Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Features: Everything We Know

We’re getting closer to the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra with every passing day. The hotly anticipated new Samsung smartphone is due to arrive with the spring, and we can’t wait to get our hands on them. As the company’s flagship device, expectations are high and you need only glance at Reddit to see how excited some folks are. 

We’ve been following the development of the S26 Ultra for months and amidst some of the wilder gossip, there’s been a few interesting features mentioned. We’ve previously analysed the main camera system and price levels for the S26 Ultra, but here’s a wider look at what else to expect. 

The Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display

This one isn’t a rumor anymore; Samsung confirmed in a newsletter on January 28th that they’re including a sophisticated new privacy screen with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The company is clearly very proud of this, and rightfully so. This new privacy screen will allow users to browse their smartphone in public, without any risk of their screens being visible to anyone else. 

Privacy display screens are not a new invention, but what sets this one apart is that it’s built into the phone itself. You don’t have to purchase a separate add-on and it can’t be removed. It also has a greater level of customisation and you can choose to have the phone respond differently when using certain apps. For example, you could turn off notification pop-ups for banking apps when in public, and protect your sensitive information.

It’s reportedly taken five years and countless hours for Samsung to perfect this technology, and as they put it, it introduces “privacy at a pixel level.” If it turns out as well as hoped, it could set a new standard for phone privacy display features. 

Faster Charging

Samsung phones don’t exactly take a long time to charge, but the S26 Ultra looks like it could be the fastest one yet. In a post on Weibo (a Chinese blogging site) last August, it was reported that the Galaxy S26 could be charged from 0 - 75% in thirty minutes. That’s pretty fast, and if accurate, suggests that Samsung has upgraded the phone for 60W wired charging. 

That’s not the end of the rumor either, as the same blogger later posted that this might be a conservative estimate. In a follow-up post, they claimed that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could reach 90% battery capacity in just thirty minutes, which is astonishing. 

Whether these tests were theoretical or involved a working prototype were not confirmed, but we could soon have a Samsung Galaxy that takes less time to charge than it does to cook dinner. 

A Slightly Altered Design

From the sounds of things, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t going to look drastically different to the S25. However, there are a couple of alterations in the pipeline. 

To start, the S26 is going to be thinner and lighter. The Galaxy S25 wasn’t exactly the phone equivalent of a boat anchor, but the S26 is expected to be 0.3mm slimmer and 4 grams lighter. Alongside this, it’ll also be 0.5mm wider and 0.8mm taller, while the display screen will increase by 0.03 inches. That’s so small as to be borderline unnoticeable, but place an S26 next to an S25 on a flat surface and you’ll see the change. 

It’s also been reported that the S26 will have more rounded edges than its predecessor. This may make the phone a little more comfortable to hold, but it is a comparatively minor change. The S26 Ultra and S25 won’t seem like identical twins, but they will recognisably be siblings and have shared physical features. 

Dedicated AI Features

Samsung is clearly feeling confident about their new AI processing. They’ve taken out 3D billboards in seventeen cities worldwide promoting the S26’s AI capabilities, and while those ads don’t explicitly confirm anything, they have dramatically raised expectations. 

This is purely conjecture, but we have a suspicion they’ll be introducing a dedicated AI processor within the Galaxy S26 Ultra. If so, it’ll mean systems like voice recognition and photo editing are more efficient, and potentially increase the battery life too. 

The S Pen Returns

The S Pen has been a feature of the Galaxy series for a long time, and reports of its demise have been greatly exaggerated. An image leaked on the German site Nieuwemobiel showed four S Pen designs; two in black and two in white, with the clickers in separate colors that likely match the phone. 

The S Pen Bluetooth capabilities however, are unlikely to make a comeback. Samsung removed them from the S25 Ultra after realising that fewer people were using them. This does suggest that this most tenacious of accessories might be on its final run, and that we won’t be seeing it included with future Samsung smartphones. They haven’t abandoned the S Pen yet though, and it may still hold on.

Online-Exclusive Colors

At the time of writing, we have four confirmed colors for the S26 Ultra: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, and Skye Blue. They’re attractive and eye-catching, but it would be nicer to have a wider choice. 

However, in a leak on X, the user Evan Blass revealed that there were two more. Pink Gold and Silver Shadow are said to be additional color options, although it appears these may be online exclusives. 

An Improved Display Screen

Last but not least, the Galaxy’s entire display screen looks to be getting a major upgrade. It’s expected to include the M14 OLED panel, which increases the peak brightness level. This would help with visibility in direct sunlight, but that’s only the first part. 

Working alongside the OLED panel will be a rumored anti-reflective coating. Samsung has a proven track record with these, and if the S26 Ultra gets even a slight improvement, it’ll reduce screen glare and make the phone easier to read. 

Follow Ghostek For The Latest News And Rumors

The news and leaks for the Samsung Galaxy S26 are increasing in frequency, and with the Galaxy Unpacked event only days away, we’ll soon know for certain how many of these are true. 

If you’d like to stay on top of the news for Samsung Ultra phones, your best option is to follow Ghostek. We’re constantly tracking the latest industry updates and we’ll have all the big scoops right here. 

And yes, we also have an eye-catching assortment of Galaxy S26 Ultra cases and accessories. Why not take a look and see if you spot one you like?