I’ve been checking out the Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks, and some of the upgrades look useful. Still, one change in the camera has me a bit worried.

The Ultra is Samsung’s biggest and most powerful smartphone, packed with more artificial intelligence than ever. Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks hint that Samsung might use AI to add privacy features that, just like screen protectors, hide your display from anyone not looking straight at it. And that’s just the beginning.

Beyond AI, there are changes to the design, display, battery, and camera. I dug through the internet to see what’s new, and while most updates look awesome, photographers might not be thrilled with one particular change.

S26 Ultra design

The Galaxy S26 Ultra brings back the flat display once more, with a camera hole sitting right in the middle at the top. The screen edges stay thin and even all around, giving it a clean look.

The corners curve just a bit this time. I like the feel of rounded edges when holding the phone, but sharp corners always look sleeker and more high-end. Still, I’d rather skip the pain of holding a sharp phone—there are better ways for design to stand out than by hurting your hand.

On the right side, you’ll find every physical button—volume up and down above the power key. The left side stays bare. Down at the bottom sit the SIM tray, main speaker, USB Type-C port, and S Pen slot tucked in the bottom-left corner.

The back design takes a cue from the S25 Edge and Z Fold7, sporting a similar camera island. The layout stays familiar, though not every lens pops out from the body. 3 cameras line up vertically on the left, resting on a raised island that sticks out around 4.5 mm while the phone itself is about 7.9 mm thick. The bump stands out, no doubt, but it’s a small price for a camera setup that can crush anything else out there.

As for the size, the S26 Ultra measures 163.4 x 77.9 x 7.9 mm—or 12.4 mm if you count the camera bump—and weighs about 217 grams. For comparison, the S25 Ultra came in at 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm and weighed 218 grams. So it’s almost the same size, just a touch slimmer and lighter.

S26 Ultra display

Samsung is jumping to M14 OLED panels with CoE tech—a mix that trims bulk, kills glare, and makes colors pop brighter. The S26 Ultra screen should measure around 6.89 inches, though Samsung will round up to 6.9 just to flex. Size-wise, it’s a match for the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Buried in the One UI 8.5 code, though, lies the fun part—a “Private Display” mode. It limits how much people can see from the side, keeping your screen safe from nosy eyes.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra could come with a feature called Flex Magic Pixel, which sounds straight out of sci-fi. It can sense if you’re in a crowd, maybe on the subway or at a café, and adjust your screen’s visibility. Yeah—you give up a bit of privacy just to protect your screen privacy. But then again, it’s no different from how Apple Maps or Google Maps know when traffic jams up on your way home.

S26 Ultra processor

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to pack some serious power. For starters, Samsung will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Qualcomm confirmed it during the Snapdragon Summit 2025, even if they didn’t name specific phones.

The next generation of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers a masterpiece of performance to flagship smartphones, redefining mobile excellence with incredible performance, efficiency, and on-device agentic AI.

Not every S26 Ultra may run Snapdragon, though. Word is, the Exynos 2600 could show up in certain markets. Samsung has a history of using Exynos chips in Europe while the US and China get Snapdragon versions.

The Exynos 2600 will be the first 2nm mobile chip, featuring a deca-core CPU in a 1+3+6 setup. Mass production kicked off last month.

S26 Ultra battery

The Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps the same 5,000 mAh battery from previous Ultra models. In Tom’s Guide’s battery test, the Galaxy S25 Ultra ran for 17 hours and 15 minutes—the longest any Samsung phone has gone so far. The S24 Ultra, with the same 5,000 mAh cell, managed 16 hours and 45 minutes. That’s a 30-minute gain, around a 3% jump.

Sure, a 5,000 mAh battery sounds small for 2025 when some flagships push 6,000 mAh, but if Samsung squeezes out more efficiency, the S26 Ultra might surprise us.

As for charging, the rumors keep bouncing around. Some reports say Samsung will stick to 45 W wired charging, while others claim it’s jumping to 60 W. No one knows for sure yet.

I’m, however, hoping Qi2.2 wireless charging hits up to 25 W. Since the phone is said to include internal magnets, Samsung could put them to use. The company already launched a couple of new Qi2-compatible wireless chargers in the US, which might hint at what’s next. One charger is made for cars ($84.99), and the other for home use ($34.99).

S26 Ultra camera

Camera upgrades won’t be huge. You’ll still get 4 lenses on the back. The main shooter packs 200 megapixels (f/1.4, 1/1.3-inch sensor) and pairs with a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens. I’ve to admit that Samsung already improved the ultrawide on the S25 Ultra, so it captures sharper indoor shots and performs better in low light.

Telephoto might take a step back. Rumor points to a 10-megapixel sensor (1/3.94-inch, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom), which is smaller than the Sony IMX754 in the S25 Ultra. That could frustrate users, especially since nighttime photos are already tricky.

As for the periscope zoom, Samsung keeps a 50-megapixel sensor (1/2.52-inch) with 5x optical zoom. By the way, if you’re curious how Samsung’s zoom photography evolved, a Redditor shared a comparison of the S22 Ultra and S24 Ultra while shooting in Bern, Switzerland.

S26 Ultra release date

Samsung likes to get a jump on its flagship launches. The Galaxy S series keeps creeping earlier every year. These days, they usually announce the phones in January, then ship a few weeks later, often hitting stores in February.

Right now, rumors about the S26 Ultra release date are all over the place. One Greek source says Samsung might push the launch back. According to the report, Samsung wrapped up work on the high-end S26 Ultra, but the regular S26 is still behind. The source doesn’t give more details on the delay, so I’d take it with a pinch of salt.

Parting thoughts

The Galaxy S26 Ultra looks ready to bring solid upgrades over its predecessor, plus a few features that could make it stand out. The Flex Magic Pixel seems cool, using AI to keep prying eyes off your screen.

It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, though—the telephoto lens might fall a bit short. Even so, there’s much to look forward to.