Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with Privacy Display launches today. It's already a #1 best seller.
There's a new King of the Hill in the smartphone world. At least, if you're an Android user.
After a two-week pre-order period, Samsung officially launched the Galaxy S26 Ultra, its next-gen flagship phone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is unique among recent mobile launches for having a genuinely new hardware feature, a rarity in the age of annual release cycles and iterative updates. (We did see some cool stuff at Mobile World Congress 2026, however.)
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces the world's first Privacy Display, which operates at the pixel level. This feature blacks out the whole screen, specific apps, or notifications from those around you, and it's legitimately very cool. Once again, the Korean tech giant is introducing features that Apple has no answer to. See also: the Galaxy Z Trifold.
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The phone is already listed as a No. 1 best seller at Amazon. If you've been eyeing an upgrade, or if you're considering defecting from iOS to Android, here's a quick download on the new AI smartphone.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra: By the numbers
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,299.99, about $100 more than Apple's iPhone 17 Pro Max. The phone features an impressive list of specs and camera array. Based on our testing, the custom Snapdragon processor inside will easily set a new high score on the Geekbench 6 mobile processor leaderboard.
Display: 6.9-inch AMOLED display
Refresh rate: Adaptive refresh rate up to 120Hz
Processor: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor
Resolution: 3120x1440
Storage: 256GB, 512GB, 1TB storage options
Battery: 5000 mAh (31 hours of video playback)
Durability: IP68 rated, Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Corning Gorilla Glass Victus 2
Cameras: 200MP main wide lens camera, 50MP ultra-wide lens, 50MP telephoto lens with 10x optical zoom, 10MP lens with 3x optical zoom, front-facing 12MP selfie camera
Is the Galaxy S26 Ultra worth it?
The Korean tech giant has a steep asking price for its fancy new handset. We named this smartphone a Mashable Choice product, and you can check out our full Galaxy S26 Ultra review and camera test.
Frankly, it may be too much phone, both literally and figuratively, for most people. But if you want the best possible Android phone, this is it.
Where to find deals on the Galaxy S26 Ultra
You can buy the new Samsung flagship anywhere phones are sold. If you have a phone to trade in, you can find trade-in offers at AT&T and T-Mobile. Both of these companies are offering the device for free with eligible plans and trade-ins.
In addition, if you buy the phone at Samsung, you get a $150 Samsung credit you can use to save money on the new Galaxy Buds4 Pro, the Galaxy Watch Ultra, and a ton of other Samsung gadgets.
Meanwhile, Amazon is offering a $200 gift card with purchase.
Timothy Beck Werth is the Tech Editor at Mashable, where he leads coverage and assignments for the Tech and Shopping verticals. Tim has over 15 years of experience as a journalist and editor, and he has particular experience covering and testing consumer technology, smart home gadgets, and men’s grooming and style products. Previously, he was the Managing Editor and then Site Director of SPY.com, a men's product review and lifestyle website. As a writer for GQ, he covered everything from bull-riding competitions to the best Legos for adults, and he’s also contributed to publications such as The Daily Beast, Gear Patrol, and The Awl.
Tim studied print journalism at the University of Southern California. He currently splits his time between Brooklyn, NY and Charleston, SC. He's currently working on his second novel, a science-fiction book.
