95
Amateur PhotographerT3Jul 21, 2026
“The S26 is an extremely capable small smartphone, and for many could be all the phone you’ll ever need, however, it’d be nice if macro features were added.”
By Joshua Waller · Rated 4.5/5Full review
Phone
Galaxy S26
Samsung · From $899.99
Release date Mar 11, 2026
77
Recommended
Based on 15 Critic Reviews
14 with a published score, 1 scored from text · How it works
Latest review Aug 4, 2026
1 Rave13 Positive1 Negative
Critics' Take
Critics call the Galaxy S26 the best compact Android phone, with a bright 6.3-inch screen, fast performance and a light 167 g body. Most also say it is a small step up from the S25 and that the $100 price increase to $899 is hard to justify, with Engadget and Digital Trends pointing to dated cameras and slow 25W charging.
What critics loved
- Bright, smooth 6.3-inch display
- Light, slim compact design
- Fast Snapdragon performance in the US
- Seven years of OS and security updates
Common gripes
- Price rose $100 to $899
- Only 25W wired charging
- No built-in Qi2 magnets
- Camera hardware unchanged from the S25
- Small upgrade over last year's model
Critic Scorecard
15 reviewsSort:
Weighted by outlet tier:T1100%T275%T340%T420%
84
PCMagT2Mar 18, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a compact powerhouse that aims high with a classy design, a beautiful screen, and great cameras.”
By Eric Zeman · Rated 4/5Full review
83
Expert ReviewsT3Feb 25, 2026
“For all of my complaints regarding the lack of improvements, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is still a very good phone.”
Page header shows 'Updated on 2 April 2026'; the structured data gives 2026-02-25 as the original publish date.
By Ben Johnston · Rated 4/5Full review
81
CNETT1Mar 11, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a mix of fantastic innovations and idleness, with clear evidence of Samsung’s odd approach to deciding which components to upgrade and which to let tread water.”
By David Lumb · Rated 8.3/10Full review
79
Tech AdvisorT3Mar 31, 2026
“Samsung’s Galaxy S26 is the company’s most refined compact flagship to date, but one that’s only a small jump up from its predecessor.”
By Adam Smith · Rated 4/5Full review
78
Tom's GuideT2Mar 14, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 delivers heavyweight performance and ambitious Agentic AI features in a lightweight, easy-to-carry design that is perfect for most people.”
By John Velasco · Rated 4/5Full review
Show 9 more reviews ▾Show fewer ▴
78
TechRadarT2Aug 4, 2026
“It has a stellar display, long battery life, a tweaked design, and power enough to breeze through daily tasks.”
By Jason Cipriani · Rated 4/5Full review
77
The VergeT1Mar 11, 2026
“Samsung’s latest Galaxy S phones are going through the motions.”
Joint review of Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus; the 7/10 Verge Score is listed for the Galaxy S26.
By Dominic Preston · Rated 7/10Full review
77
Trusted ReviewsT2Mar 12, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is a slim, lightweight flagship with an excellent display and strong performance, but only modest upgrades over last year.”
By Cam Bunton · Rated 4/5Full review
75
EngadgetT1Mar 13, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is a solid phone, with upgraded battery capacity and more base storage.”
By Mat Smith · Rated 80/100Full review
75
WiredT1Mar 27, 2026
“Lack of fresh features and price increases make these two Samsung flagships feel rather bland.”
Joint review of Galaxy S26 and S26+.
By Julian Chokkattu · Rated 7/10Full review
75
Android CentralT2Apr 6, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a fast performer with plenty of power thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and it sports a bigger 6.3-inch display.”
By Brady Snyder · Rated 3.5/5Full review
75
Digital TrendsT2Apr 6, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is one of those phones that’s very easy to like and a little harder to recommend without an asterisk.”
By Vikhyaat Vivek · Rated 7/10Full review
75
StuffT3Mar 26, 2026
“Depending on where you live in the world, the Galaxy S26 will either be an obvious compact Android pick or something of an also-ran.”
By Tom Morgan-Freelander · Rated 4/5Full review
47
GSMArenaT3Mar 12, 2026
“The vanilla S26 is also more than a few laps behind the competition in terms of camera hardware, battery technology and charging.”
