Should You Upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S26? Samsung Galaxy S26 vs S22, S23 & S24

Should You Upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S26? How Does It Compare to the S22, S23 and S24?

Samsung fans – the wait is over. Galaxy Unpacked spilled all the details on the new Samsung Galaxy S26 range, which is available to pre-order now.

We’ve got all the details right here so you don’t have to scour the internet, and stay tuned for a clever hack to get money off your new Samsung phone!

What’s new in the Samsung Galaxy S26?

Let’s get straight to it.

Samsung AI & Performance

First up, AI. Samsung has partnered with Google to bring AI features across the S26 range. We knew this was coming, but the extent of AI’s influence on the phones was up for debate.

AI will now work in the background while you use your phone. It just gets on with editing photos, sorting tasks, and providing summaries, all whilst you’re using something else.

For those who want a breakdown of performance improvement:

39% more powerful NPU for faster AI performance
19% CPU boost for stronger everyday performance
Upgraded GPU delivering what Samsung calls “console-level performance in your pocket”

More Power, But Smarter Cooling

The Ultra model runs on the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. The Plus and Base models use the Exynos 2600, customised specifically for Galaxy devices.

And yes, heat management has been upgraded too. This range features Samsung’s largest vapour chamber yet. This is what enables the phone to have all these upgrades without turning into a handwarmer.

Battery charging for the ultra is fast as well. You’ll get up to 75% charge in just 30 minutes, which is great if you need a quick turnaround for a phone recharge.

Privacy Display

The main talk of the event was to do with the new Privacy Display.

You’ve been able to buy third-party privacy screen protectors for years, but now there’s no need. There’s a privacy display built into the phone.

This is achieved through narrow pixels, as the screen beams light directly at you. Say adios to people trying to get a glimpse of your phone on the train, they won’t be able to see much with this new display.

You can even apply it to specific apps and notifications. Banking apps? Private messages? Turn it on and off as you need. That’s the part that third-party features aren’t able to do.

Cameras That Go Beyond Point and Shoot

If you’re looking at the Ultra, you’re getting a 200MP main sensor (powered by a new AI signal processing engine) with an f/1.4 aperture. That wider aperture means better shots when it’s dark outside.

There’s also improvements to videography:

Nitography video for improved night recording.
Super steady video with horizon lock.
LOG video for pro-grade editing.

Thanks to AI integration, you can now blend elements from two images, such as adding someone to a photo who wasn’t there, changing outfits, and removing unwanted objects.

Display Sizes & Battery

Here’s how it’s broken down:

Base – 6.3” display, 4300mAh battery.

Plus – 6.7” display, 4900 mAh battery.
Ultra – 6.9” display, 5000 mAh battery.

There’s no Edge version yet, like we saw with the Samsung S25 range. But there’s still time, as the S25 Edge was released in May last year, so stay tuned.

In terms of colours, you’ve got cobalt violet, black, sky blue, and white to choose from.

Price & Release Date

The phones are available to pre-order now, and can be purchased from the 11th of March. Here are the prices:

Ultra – From £1279

Plus – From £1099
Base – From £879

These are the baseline prices, so you can expect to pay more for phones with larger storage capacities.

How Does It Compare to the S22, S23 and S24?

If you’re using an S22, this is a major transformation.

You’re getting:

Huge AI improvements.
Better cooling and sustained performance.
A significantly stronger camera system.
Built-in privacy display (which no older models have at all).

A tempting upgrade? Use our ‘sell my Samsung Galaxy S22’ service to get some cash saved for the S26.

If you’re on an S23, the jump is definitely worth it, if not for the performance gains alone.

On an S24? The jump might not be as noticeable, but the S26 sure doubles down on AI and privacy, so if those matter to you, it’s worth considering.