It’s never too early to start thinking about the next flagship Galaxy Ultra phone. After returning my Galaxy S25 Ultra this year for a smaller model, here’s what I want to see from the Galaxy S26 Ultra next year.
Yes, you heard me right. I bought the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and while it’s an amazing phone, I returned it for the Galaxy S25 Plus. There are several reasons why I decided against keeping it, but if Samsung makes a few subtle changes, I’ll gladly get the Galaxy S26 Ultra in 2026.
1
A Curvy and Rounded New Design
Samsung needs to change the design a lot more than it did compared to last year. Everything that makes the Galaxy S25 Ultra great, like the specs and design, was already here last year. Nothing changed for the better, and things are too similar to even the Galaxy S23 Ultra from two years ago. However, that’s fairly common these days, and we’ll likely get a bigger change with the next release.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra has such sharp corners that users have reported holes in pant pockets. Thankfully, the phone’s sides are rounded, so it doesn’t feel too thick. With the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung finally rounded off the edges a little bit, which is great, but then they made the sides of the phone into sharp square corners. It’s one step forward and one step backward. Now, it feels thicker, unwieldy, and is uncomfortable to hold for long periods.
Sharp corners on the S24 Ultra, but at least the sides are rounded.Â
All I want from the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a more rounded design at all four corners and a round frame on the sides. Is that too much to ask?
2
The Latest Camera Tech Available
Samsung makes some of the best smartphone cameras on the market, even if they don’t use those sensors in all their phones. For example, its latest and greatest ISOCELL HP9 200MP sensor (announced in 2024) isn’t in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Instead, you can find it in some phones from the brand Vivo.
Additionally, even though Samsung’s phones have fancy camera sensors, the default resolution is still 12MP on most of its lenses. Even a sensor with a higher megapixel count gets binned down to 12. I’d love to see Samsung step up its camera game on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, switch to 24MP as the default resolution, and improve the quality, zoom, and stability of recording videos. This is especially true when switching between lenses, which is often jumpy and not very seamless.
The cameras are great, but things can always improve.
3
Just Ditch the S-Pen Already
For those unaware, the S-Pen stylus on the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra isn’t as good as it was on previous models. Samsung removed Bluetooth, and it can no longer function as a camera shutter button or do any of the “Air Actions” like previous generations. People are mad about it, but many of us here at How-To Geek think it was the right move.
I’ll take things further and suggest that Samsung ditches the S-Pen entirely. It’s a niche feature that only a select few actually enjoy, yet it takes up precious space inside the phone that could house a larger battery. Honestly, it wouldn’t shock me if Samsung did away with the S-Pen next year after yanking away features this year, but we’ll have to wait and see.
Related
Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 6 Review: Not Just for Early Adopters Anymore
The hardware and software experience finally feels polished.
Samsung could make the S-Pen an optional accessory and release cases that store it, similar to what it did with the Galaxy Z Fold 6. While that’s not ideal, at least it wouldn’t be gone for good.
4
A Bigger, Better Battery
The battery life on Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series is excellent. We specifically mentioned it in our Galaxy S25 review, and it is even better on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, as I said earlier, just because it’s good doesn’t mean things can’t (or shouldn’t) get better.
To be more precise, I’d love to see Samsung increase the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s battery to 5,500mAh or more. This could be achieved by gaining space after ditching the S-Pen, not to mention all the advancements in silicon-carbon battery technology. We’ve actually seen rumors that Samsung is exploring using a silicon-carbon battery for the S26, so we’ll have to wait and see.
Without rambling too much, silicon-carbon battery technology is relatively new but already appearing in phones like the new OnePlus 13 and Vivo X200. This technology has better energy density, allowing for a bigger battery in the same space. It’ll also help with charging speeds and battery safety.
5
Qi2 Built-in and Faster Charging Capabilities
The new Galaxy S25 series is “Qi2-charging ready,” which basically means they’re compatible with Qi2 chargers and cases. However, the phones don’t have magnets built-in like the iPhone, which is somewhat frustrating. This basically means Samsung’s latest phone supports the same faster 15W wireless charging as the Galaxy S24 series. Nothing changed; Samsung just added a “compatible” label in the hopes users would buy a Qi2-compatible case. What a cop-out.
I hope the latest Qi2 charging standard gets built into the Galaxy S26 series, or at least the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Then, thanks to the latest Snapdragon processors and extra space inside the phone, Samsung finally matches much of the competition with faster wired charging technology. The current Ultra can do 45w charging, which is nice, but other brands achieved those speeds several years ago.
In closing, I want the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to be a noticeable upgrade from the previous generation. We all expected significant changes with the Galaxy S25 Ultra this year, but that clearly didn’t happen. Samsung needs to stop being complacent with the design and cameras, especially with all the competition breathing down its neck.
Give us a nice design overhaul, new cameras, a bigger and better battery, and meaningful changes instead of throwing more AI everywhere. If that happens, I’ll gladly trade in my old phone and upgrade to the Galaxy S26 Ultra when it arrives next year.
