Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. S25 Ultra: What’s new in the top model?

After years of teasing that the Ultra smartphone had not changed at all compared to the previous year, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra can finally boast a striking and unique hardware innovation. The new data protection display, which hides the content on the display from the prying eyes of those sitting next to you, does not work without compromise. For many, however, it is likely to be the decisive selling point in a cell phone market flooded with flagship smartphones.

Especially the one that has fallen sharply in price Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra (test) but still seems like a tempting alternative. Is it really significantly worse just because it can’t offer the new data protection display? We compare the technology and make a judgment. We will deliberately ignore the new display feature below. Read our opinions and laboratory measurements here in the detailed test of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Who is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra worth for?

Anyone who activates the privacy display on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra accepts slight losses in contrast, brightness and resolution. Alternatively, you can ignore the function completely. Is the S26 Ultra still worth the extra price or could you just as easily go for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra, which is a year older?

In fact, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra only makes a very small technical leap forward in a direct comparison. The display On 6.9 inches, it still offers very crisp sharpness, rich colors and a smooth 120 Hertz refresh rate. The anti-reflective coating is slightly less strong than in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but still ensures better readability in the sun than most other smartphones.

Those too Performance and the Battery life Samsung has only improved so slightly in 2026 that we can hardly count both as a selling point for the new ultra cell phone. The same applies to the hardware, which is only slightly adjusted Quad camera. Slightly wider open apertures ensure more light on the lens and a little less noise, but both cell phones ultimately take great pictures – whether with or without zoom or in the form of an 8K video. In the eyes of our experts, if you want to go all out with cell phone photography Vivo X300 Pro (test) and that Leica Leitzphone (test) But at the start of the S26 generation it was in a better position.

Both the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and S26 Ultra are true Hand flatterer and are very easy to grip. The newer device is a bit thinner and lighter, but this is only really noticeable in a direct comparison. The equipment is identical, the integrated screen pens in both models do without Bluetooth connectivity – functions such as remote shutter release for the camera are no longer available compared to before.

In short: Apart from the new data protection display, there is actually nothing that speaks against buying the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. If the current price difference before your purchase is significant, you can calmly choose the previous generation. Instead of until 2033, Samsung will probably “only” provide the S25 series with new updates until 2032.