Samsung, on February 25, launched its S26 series. Like last year, the new Galaxy S series includes three phones – the vanilla S26, S26+ and the S26 Ultra. With last year’s Galaxy S25 and S25+ still fresh in consumers’ minds, the spotlight quickly shifted to how much the new generation really improves on an already polished flagship lineup.
Display
On the surface, the new models look very similar to the S25 and S25+, but once you dig into the specifications, the improvements become clearer. Starting with the display, the S26 retains the same 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED screen size as the S25, while the S26+ sticks to the 6.7-inch panel seen on the S25+.
However, the newer models push brightness levels higher, making them easier to use under direct sunlight. The refresh rate remains a smooth 120Hz across all four phones, but the S26 series benefits from better LTPO efficiency to improve display optimisation.
Performance
Performance is one of the most noticeable areas of change; the S26 and S26+ are powered by a newer-generation of chipsets built on a more advanced architecture, delivering faster speeds and improved energy efficiency compared to the processors inside the S25 and S25+. The newer series is built on a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and Exynos 2600 processor, depending on the market, and they are backed by Android 16-based One UI 8.5.
The S26 is priced at Rs 87,999 and the S26+ is priced at Rs 1,19,999. Last year, during the S25 series launch, the Vanilla S25 was priced at Rs 80,999, and the S25+ was priced at Rs 99,999. The hike in the price of the device is because of RAM and SSD shortage caused by AI data centers.
Samsung has also focused more heavily on AI processing this year, which means smarter on-device features and better overall optimisation.
Camera
In terms of cameras, the hardware may look similar on paper, with a 50MP primary sensor across both generations, but the S26 series leans heavily on upgraded image processing, and photos benefit from improved AI tuning and stronger low-light performance. While the S25 provides reliable results the S26 has access to more features.
Battery life sees incremental improvements as well. While capacities are only slightly increased in the S26 series, better chipset efficiency and display management help extend usage time. The S26 offers a battery life of 4300 mAh battery while the S25 provides a 4000mAh battery. Charging speeds are also improved on the newer models, cutting down top-up times. And the battery capacity of the Samsung S26+ and S25+ remains unchanged.
Overall, the S25 and S25+ remain capable flagship phones, but the S26 and S26+ offer newer and more features and better AI integration. Samsung has fine-tuned performance, brightness, AI features, and battery optimisation to offer a more refined flagship experience.
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