{"product_id":"samsung-galaxy-s26-review","title":"Samsung Galaxy S26+ review","description":"\u003ch3\u003eIntroduction\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's that time of the year again, and we have Samsung's latest flagships. We have a familiar crop yet again - a vanilla S26, an S26+ and an S26 Ultra. Today, we are looking at the S26 Plus. It remains in this off-liminal space, sandwiched between the S26 and the S26 Ultra.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/1_f1ae1234-269e-4c72-8fbf-1841d0d53e91.jpg?v=1773242436\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAs per usual, it is not the cheapest nor the smallest option - those traits go to the vanilla and are both viable reasons to nudge a purchase decision in that direction. At the other end of the spectrum, we have the Ultra. Unlike the Plus, it has the best camera setup, the biggest display, this year with an exclusive privacy feature and, of course, the S Pen. All the while, the Plus is, well, just a bigger version of the vanilla and with a price premium to go along with the bigger display and battery. That's it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIt's no wonder the Plus consistently gets the lowest sales numbers out of the trio year after year. And, to be perfectly frank, it's not like Samsung delivered any major upgrades compared to the S25+, so we don't expect a different situation this year.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3 class=\"article-blurb-title blurb-title-findings\"\u003eSamsung Galaxy S26+ specs at a glance:\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"article-blurb article-blurb-findings\"\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBody:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e158.4x75.8x7.3mm, 190g; Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame; IP68 dust tight and water resistant (immersible up to 1.5m for 30 min), Armor aluminum 2 frame.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eDisplay:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e6.70\" Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak), 1440x3120px resolution, 19.5:9 aspect ratio, 516ppi.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eChipset:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eQualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US\/CN, Exynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW: Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) - US\/CN, 10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra \u0026amp; 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro \u0026amp; 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW; Adreno 840 - US\/CN, Xclipse 960 - ROW.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMemory:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM; UFS 4.X.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eOS\/Software:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eAndroid 16, up to 7 major Android upgrades, One UI 8.5.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eRear camera:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eWide (main)\u003c\/u\u003e: 50 MP, f\/1.8, 24mm, 1\/1.56\", 1.0µm, dual pixel PDAF, OIS;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eTelephoto\u003c\/u\u003e: 10 MP, f\/2.4, 67mm, 1\/3.94\", 1.0µm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eUltra wide angle\u003c\/u\u003e: 12 MP, f\/2.2, 13mm, 120-degree, 1\/2.55\" 1.4µm, Super Steady video.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eFront camera:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e12 MP, f\/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1\/3.2\", 1.12µm, dual pixel PDAF.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eVideo capture:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eRear camera\u003c\/u\u003e: 8K@24\/30fps, 4K@30\/60fps, 1080p@30\/60\/120\/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS;\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e\u003cu\u003eFront camera\u003c\/u\u003e: 4K@30\/60fps, 1080p@30fps.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eBattery:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e4900mAh; 45W wired, PD3.0, 69% in 30 min, 20W wireless (Qi2.2), 4.5W reverse wireless.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eConnectivity:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003e5G; eSIM; Wi-Fi 7; BT 6.0; NFC.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003cli\u003e\n\u003cb\u003eMisc:\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cspan\u003e \u003c\/span\u003eFingerprint reader (under display, ultrasonic); stereo speakers; Samsung DeX, Samsung Wireless DeX (desktop experience support), Ultra Wideband (UWB) support.\u003c\/li\u003e\n\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSo, what has changed since last year's model? Well, as expected, you get the yearly chipset upgrade. Though that said, Samsung is returning to the dual-chip strategy, and is offering the S26 and S26+ with its own Exynos 2600 chip in most regions. The US and China get a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Make of that what you will.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOther than that, you get the same display, battery, and cameras. So they are basically re-releasing last year's phone with a refreshed chipset at full price. Sure, you get 20W Qi 2.2 wireless charging instead of the old 15W and well, a slightly tweaked camera island design. Oh, and an extra year of software support. Though with a total of seven major OS updates promised for both the S25+ and S26+, arguably a year more doesn't realistically make much of a difference.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/2_5f9b52ae-2227-4b89-9842-372ac7f82f79.jpg?v=1773242459\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eNow that we're all properly excited, let's dig in, starting with the retail box.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eUnboxing\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eIf you've seen a Samsung box recently, then you already know what the S26+ retail package looks like. The phone ships in a two-piece cardboard box. The material is very thick and protective. There is a cradle on the inside for the unit, which is also made of cardboard. No surprise there, Samsung has been doing this eco-friendly push for a while now. The packaging is actually recycled, and the printing is done in soy ink. That's more than enough justification in our book to explain the rather plain monochromatic look.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/3_f718736d-7b64-4691-bb61-886158e8fd98.jpg?v=1773242480\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThere are almost no accessories bundled. You get a basic EP-DN-980 3A USB Type-C to Type-C cable, and that's about it.