Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. S25: Comparing price, specs, and features
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There's a new base model in town.
At Galaxy Unpacked 2026, Samsung officially unveiled the standard Galaxy S26 — and on paper, it looks a lot like last year's Galaxy S25. But as always, the devil's in the details.
Let's not waste time: Here's how the base Galaxy S26 compares to the base Galaxy S25 in terms of price, design, specs, camera, and battery life.
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Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Galaxy S25: Price
Samsung will be giving the Galaxy S26 a notable bump from the S25's launch price, which started closer to the traditional $799 base tier.
S25:
128GB/12GB RAM: $799.99
256GB/12GB RAM: $859.99
S26:
128GB/12GB RAM: $899.99
256GB/12GB RAM: $959.99
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Galaxy S25: Design and display
At first glance, the S26 doesn't reinvent the wheel. It sticks with a compact footprint and flat edges, measuring 71.7 x 149 x 7.2mm and weighing 167 grams. That’s slightly thicker and heavier than the S25, which came in at 5.84mm thick and 162 grams.
Display-wise, the S26 gets a 6.3-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel with a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate. The S25 featured a slightly smaller 6.2-inch AMOLED display with 120Hz support. In other words: marginally bigger screen, same smooth scrolling.
S25:
6.2-inch display
120Hz refresh rate
Thickness: 5.84mm
Weight: 162g
Colors: Blueblack, Coralred, Pinkgold, Navy, Mint, Icy Blue, Silver Shadow
S26:
6.3-inch FHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display
120Hz adaptive refresh rate
Thickness: 7.2mm
Weight: 167g
Colors: Black, White, Sky Blue, and Cobalt Violet
You're getting a slightly bigger screen and a touch more heft, but the overall footprint still firmly sits in "compact flagship" territory. If you liked the S25’s one-handed feel, the S26 won’t shock you.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Galaxy S25: Performance and software
Here's where the S26 makes a more meaningful leap.
The base Galaxy S26 is powered by Qualcomm's new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, with some regions expected to get Samsung's in-house Exynos 2600 processor instead. Either way, this is a generational bump over the S25's Snapdragon 8 Elite silicon, promising better efficiency, stronger sustained performance, and more AI headroom.
S25:
Snapdragon 8 Elite
12GB RAM
128GB or 256GB storage
Android 15 at launch (One UI 7)
S26:
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Exynos 2600
12GB RAM
256GB or 512GB storage
Android 16 with One UI 8.5
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Galaxy S25: Camera
Here’s where things feel almost identical.
The S26 features:
50MP wide
12MP ultra-wide (F2.2)
10MP telephoto
12MP front camera
That's the same core setup as the base S25, which also packs a 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, 10MP telephoto, and 12MP selfie camera. So no megapixel jump this year. If there are improvements, they'll likely come down to image processing and Galaxy AI enhancements rather than new hardware.
Samsung Galaxy S26 vs. Galaxy S25: Battery and charging
Battery capacity gets a modest bump.
The S26 ships with a 4,300mAh battery. The S25 had a 4,000mAh cell. That's not massive, but it's meaningful — especially if paired with software optimizations in Android 16 and One UI 8.5.
Samsung also claims the S26 can reach up to a 55 percent battery charge in 30 minutes. The S25 offered strong battery life for its size, but charging speeds weren’t a headline feature. This could be one of the more practical upgrades for everyday users.
Head to Mashable's Samsung Galaxy Unpacked live blog for the latest updates as the newest Samsung products and features are unveiled.
Topics Samsung Samsung Unpacked
Chance Townsend is the General Assignments Editor at Mashable, covering tech, video games, dating apps, digital culture, and whatever else comes his way. He has a Master's in Journalism from the University of North Texas and is a proud orange cat father. His writing has also appeared in PC Mag and Mother Jones.
In his free time, he cooks, loves to sleep, and greatly enjoys Detroit sports. If you have any tips or want to talk shop about the Lions, you can reach out to him on Bluesky @offbrandchance.bsky.social or by email at [email protected].
