Galaxy S26 Ultra is officially available for purchase, and Samsung fans owning the Galaxy S23 Ultra are confused whether to hold or upgrade to the new flagship.

On February 25, Samsung officially launched the Galaxy S26 series. Among the three models, Galaxy S26 Ultra is practically the most important variant. If you want peak performance across segments, Ultra is the strongest option.

Reasons to upgrade

Your purchase decision depends on your expectations, but we highlight some important points to look at before you make your purchase.

1. Handy design without sharp corners

Samsung dropped the Note lineup’s signature design legacy of sharp (angular) corners last year. With the new Galaxy S26 Ultra, the company has gone further by increasing the corner curvature to make the device more handy.

As there’s an option, and you feel no longer comfortable with your S23 Ultra’s sharp, angular corners, S26 Ultra is the best option. Upgrade to the new flagship and bid farewell to the design that is not friendly with either palm or pockets.

2. Sizzling colors

GrayGreen was the signature color of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. It was impressive in its launch year, but now it looks aged next to the eye-catching shades of the Galaxy S26 series.

Available colors include:

• Online exclusive colors:
  1. Silver Shadow
  2. Pink Gold
• Standard colors:
  1. Cobalt Violet
  2. Sky Blue
  3. White
  4. Black

Apple promotes iPhone colors as a selling point, and Samsung has also adopted that strategy. If you want a practical visual refresh, Galaxy S26 Ultra is available in four standard and two online exclusive colors, and all are impressive.

BTW, that White shade is my favorite.

3. Advanced camera features

Galaxy S26 Ultra has actual camera differences from the S23 Ultra, but the performance is primarily enhanced by software and artificial intelligence.

Samsung’s S23 Ultra packs a 200-megapixel primary, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel telephoto, and a 10-megapixel periscope camera.

Galaxy S26 Ultra has upgraded the periscope camera to 50 megapixels, which features 5x optical zoom and ultrawide to 50 megapixels with sharp details and clarity.

If you’re a creator, traveller, or frequently use a video camera, Galaxy S26 Ultra has one impressive feature called “Horizon Lock” that could alone impact your purchase decision.

4. Faster charging

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung has finally improved the charging speed to 60W. It’s a decent improvement over the legacy 45W charging speed.

Samsung’s advertisement and early reviews suggest the new phone charges from 0 percent to 75 percent in roughly 30 minutes. However, it’s not that massive a leap next to the Chinese vendors offering above 100W speeds.

5. Love AI? Go ahead

Galaxy S26 Ultra doubles down on artificial intelligence. Whether it’s Galaxy AI, Google AI, or its in-house Bixby, every aspect has improved significantly. Samsung has also incorporated Perplexity into Bixby for real-time web results.

• Galaxy S26 integrates upgraded Google AI suite
• Samsung’s new Bixby adds Perplexity AI

Reasons to skip

Samsung believes Galaxy S26 Ultra has dozens of improvements over the S23 Ultra; the natural purchase choice would be different. Here’s why S23 Ultra users should hold on.

1. Optical Zoom

Galaxy S23 Ultra was the last to feature 10x optical zoom. Starting with the Galaxy S24 Ultra, Samsung has been using a 50-megapixel periscope camera, which sounds better in megapixels but trimmed optical zoom to 5x.

If long-range camera quality is a decision-making aspect, you may dislike the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung claims the S26 Ultra offers 10x Optical-quality zoom with its periscope, but it can’t match the level of hardware.

2. Lack of a 2nm chip breakthrough

Samsung is using Exynos 2600 in the S26 and S26 Plus, whereas the S26 Ultra is equipped with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Snapdragon is good, but it lags behind Exynos when it comes to the manufacturing process.

Qualcomm is set to manufacture its next Snapdragon chip using TSMC’s 2nm process. This processor would be utilized in the S27 Ultra next year. It will be an even bigger leap over this year’s S26 Ultra in terms of performance.

3. Software support isn’t dead

Galaxy S23 Ultra still has one Android upgrade left in its lifecycle. The device was launched on Android 13, and Samsung guarantees four major OS updates and five years of security patches.

One UI 8.5, based on Android 16, is going to be a major switch, which could bring the majority of the S26 Ultra software perks to the S23 Ultra and a handful of camera features.

Android 17 arrives later this year with One UI 9.0, and One UI 9.5 may also be available. That said, your S23 Ultra won’t be feeling outdated for at least two years from now on.

4. Unexciting S Pen

Like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the new Galaxy S26 Ultra lacks a Bluetooth-supported S Pen. This letdown results in a degraded stylus that doesn’t bring features like Air Actions.

Samsung is gradually phasing out the stylus from its Galaxy S lineup. A recent official confirmation pledged long life for the S Pen, but the way would be decided on a later date.

On the flip side, the Galaxy S23 Ultra comes with a feature-packed stylus. It brings Air Actions and remote control capabilities. If such stylus features are in your daily needs, you should avoid the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

These were just 5 reasons to upgrade and 4 to skip; there are many more for both parts. I hope these would have helped you make a favorable decision.

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