Samsung Galaxy S26 Smartphone Review

I attended Samsung Galaxy Unpacked back in February (not to be confused with the July Unpacked) and came away from the event with a shiny new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. While that device is an excellent all-around smartphone, it is a lot of phone that some people just don’t need. Today, we will be talking about the Samsung Galaxy S26 instead, the introductory phone to the S26 lineup, and one that has a more digestible price point, too.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone may seem like an afterthought compared to its bigger siblings, the S26+ and S26 Ultra, but I truly believe there is a great market for this tier of device, and I personally think it is the S26+ that could be stricken from the market. The S26 is perfect for more casual smartphone users, whether that is someone older or younger, or someone who doesn’t require top-tier photography or gaming from their device.

I went over many of the specs for the entire S26 lineup in my Samsung Unpacked piece in February, but here is how all three devices compare:

As you can see, the S26 base model is definitely a bit behind in a few areas. However, this isn’t a make-or-break situation. The Samsung Galaxy S26 still features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which powers the device overall, and most of the S26 models feature 12GB of RAM, so overall, the devices are pretty equal in that regard.

The only performance issue I came across while using the S26 base model was while gaming. Though cozy games run flawlessly on this device, when trying to play something a little more intense, like Fortnite, that is where I could really see a difference. Running the game even on low settings, though it would run around 50-60 FPS, the image quality was passable, but not great. Images would occasionally blur or pixelate and certainly take a long time to load.

“The Samsung Galaxy S26 still features the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which powers the device overall.”

The next sacrifice is the rear camera array, but honestly, unless you are particularly into photography, I don’t think you will miss the S26 Ultra array. The base Samsung Galaxy S26 features a 12MP ultrawide lens, a 50MP wide lens and a 10 MP telephoto lens. For your mom, kids, or just more casual users, photos are good enough. I probably wouldn’t rely on this for content capture, or any distance scenery shots that you want to retain great detail on. 

Close-up and semi-low-light performance performed quite well in practice on the Samsung Galaxy S26 base model. You will also find a 12MP front camera, which is the same across the entire S26 line-up. I have been saying it for years, but Samsung needs to step up its game in this department; at least the S26 is not behind the other devices in the line.

As for battery life, again, this is where I consistently wonder why Samsung isn’t meeting its competition. The S26 base model has a noticeably smaller battery at 4300 mAh compared to the 5000 on the Ultra; however, we aren’t demanding as much from this device. In regular use, with video calls, phone calls, TikTok, emails, and light browsing, I was still going to bed after a full day with around 50-60% battery life left. Taking videos and photos would lower this number a little, but not by much.

“The S26 base model is a great smartphone for casual users with a form factor to die for.”

The battery took a notable hit during gaming, though. After only about 15 minutes in Fortnite, I had already lost 10% battery. What’s more, I noticed the S26 getting very warm very quickly while gaming. This also happened a few times while using TikTok. Surprisingly, streaming Netflix at max brightness left the device completely cool, and after an hour of streaming, I had only lost 6% battery life.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 base model features 25W Super Fast Charging and 15W Fast Wireless Charging. This is a bit behind the times, really, but I can make sense of it for a base model. In my experience, plugging in at night, I never had to reach for a charger during the day while using the phone within reason. A teenager glued to their phone may need a top-up during the day, and 25W Super Fast Charging will suffice. 

While the picture quality while gaming wasn’t ideal, the Samsung Galaxy S26’s FHD+ (2340×1080), Dynamic AMOLED 2X display was great for media and browsing. With a 120Hz refresh rate, 2600 nits peak brightness and HDR10+, visuals were vibrant and clear, even when I had my brightness down. Even with a smaller display, I was still very impressed with the S26.

And that brings me to my favourite thing about the Samsung Galaxy S26’s base model, the form factor. This year I have been using the S26 Ultra, and most recently, the motorola razr fold (and hopefully the Z Fold8 soon!), and both of those devices are on the top end in terms of smartphone size. Switching over from a 6.9-inch phone or a 6.6-inch foldable to the 6.3-inch display on the S26 was an incredible difference. It may not seem like much, but it feels so light and sleek in comparison; I am not sure how I will go back. Similar to how I felt with the Xiaomi 17 smartphone.

All in all, the Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone scores quite well in my books, so long as you’re looking at it for what it is. If you are running it up against devices like the Ultra, or even higher-tier iPhones, it won’t look outstanding. However, sitting at $1,249.99 CAD/$899 USD to start, compared to $1899.99 CAD/$1299.99 USD, the S26 base model is a great smartphone for casual users with a form factor to die for.