Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — First Impressions

Samsung’s Ultra series has reached a point where each generation isn’t about reinventing the smartphone, it’s about refining one of the most complete Android flagships available. The Galaxy S26 Ultra continues that approach, focusing on polish, performance and versatility rather than dramatic changes.

We recently got our hands on the Pink Gold 256GB variant, and after spending some time with it as a daily driver, here are our early impressions.

At first glance, the Galaxy S26 Ultra looks very much like what you would expect from Samsung’s Ultra lineup. The large flat display, squared-off frame and prominent camera modules remain part of the design language.

What stands out this time is the Pink Gold finish. It’s more subtle than the name might suggest — leaning closer to a soft champagne tone rather than a bright pink. Depending on lighting, it shifts slightly between warm gold and rose tones, giving it a premium look without feeling overly flashy.

Samsung has long been known for its display technology, and the 6.9-inch AMOLED display on the S26 Ultra continues that tradition.The screen is bright, vibrant and extremely sharp. Colors look rich without feeling oversaturated, and everything from social media scrolling to video playback feels fluid and immersive.

Under the hood, the Malaysian model of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, paired with 12GB RAM on the 256GB variant.

In everyday usage, the phone feels extremely responsive. Apps launch quickly, multitasking between several apps is smooth, and the overall experience feels fast without any noticeable slowdowns.

It’s the kind of performance you expect from a flagship device, not necessarily something you notice constantly, but something you appreciate because everything simply works without friction.

Samsung continues to position the Ultra series as a photography powerhouse.

The S26 Ultra features a quad-camera setup consisting of a 200MP main camera, 50MP ultra-wide, 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 5x periscope telephoto lens.

This combination gives users a lot of flexibility when shooting — from wide landscapes to zoom shots of distant subjects.

Photos look detailed and well-balanced. Colors appear natural, and Samsung’s zoom capabilities remain one of the strongest aspects of the camera system.

For users who enjoy mobile photography, this setup offers plenty of versatility for different scenarios.

Battery capacity remains at 5,000mAh, which has proven to be a reliable size for Samsung’s flagship phones. In normal daily usage — messaging, social media, browsing and occasional camera use — the S26 Ultra comfortably lasts through a full day. The phone also supports fast wired charging, wireless charging, and reverse wireless charging, allowing it to power accessories like earbuds or smartwatches when needed.

One feature that continues to set the Ultra lineup apart from most other flagship smartphones is the built-in S Pen.

Whether it’s for quick note-taking, annotating screenshots, signing documents or making small edits to images, the S Pen adds an extra layer of functionality that productivity-focused users will appreciate.

It may not be something every user relies on daily, but it remains one of the defining characteristics of the Ultra series.

Based on our initial time with the device, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra feels like a natural evolution of the Ultra lineup rather than a radical overhaul.

You still get the core strengths that Samsung is known for — a large high-quality display, powerful performance, versatile cameras and the added productivity of the S Pen.

The Pink Gold finish also adds a touch of personality, giving the phone a distinctive look while still maintaining a premium feel.

For users looking for a top-tier Android flagship that can handle everything from work to content creation and entertainment, the Galaxy S26 Ultra continues to be a very compelling option.