Samsung has released the Galaxy S26 Ultra with design optimizations, and we’ve conducted its side-by-side comparison with the Galaxy S25 Ultra to highlight everything new in this latest flagship.

The need for such an exploration is evident from the divided user opinions. On one side, people are saying that it’s a refined version, while others are weighing in with “nah, it’s the same as S25 Ultra”. So, we decided to break into the conversation and tell you what you should know.

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra – front

Last year, Samsung broke away from the Note series and adopted curved corners. Though reviewers saw this as a mere frame radius inclusion but it’s more like the end of an era. An era that made Note and Ultra look different from other premium phones in the market.

S26 Ultra (left) and S25 Ultra (right)

Building on the new design schemes, the S26 Ultra has increased the corner radius. After this change, the S26 Ultra’s symmetry aligns more with the base and Plus models. Basically, they are on the same page now.

S26 Ultra (left) and S25 Ultra (right)

Both phones bring a 6.9-inch QHD Dynamic AMOLED display, but the S26 Ultra appears a bit wider. You can only spot this difference in a side-by-side comparison. Samsung’s official specs sheet backs this observation. The S26 Ultra is 78.1mm wide and 163.6mm tall. On the other hand, the S25 Ultra is 77.6mm wide and 162.8mm tall. The new flagship is also taller and thinner than its predecessor despite offering the same display size.

S26 Ultra (left) and S25 Ultra (right)

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra – frame

The frame is now aluminium, degrading from the titanium used in S25 Ultra. Some might argue that the build quality has declined, but it appears to be good overall.

The volume and power keys are on the right, and the USB-C port, SIM tray, microphone, and S-pen are at the bottom. That said, all of the side features are the same as the previous version, except for the S-Pen, and its clicker button had to adopt the new curves.

S26 Ultra (top) and S25 Ultra (bottom)

Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra – Rear

The back of both phones has a matte finish protected with Corning Gorilla Glass, yet the S26 Ultra has a more vibrant color. Unlike the S25 Ultra, the new model comes with a camera island.

The camera layout is the same as last year, but it no longer looks cheap with the addition of integrated camera crowns, which closely resemble the Galaxy Z Fold 7 but look better on the S26 Ultra.

S26 Ultra (left) and S25 Ultra (right)

That’s where Samsung received online criticism for gluing the camera rings around the S25 Ultra’s cameras. I guess the company has learned from the mistakes and brought a more integrated look to this year’s flagship.

With camera design enhancement, you can no longer put the phone on a flat surface, which is a kind of harsh reality, as it will wobble all the time. In that case, you’d better put on a cover on this device.

Conclusion

This comparison reveals that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is wider, taller, thinner, and looks better than the S25 Ultra. These optimizations stand tall on top of the software and hardware improvements, such as the privacy display, improved performance, cameras, and software. This is a perfect Android flagship for first-time buyers; still, we don’t recommend it as an upgrade for the S25 Ultra users.

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It’s been three months since Samsung released the first One UI 8.5 beta, but the software is in a delay mode, which kind of reminds me of the One UI 7. 2024 was the year of major changes in Samsung’s software ecosystem, with its One UI program taking a new direction. At the forefront, the One UI 7 (Android 15) took the center stage, marking the first public beta rollout in early December.

The software has brought major changes throughout the interface that awed the users across the Galaxy S24 series. Still, the new One UI version is tagged with the Galaxy S25 series.

Even after the official release, Samsung delayed the software expansion to all of the S24 series and previous flagships. The S25 series was unveiled in January 2025, but the stable software stretched to April.

This development arrived at a time when One UI 8 had already appeared on internal test servers. Yet, many users remained attached to their newly received update due to massive improvements. Still, that doesn’t stop us from criticising Samsung’s strange development cycles, filled with delays.

One UI 8.5

In early December, Samsung followed the One UI 7 and released the first One UI 8.5 beta. You should know that this new software marks the return of a feature pack update other than a major Android release.

Despite being based on Android 16, one of One UI 8.5’s betas saw a month-long delay before the Galaxy S26 launch, which shipped with a stable version out of the box.

Closest launch window

As of today, the company hasn’t said anything specific about the stable One UI 8.5 rollout for older devices. Yet, the development cycle suggests that we’re pretty much moving toward the end of March to see a final rollout.

On the other hand, the Galaxy S26 series’ worldwide launch will happen on March 11, which is a good occasion to gift this new software for the S25 series. However, if the company is still running with its old strategy, then we’ll not be seeing this happening anytime soon, at least not this month.

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Last month, Samsung released the Galaxy S26 series along with the One UI 8.5. Since Samsung has been testing this new software for almost a quarter, this occasion was the right time to release an OTA update for the Galaxy S25 series and other flagships. Instead, Samsung gave us something else, an FAQ, featuring a hilarious and strange answer about the One UI 8.5 devices’ compatibility.

One UI 8.5 refines One UI 8.0, including major changes in the user interface, animations, app transitions, fluidity, and more. The overall upgrades make it way better than the previous generation. That’s where the line is drawn. You see, this is the best One UI update so far, and Samsung is already stretching its development for the previous flagship phones, which should have ended.

One UI 8.5 device compatibility FAQ

Amid this anticipation, Samsung has published a number of FAQs about One UI 8.5 on its official website, and one of them was completely unhinged. Each year, old Galaxy smartphone users seek information about their phone’s compatibility with the latest major software release.

This sheer interest leads them to the internet and search for eligible devices. Samsung also shares this compatible devices list through its Members app, but it happens only after the official rollout kicks off.

This year, the phone maker has tried something new by sharing the eligible devices for the One UI 8.5, confirming that the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra will be the first to receive this update in public.

The majority of people have been reading news about the Galaxy S26 series shipping with One UI 8.5 out of the box. Samsung also made it formal through the Unpacked keynote and through its official press release.

It appears that executives at Samsung have forgotten that people are seeking such compatibility information for their existing devices and not the newly launched phones, which they may not want to buy.

The phone maker did mention that the rollout will expand to more Galaxy devices, but without naming any of the former flagships, not even the Galaxy S25 series.

Still, it’s noteworthy that Samsung has a misconception that One UI 8.5 will help it sell more devices. The phone is selling on its face value, design, camera, and performance. Meanwhile, it maintains mystery around the rollout plan.

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