"Old" faithful
The Galaxy S25 Ultra isn't old by any means. It's still at the top of its class in a variety of categories, and will continue to receive regular OS updates for another six years. Not to mention that the price is about to get a lot more enticing.
Pros
- Improved front camera
- Gemini Live and advanced AI features out of the box
- Faster wired and wireless charging
- Ultra slim and lightweight
Cons
- Not a huge step up in features
Fast approaching
Those who want the latest, greatest, and most powerful Android phones will need to wait just a little bit longer. The announcement will be here before you know it, so unless you really need an upgrade, we'd suggest holding off a bit longer.
Pros
- Has many of the same features
- Updatable for six more years of OS and security support
- Still pretty sleek and slim
Cons
- Slightly slower processor
- A tad thicker and heavier
- Slower to charge
It's been almost a year since the Galaxy S25 Ultra was released, and in that time, it's seen much competition, but Samsung's 2025 flagship smartphone remains among the elite. However, as the end of the year approaches, the eventuality of the Galaxy S26 Ultra being introduced also draws nearer.
Seeing as we're just about into the holiday shopping season, this means the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be quite enticing with a variety of deals to be had. But does that necessarily mean you should just jump at the best deal you can find now? Or should you wait until the Galaxy S26 Ultra is unveiled first?
Since Samsung has yet to make it official, all we currently have to go on is a combination of leaks, rumors, and intuition, but we hope to help you decide.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Design and display
Over the past couple of years, Samsung has been ditching the curved edges and flattening out its flagship smartphone. This resulted in the Galaxy S25 Ultra being more rectangular than before, leading many to complain about the sharper edges making the phone uncomfortable to hold.
Leaked CAD renders suggest that it won't be as much of a problem with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, as all four corners will be more rounded than before. Those same renders also revealed that the S26 Ultra might be a bit slimmer and taller, while still retaining essentially the same 6.9-inch screen size.
Although the screen sizes might remain the same for yet another year, that's not to say Samsung isn't trying to have an Ace up its sleeve. Samsung Display introduced its "Flex Magic Panel OLED" screen at MWC 2024, which uses software and AI to prevent wandering eyes from seeing what's on your phone.
Essentially, when the phone is seen from certain angles, the contents of the screen won't be discernible, keeping your private conversations private. This was essentially corroborated after a recent One UI 8.5 leak included references to a feature called "Private Display". If implemented correctly, this could spell the end of needing a dedicated privacy screen protector, as your phone would just handle things itself.
The slight changes are reportedly coming to the included S Pen, with @IceUniverse showing off a render of the S Pen matching the curvature of the phone. Speaking of which, after Samsung removed the Bluetooth features from the Galaxy S25 Ultra's S Pen and completely removed compatibility from the Galaxy Z Fold 7, many wondered what it meant for the S26 Ultra.
Thankfully, it would appear that the S Pen in Samsung's flagship phone will live on for at least another year. However, those hoping to see the return of Air Gestures or remote camera controls are likely to be disappointed, as we've yet to see any leaks or rumors about new S Pen features.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Performance and specs
What really is there to say when it comes to a flagship phone getting updated to a newer version? The Galaxy S25 Ultra remains at the top of its class in performance, largely thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy. This is paired with 12GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
It's likely to be much of the same story with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with one obvious change. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 was recently announced at Qualcomm's Snapdragon Summit, and we expect this to be the chip powering Samsung's 2026 flagship. The only difference is that we also expect it to be slightly tweaked, while sporting the "for Galaxy" branding.
