Samsung is set to unveil the Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside its two sibling models on February 25, with few details remaining under wraps. From design specifications to official colors, the company has revealed much of what to expect.
However, several key improvements may have gone unnoticed, and these could be the features that sway skeptics considering the premium price tag. Here’s a closer look.
Brighter Displays
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature Samsung’s M14 OLED panels, marking a significant upgrade in display technology after several years. The Galaxy S24 and S25 utilized the M13 panel. This newer, more efficient panel could enable even greater brightness, allowing the Galaxy S26 Ultra to surpass its predecessors in this key area. OnePlus’s recent use of this panel in the OnePlus 15, achieving nearly 3500 nits of brightness, demonstrates the potential.
Galaxy Unpacked
Galaxy Unpacked
Faster NAND Storage
Samsung may incorporate faster NAND storage in its most expensive model. Input/output speeds are crucial for a phone’s overall performance. The Galaxy S25 Ultra arrived with UFS 4.0, already particularly swift, but UFS 4.1 offers slightly improved speed, and stability.
UFS 4.1 has been available for a few months and is already featured in devices like the OnePlus 15. If the Galaxy S26 Ultra adopts it, the phone will be better prepared for future demands. Samsung similarly anticipates the commercialization of UFS 5.0 storage in 2027, which would essentially double input/output speeds to meet the demands of on-device AI.
Improved Thermal Management
Globally, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will include the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5, Qualcomm’s fastest processor currently available. However, “faster” often translates to “hotter” in mobile technology, potentially leading to performance throttling.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra could feature an enhanced thermal management system and a larger vapor chamber to control excess heat and passively improve performance through careful tuning.
Enhanced Anti-Reflective Coating
Samsung’s high-end models have included an anti-reflective screen coating since the S24 Ultra, and the company may surprise with an even better version in this year’s Ultra.
Combined with an expected even higher peak brightness and software-based privacy screen, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could offer the most refined display yet, especially in challenging lighting conditions with glare or prying eyes. This focus on display quality reflects the increasing importance of visual experience in modern smartphones.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Dedicated AI Processing Unit
Given that AI will continue to be a key strength of the Galaxy S26 series, it would make sense for Samsung to include a dedicated hardware accelerator for all of the device’s AI processing. The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 is already quite powerful, but nothing beats a dedicated unit to which AI tasks can be offloaded. This could improve overall efficiency and, battery life.
Enhanced Image Processing
The Galaxy S25 Ultra was already one of the best and most versatile camera phones on the market. That doesn’t mean it didn’t have a few minor issues that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could address by improving image processing. There’s always room for improvement in dynamic range, better zoom capabilities, and improved low-light camera performance. Here’s particularly true in videos, where the Galaxy S25 Ultra still lagged behind other devices.
Samsung has demonstrated it can achieve significant camera improvements by tuning software and using the same hardware, so we can expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to deliver on that front.
