The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is finally here, and Samsung is making some bold claims with this generation.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is a next-generation flagship smartphone powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3nm), featuring a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display, a 200MP quad-camera system with 8K recording, and a 5000mAh battery with 60W fast charging.
Built with a titanium frame and Gorilla Armor 2 protection, it also includes an integrated S Pen and IP68 water resistance.
Performance
At the heart of the S26 Ultra is the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, paired with either 12GB or 16GB of RAM and up to 1TB of storage.
This year, battery capacity remains the same, but Samsung compensates with upgraded charging: Super Fast Charging 3.0, now supporting 60W wired and 25W wireless charging.
The only disappointment? Still no magnetic system on the back—something many of us hoped Samsung would finally adopt.
Design & Build
Interestingly, Samsung moves away from titanium and returns to Armor Aluminum, but it’s stronger than previous versions.
Thanks to this change, the S26 Ultra becomes the thinnest and lightest Ultra device ever. Cooling has also been improved, which should help with performance under load.
Cameras
The camera system sees meaningful upgrades:
- 200MP main camera
- 50MP 5× telephoto
- 10MP 3× telephoto
- 50MP ultrawide
- 12MP front-facing camera
The biggest improvement is the larger apertures on the main and 5× telephoto lenses, allowing 47% more light on the main sensor and 37% more light on the telephoto.
Samsung also claims improved performance from the selfie camera.
A standout new feature is Horizon Lock, which keeps your video level even if you rotate the phone a full 360 degrees—great for action shots and rapid movement.
Display
This is where the S26 Ultra truly breaks new ground. It’s the first smartphone in the world with a built-in privacy display, and you can toggle it on or off.
Even better, you can customize when the privacy mode activates—such as automatically enabling it for banking apps.
You can even hide only notifications from side-viewers while leaving the rest of the screen visible. It’s an incredibly smart and practical feature.
Software Features
Samsung adds several new AI-powered tools:
- Audio Eraser now works in third-party apps like YouTube and TikTok, letting you remove unwanted background sound directly while watching content.
- Now Nudge, built into the Samsung Keyboard, can suggest context-aware actions—like pulling dates from your calendar automatically if someone asks when something is happening.
Final Thoughts
This is just scratching the surface of everything the S26 Ultra offers. I’ll be unboxing my own unit later today, so stay tuned for a deeper dive and hands-on impressions.
What’s in the Box?
✔ Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
✔ USB-C Charging Cable
✔ SIM Ejector Tool
✔ Documentation
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Price in Kenya
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra price in Kenya ranges between Price range: KSh155,000 through KSh230,000 . Measuring 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm and weighing 214g, it features a glass front protected by Corning Gorilla Armor 2, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 at the back, and a durable Grade 5 titanium frame.
It carries an IP68 rating for dust and water resistance (up to 1.5 meters for 30 minutes) and includes the signature built-in S Pen for productivity and precision input.
