Today marks the global launch of the Galaxy S26 series and while pre-order perks are over, you can still pick up one of the new flagships with a free storage upgrade and even a gift card.
S26 series pre-orders are up 25% in the US and that is almost entirely on the strength of the new Galaxy S26 Ultra features. The Privacy Display in particular as well as features like horizon lock and generative edit drew in the crowd. Check out our review for our thoughts on the new Ultra. And if you decide that you like what you see, you can pick up a 512GB unit for the price of a 256GB unit and get a $200 Amazon gift card on top of that.
The Samsung Galaxy S26+, meanwhile, is available as a cheaper option, but you are still looking at paying over $1,000 – or exactly $1,000 if you subtract the $100 gift card. The Plus has no privacy display, no 200MP main, no 5x ALoP periscope, no faster 60W charging, none of that. What does the S26+ offer? Check out our review for a closer look.
Finally, the Samsung Galaxy S26 did get upgrades like a bigger 4,300mAh battery (+300mAh) and it now matches its siblings with 256GB base storage. It has a slightly bigger 6.3” screen too (up from 6.2”), which matches the Pixel 10 and iPhone 17 (and their Pro variants). Review coming soon. The S26 also gets a $100 gift card like the Plus model.
While we couldn’t find the S25 Ultra in stock, the old Galaxy S25+ is still around. The upgrades on the S26+ are even smaller than on the S26 – there’s the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, +5W on wireless charging (up to 20W now, wired is still at 45W) and… new colors, we guess. However, there is only $100 between the 512GB S25+ and S26+ and the gift card closes that gap completely.
Alternatively, you can get the Galaxy S25 FE for around half the price. However, its 6.7” display has a lower resolution than the S26+ and S25+ (1080p+ vs. 1440p+) and it’s not an LTPO panel. Worse, you get the older Exynos 2400 chipset instead of a Snapdragon. The cameras are not identical, but they are close enough – they were when we pitted the S25+ against the S25 FE, anyway.
The vanilla Galaxy S25 is also available and is fairly cheap. However, only the base model is in stock and that means 128GB storage, which is less than ideal.
The Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is one of the major competitors to the S26 Ultra for the US market. Not on chipset performance, but the phone boasts a capable 50MP 1/1.31” main and a 48MP 5x/113mm telephoto to go against the 200MP 1/1.3” main and 50MP 5x/111mm tele of the Samsung. Also, Pixel UI and One UI are two of the most influential skins for Android.
Unlike Samsung, Google makes a small flagship that has the same cameras as the top of the line model. That model is, of course, the Pixel 10 Pro and it dunks on the vanilla S26 with a larger 50MP main sensor (1/1.31” vs. 1/1.56”), a higher resolution 48MP (vs. 10MP) telephoto with a longer lens (5x/113mm vs. 3x/67mm), plus higher resolution 48MP ultra-wide (vs. 12MP) and 42MP selfie cameras (vs. 12MP). The Pixel 10 Pro has 128GB base storage, but note that both Pros have 16GB of RAM, which Samsung doesn’t really want to sell you.
You might even compare the vanilla Pixel 10 with the small S26. It’s less capable than its Pro sibling (12GB of RAM, non-LTPO display), but it gives the S26 a run for its money. It has a small 48MP 1/2.0” sensor in the main, a 10.8MP telephoto with a longer 5x/112mm lens and a 13MP ultra wide. The 12/256GB model is $150 less than the S26 (or just $50 less if you account for the $100 gift card) and you can get it even cheaper with a trade-in.
Besides the Pixel 10 Pro XL, the OnePlus 15 will also compete with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Or maybe the Galaxy S26+ is a better match? They are essentially the same price. This OnePlus doesn’t have the Hasselblad cameras of its predecessors, but with a 50MP main (1/1.56”), 50MP 3.5x/80mm and 50MP ultra-wide on board, it stacks up well against the S26+. It also has a massive 7,300mAh battery with 80W fast wired and 50W wireless charging, which you can’t get from Samsung, Google or Apple.
The OnePlus 15R is also available, though this is aimed more at the S25 FE than the S26+. It has a 6.83” non-LTPO display, an older Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset and a 50+8MP camera that isn’t a great follow-up to the more capable 13R camera. At least you get the huge 7,400mAh battery with 80W wired-only charging.
By the way, Samsung also launches the Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro today. We have the Pros in for review, so stay tuned for our thoughts on the new buds.
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