option, and whether Qi2 arrives in next year's model.