Oh, Samsung. The relationship that I have with the South Korean OEM is rather turbulent. The very first Samsung device I had was around the birth of Android, and it was a regular phone without any “smart”. I loved that little flip phone. However, in 2020, I went back to Samsung, and I have been there ever since.
I think Samsung's modern smartphones are great, especially those in the Galaxy S series, but if there's one thing that is frustrating me with Samsung, it is the company's insistence on not having to change anything in the design department. If it's not broke, don't fix it—I get it—but the Galaxy S26 Ultra might be a year more than I can bear to take.
Samsung Will Stick to (Mostly) the Same Design for the Fifth Year in a Row
In the smartphone world, if there's one company that gets the prize of “most stale design”, it has to be Samsung. My current phone is an S22 Ultra, and my last one was a Note 10+. Who knows, the next one could also be from Samsung. However, not only has Samsung's Galaxy S lineup looked mostly the same for the last four generations, but its entire portfolio is just a weak modification of that same vertical camera blueprint.
With an early render of the Galaxy S26 Ultra (thanks, Ice Universe), it seems that we're going to be getting the same design for another year. That'll make five years straight. The last Galaxy S device that was different was the S21 Ultra.
- The S21 Ultra had a frame outcropping covering the camera part of the back panel.
- The S22 Ultra removed the frame outcropping and adopted more angular corners.
- The S23 Ultra was the same as the S22 Ultra.
- The S24 Ultra reverted to a flat display.
- The S25 Ultra rounded the device's corners.
Now, you might say that from the render, the S26 Ultra looks different enough from the S25 Ultra, because of the long oval that encapsulates the three main camera lenses. The only reason that the camera bump will be there is that Samsung plans to make the phone much thinner. The camera hardware will need more depth to be effective, and that results in the bump. The only change to the design is a result of necessity. How nice.
The S26 Ultra Will Make Up for Its Stale Design With a Solid Slate of Specs
I'm not saying that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will look exactly the same as the S22 Ultra, but each year has only brought the smallest of refinements. But anyway, enough on that. I'm not a Samsung hater. I will likely end up with the S26 Ultra as my next device, especially with what the spec sheet is rumored to look like.
| Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (Rumored) | |
| Screen | 6.9 inches, anti-reflective glass |
| Processor | Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 for Galaxy, Exynos 2600 rumored |
| Software | Android 16, One UI 8.5 |
| Battery | 5,000mAh |
| Charging | 60W wired |
| Thickness | 7.x mm |
The spec sheet doesn't tell the full story, but it is an example of why it is hard to hate on Samsung just because things look the same year after year. The phone will be lighter and thinner, will come with leading display technology, and the camera hardware is expected to improve in multiple ways. Plus, this is the year when we finally get the South Korean OEM breaking past the 45W barrier? I forgive you, Samsung.