GSMArena publishes no editorial score; score is an estimate of the verdict. The 4.3 on the page is the reader rating.
Staff review · Unrated, scored from textFull review
78
TechRadarT2Aug 4, 2026
“It has a stellar display, long battery life, a tweaked design, and power enough to breeze through daily tasks.”
By Jason Cipriani · Rated 4/5Full review
95
Amateur PhotographerT3Jul 21, 2026
“The S26 is an extremely capable small smartphone, and for many could be all the phone you’ll ever need, however, it’d be nice if macro features were added.”
By Joshua Waller · Rated 4.5/5Full review
75
Android CentralT2Apr 6, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a fast performer with plenty of power thanks to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, and it sports a bigger 6.3-inch display.”
By Brady Snyder · Rated 3.5/5Full review
75
Digital TrendsT2Apr 6, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is one of those phones that’s very easy to like and a little harder to recommend without an asterisk.”
By Vikhyaat Vivek · Rated 7/10Full review
79
Tech AdvisorT3Mar 31, 2026
“Samsung’s Galaxy S26 is the company’s most refined compact flagship to date, but one that’s only a small jump up from its predecessor.”
By Adam Smith · Rated 4/5Full review
75
WiredT1Mar 27, 2026
“Lack of fresh features and price increases make these two Samsung flagships feel rather bland.”
Joint review of Galaxy S26 and S26+.
By Julian Chokkattu · Rated 7/10Full review
Show 9 more reviews ▾Show fewer ▴
75
StuffT3Mar 26, 2026
“Depending on where you live in the world, the Galaxy S26 will either be an obvious compact Android pick or something of an also-ran.”
By Tom Morgan-Freelander · Rated 4/5Full review
84
PCMagT2Mar 18, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a compact powerhouse that aims high with a classy design, a beautiful screen, and great cameras.”
By Eric Zeman · Rated 4/5Full review
78
Tom's GuideT2Mar 14, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 delivers heavyweight performance and ambitious Agentic AI features in a lightweight, easy-to-carry design that is perfect for most people.”
By John Velasco · Rated 4/5Full review
75
EngadgetT1Mar 13, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is a solid phone, with upgraded battery capacity and more base storage.”
By Mat Smith · Rated 80/100Full review
77
Trusted ReviewsT2Mar 12, 2026
“The Galaxy S26 is a slim, lightweight flagship with an excellent display and strong performance, but only modest upgrades over last year.”
By Cam Bunton · Rated 4/5Full review
47
GSMArenaT3Mar 12, 2026
“The vanilla S26 is also more than a few laps behind the competition in terms of camera hardware, battery technology and charging.”
GSMArena publishes no editorial score; score is an estimate of the verdict. The 4.3 on the page is the reader rating.
Staff review · Unrated, scored from textFull review
81
CNETT1Mar 11, 2026
“The Samsung Galaxy S26 is a mix of fantastic innovations and idleness, with clear evidence of Samsung’s odd approach to deciding which components to upgrade and which to let tread water.”
By David Lumb · Rated 8.3/10Full review
77
The VergeT1Mar 11, 2026
“Samsung’s latest Galaxy S phones are going through the motions.”
Joint review of Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus; the 7/10 Verge Score is listed for the Galaxy S26.
By Dominic Preston · Rated 7/10Full review
83
Expert ReviewsT3Feb 25, 2026
“For all of my complaints regarding the lack of improvements, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is still a very good phone.”
Page header shows 'Updated on 2 April 2026'; the structured data gives 2026-02-25 as the original publish date.
By Ben Johnston · Rated 4/5Full review
Quick Facts
- Display
- 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, up to 2,600 nits peak
- Chip
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (US); Exynos 2600 in many other markets
- Memory/Storage
- 12GB RAM; 256GB or 512GB
- Rear cameras
- 50MP main + 12MP ultra wide + 10MP 3x telephoto
- Front camera
- 12MP
- Battery
- 4,300mAh; 25W wired, 15W wireless charging
- Weight
- 167 g, 7.2 mm thick
- Water resistance
- IP68
- Price
- From $899.99 (256GB)