Here's a look at the expected specs of the Galaxy S25 Ultra vs. the Galaxy S25 Ultra:
Category |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (rumored/expected) |
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra |
|---|---|---|
Display |
6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate |
6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate |
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy |
RAM |
12GB / 16GB |
12GB |
Storage |
Up to 1TB UFS 4.0 (or UFS 4.1) |
256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
Rear Camera 1 |
200MP wide |
200MP wide |
Rear Camera 2 |
50MP ultrawide |
50MP ultrawide |
Rear Camera 3 |
12MP 3x telephoto |
10MP 3x telephoto |
Rear Camera 4 |
50MP 5x telephoto |
50MP 5x telephoto |
Front Camera |
12MP wide |
12MP wide |
Ingress Protection |
IP68 |
IP68 |
Connectivity |
5G (sub-6GHz, mmWave), Wi-Fi 7, UWB, Bluetooth 6.0 |
5G (sub-6GHz, mmWave), Wi-Fi 7, UWB, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Battery |
5,000mAh |
5,000mAh |
Charging |
45W or 60W wired, Qi 2.2 Magnetic Compatibility w/ 25W wireless speeds |
45W wired, 15W wireless, 4.5W reverse wireless |
Dimensions |
163.4 x 77.9 x 7.9mm |
162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2mm |
Weight |
217 grams |
218 grams |
OS |
One UI 8.5 w/ Android 16 QPR2 |
One UI 8 w/ Android 16 |
There is another rumored change: the Galaxy S26 Ultra is offered with 16GB of RAM instead of 12GB. Doing so would put it in line with Google's Pixel 10 Pro and Pro XL, and could provide some "wiggle room" for any future Gemini or Galaxy AI features in the pipeline.
Another area where we're hoping to see Samsung match up with Google is in charging capabilities. Although the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Z Fold 7 are Qi2 compatible, they aren't equipped with faster wireless charging speeds or built-in magnets. Instead, you still currently need to rely on a case (or adapter) if you want to enjoy magnetic accessories.
Some rumors suggest this will be rectified with the S26 Ultra, as it's said to support the Qi 2.2 standard. With that, we could have proper magnetic accessory compatibility, along with faster 25W wireless charging speeds, and potentially even 60W wired charging. However, it's also worth noting that while many signs point to faster charging, Samsung will likely stick to the 5,000mAh battery size.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Cameras
More changes are likely to come to the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera system, and not just in the slight differences in the rear camera alignment. On paper, the S26 Ultra may share a similar quad rear-camera setup, with a 200MP main wide-angle lens, a 3x telephoto, 50MP 5x telephoto, and 50MP ultrawide sensors.
It's likely that Samsung will implement the latest version of its 200MP main lens; there was excitement for a potential upgrade to the 3x telephoto camera. It was said that Samsung would be using an upgraded 12MP lens, offering more detail and capturing more light than before.
And while multiple rumors agree that the 12MP will be implemented, it won't provide the upgrade we had hoped. Instead, it's said that Samsung will crop the 12MP sensor down to 10MP. Not only that, but as a result of cropping to a smaller sensor, this could mean fewer details and light would be captured than what the Galaxy S25 Ultra can produce.
It's not all disappointing news, however, with rumors pointing to Samsung introducing its own "APV codec." This stands for Advanced Professional Video, and is said to "preserve far better than existing options while keeping storage demands in check." If that sounds kind of familiar, it's not all that dissimilar to what Apple ProRes offers when recording video on the iPhone.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy S25 Ultra: Is it worth waiting?
There are plenty of questions that even the rumors and leaks have yet to answer regarding the Galaxy S26 Ultra, making the decision that much more difficult. Especially considering that we'll likely see a variety of deals for the Galaxy S25 Ultra that make it as cheap, if not cheaper, than the pre-order deals were available.
Not to mention that we don't know if Samsung is planning on any surprise price hikes, as that seems to be a going trend nowadays. However, even if the Galaxy S26 Ultra is more expensive than the S25 Ultra was at launch, we can't imagine it would be by more than $100. And while that's not an insignificant amount, there likely aren't many groundbreaking upgrades to warrant anything more.
All of this is to say, if you want the absolute best that Android has to offer, wait a couple more months. If Samsung's past schedule is anything to go by, the Galaxy S26 Ultra should likely arrive sometime in late January or early February. At which point, you'll be able to see all of the cards in the deck, plus, if you'd still prefer the S25 Ultra, it'll probably be even less expensive.
The incumbent
If you're looking to upgrade, now might seem to be the best time to grab the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, you might want to practice a bit of restraint when seeing deals come in, as the S26 Ultra launch will be here before you know it.
The future
It might seem tough to make a decision right now, but that's just because we don't have the full picture of what the Galaxy S26 Ultra will bring. Even still, we surmise it will end up amongst the best phones of the coming year.
