The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is already generating significant buzz, with early indicators suggesting a strong market performance. Pre-sales are underway for the novel smartphones, which were unveiled in late February and are slated for release on March 11.
Samsung Galaxy S26: Pre-Orders Reportedly Sold Out
The launch of the Galaxy S26 line on February 25th has already made a significant impact. Despite being only an iterative update to the previous generation, Samsung has successfully captured consumer attention. According to Yonhap News, pre-orders in South Korea reached a record 1.35 million units in just one week.
Notably, the high-end model – and the one offering the highest profit margins – is proving to be the most popular. The Galaxy S26 Ultra accounts for 70% of all pre-orders, leaving a smaller share for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus. Last year, the S25 Ultra represented “only” 52% of pre-orders.
S26 Ultra Demonstrates Strong Demand
This success is particularly noteworthy given the price increases this year, attributed to RAM scarcity. Samsung is, however, offering the 256GB S26 Ultra at the same price point as last year’s S25 Ultra. Other models, however, are significantly more expensive.
One factor driving interest in the Ultra this year is its new privacy screen feature. When activated, this functionality prevents anyone nearby from viewing the screen’s content, ensuring only the owner can see what’s displayed. This innovative feature, while technically sophisticated, does result in some loss of brightness and is exclusive to the Ultra model. The increasing focus on privacy features reflects a growing consumer demand for data protection.
The S26 Ultra also boasts top-of-the-line specifications, including the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip – at least in Europe, where the Ultra is the only model equipped with this processor. The S26 and S26 Plus will utilize the Exynos 2600, a processor developed in-house by Samsung.