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eDisplay\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSamsung did not change a thing about the display of the Galaxy S26+. It is the same exact 6.7-inch size as last year's model with a 120Hz refresh rate, LTPO tech, HDR10+ support and an advertised peak brightness of 2,800 nits.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/4_a1982155-b715-4597-a929-8264c2620f02.jpg?v=1773242748\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThat said, it's not like we are complaining. Samsung's displays remain one of the best in the industry, and the panel in question is very competent indeed.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eOne advantage the plus model maintains over the vanilla is display resolution: 1440 x 3120 pixels (QHD+) on the S26+, compared to 1080 x 2340 (FullHD+) on the vanilla S26.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eWe did our standardized array of tests and measured around 755 nits of max brightness by maxing out the slider. That's with the \"Extra brightness\" toggle enabled. Without it, we got around 510 nits. Neither is particularly great for outdoor use, so we recommend using the automatic brightness adjustment. With it, we measured a very respectable 1,498 nits in a 75% window and 2,596 nits in a 10% window. Both figures are more than plenty to be usable and even pleasant in bright sunlight, and also plenty for a good HDR experience.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe minimum brightness at point white was just 1 nit.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"benchmark-widget bar-chart desktop\"\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eMax display brightness test\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cul class=\"tabs\"\u003e\u003c\/ul\u003e\n\u003cdiv class=\"expand\"\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003c\/div\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Galaxy S26+ offers two refresh rate modes - Adaptive and Standard. Despite the naming, both modes are actually dynamic and will adjust the refresh rate depending on the content on screen. The difference is that Adaptive can scale all the way up to 120Hz, while Standard tops out at 60Hz. Naturally, compatible games can take advantage of the full 120Hz when Adaptive mode is enabled. There are some additional settings for games in the Game Booster menu, and you can force 60Hz on your games if that is what you want. Also, despite all of the settings, some games still refused to push past the 60fps mark, so high refresh rate gaming is a bit of a hit-and-miss affair.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eAdaptive mode is also more aggressive in matching the refresh rate to the frame rate of video content for smoother playback. Standard mode, on the other hand, tends to stick to fixed values and will usually lock video playback to either 30Hz or 60Hz instead of dynamically adapting.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/5_9c21ab06-208d-49e3-8f4a-2316ed16a5a4.jpg?v=1773242764\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe screen will drop to a minimum of 1Hz for static content, regardless of the mode.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eSamsung has also added a couple of software tricks aimed at improving the visual experience. One of them is ProScaler, which enhances perceived sharpness and contrast for both images and text, even when the content itself isn't rendered at the display's native resolution. The feature works across images and videos alike, helping lower-resolution content appear a bit crisper.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThen there is mDNIe, Samsung's display processing engine that dates back at least to the S25 generation. In this implementation, it focuses on smoothing out color gradients to produce more pleasing transitions and softer shades. Of course, one could argue that opting for a native 10-bit or even 12-bit panel would have been a more straightforward way to achieve smoother gradients in the first place.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eFinally, the Galaxy S26+ supports HDR10 and HDR10+, with no Dolby Vision on board, which is par for the course for Samsung devices. Both YouTube and Netflix served HDR streams without issue during our testing, with Netflix also delivering FullHD playback thanks to the phone's Widevine L1 certification.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe phone also supports the Android Ultra HDR standard. This allows compatible photos with embedded metadata to display brighter highlights and improved dynamic range. The feature works not only within Samsung's own Gallery app, but also in Google Photos and even in the Chrome browser when viewing supported images.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003ca name=\"bt\"\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003cspan\u003e\u003c\/span\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003ch3\u003eBattery life\u003c\/h3\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThe Galaxy S26 Plus has the same 4,900 mAh battery capacity as last year's S25+. It is almost identical to the 5,000 mAh that the Ultra has at its disposal. For one reason or another, Samsung is still refusing to use modern chemistry in its batteries, and we are stuck with Li-Ion for yet another generation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003e\u003cimg src=\"https:\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/6.jpg?v=1773242785\" alt=\"\"\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eEven so, the Korean giant has managed to achieve better battery life through optimizations elsewhere. In our standardized testing, the S26+ managed about 16:25 hours of Active Use Score, which is notably better than the 14:26 hours of the S25+. It is also practically identical to the 16:23 hours of Active Use Score on the S26 Ultra, though with a slightly different number distribution. Bottom line, though, if you are a heavy user, the S26+ will comfortably get you through the day with a bit of battery to spare, and if you don't reach for your phone too often, you can realistically push two days on a single charge.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"NEWS","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":54826193682723,"sku":null,"price":0.0,"currency_code":"PKR","in_stock":false}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0888\/6511\/2355\/files\/1_d5328d26-80fa-4713-b865-4c8335c09d70.jpg?v=1773242309","url":"https:\/\/flagshipcellfones.com\/products\/samsung-galaxy-s26-review","provider":"Flagship Cellfones","version":"1.0","type":"link"}