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Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: 24-Hour Review
A comprehensive review of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, examining its design, display, camera, performance, battery life, and AI features. The video compares the S26 Ultra to its predecessor, the S25 Ultra, highlighting improvements and trade-offs.
1. 📦 Unboxing and First Impressions of the Galaxy S26 Ultra
- ✅ Unboxing the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in Cobalt Violet.
- ➡️ Included are a USB-C cable, paperwork, and a SIM card ejector.
- 📍 The first stop after unboxing is to get pizza and beer.
00:00 - 00:41
1. 📦 Unboxing and First Impressions of the Galaxy S26 Ultra
- ✅ Unboxing the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in Cobalt Violet.
- ➡️ Included are a USB-C cable, paperwork, and a SIM card ejector.
- 📍 The first stop after unboxing is to get pizza and beer.
01:29 - 03:22
2. 📱 The S26 Ultra's New Privacy Display: Pros and Cons
- ✅ The main feature of the S26 Ultra is the new Privacy Display, which is used in a mobile phone for the first time.
- 🛡️ It prevents other people from seeing the screen content, which is especially useful in public transport.
- ⚠️ The Privacy Display reduces the resolution and brightness of the screen and worsens the viewing angles.
- ⚙️ It works by changing the subpixel structure and deactivating half of the pixels.
- 💡 Despite the disadvantages, the Privacy Display is useful for notifications, passwords, and watching content in public.
03:23 - 05:50
3. 📸 Night Camera Test: S26 Ultra vs. S25 Ultra
- 🌃 Testing the video night photography features of the S26 Ultra in Trafalgar Square.
- 💡 The S26 Ultra has fewer overexposed highlights and less lens flare compared to the S25 Ultra.
- 🚌 There are no significant improvements with moving objects.
- ❌ Many photos are blurry, which calls into question the advertised low-light performance.
- 👤 Portrait shots are more detailed but appear over-sharpened and have worse colors.
05:51 - 06:26
4. 📷 Camera Hardware Improvements: Aperture and Sensors
- ✅ The main camera (200 megapixels) has a larger aperture (f1.4 instead of f1.7), which captures more light.
- ✅ The 5x telephoto lens also has a larger aperture (f2.9 instead of f3.4).
- ➡️ The 3x telephoto lens sensor has been changed but is still small compared to competitors.
- 🖼️ The new 3x telephoto lens is slightly better, but the sky is noisier.
06:27 - 07:18
5. ⚖️ Comparison is the Thief of Joy: Is the Upgrade Worth It?
- 🤔 It is important to weigh the pros and cons before spending £1,279 on the S26 Ultra.
- 💰 Even if an annual upgrade is unrealistic, comparisons make sense to assess the added value.
- ✨ With the right lighting and subject, you can take excellent photos with the S26 Ultra.
07:19 - 08:22
6. 🌆 Low-Light Photography in Soho and New Log Presets
- 📍 Soho is a great place to take photos and videos.
- 🎞️ Filming in Log mode is not new, but there are now five Log presets.
- 🎨 You can experiment with different log settings before and after recording to make videos more interesting.
08:23 - 09:42
7. 🚀 Performance Benchmark: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy
- 📈 The S26 Ultra features the new Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy.
- 📊 The results of the Wildlife Extreme stress test are somewhat disappointing.
- 🔥 The new CPU is only 9% faster but consumes the same battery life and temperatures are higher.
- 💯 Geekbench shows an increase of 18% in single-core and 13% in multi-core.
- ✅ The new chip is faster and offers advantages for the ISP and Galaxy AI tasks, but the difference is not groundbreaking.
09:43 - 10:01
8. 👎 Design Disadvantages: Wobbly Camera Bump
- 📱 The protruding camera design causes the phone to wobble more on the table.
10:02 - 11:17
9. ✨ Additional Features: Audio Eraser and Horizon Lock Super Steady Mode
- 🎤 The Audio Eraser, which reduces background noise, can now be used with apps like Netflix and Spotify.
- 🔒 The new Horizon Lock Super Steady Mode keeps the video level even when the phone is fully rotated.
11:18 - 13:32
10. 🔋 Battery Life and Charging: Improvements and Missed Opportunities
- 🔋 The battery capacity remains 5,000 mAh, as it has been since the S20 Ultra.
- ⚡ The S26 Ultra now supports 60-watt charging, which allows it to be charged from 0 to 100% 15 minutes faster.
- 🧲 It lacks magnets like MagSafe (Apple) or Pixel Snap (Google Pixel), which makes it difficult to use magnetic accessories without a case.
13:33 - 14:58
11. 📏 Design and Display: Thinner, Lighter, and Better Colors
- 📐 The S26 Ultra is slightly thinner and lighter with rounded corners.
- 🏝️ The camera design is called the "Ambient Camera Island".
- 🖊️ The integrated stylus is still a selling point, but without Bluetooth support.
- 🛡️ The case is made of Armor Aluminum, like the Fold 7.
- ☀️ The display has the best anti-reflection protection and supports 10-bit colors for the first time for more color brilliance.
14:59 - 15:43
12. 🤖 Galaxy AI and Software Updates
- 🪄 The photo editing tools are still very good, including generative AI.
- 📱 The S26 Ultra runs on Android 16 and Samsung's 1 UI 8.5.
- 💯 Samsung offers 7 years of OS updates and good trade-in deals.
15:44 - 16:25
13. 🎤 Summary: What's Good About the New Samsung Galaxy?
- ✅ The new Samsung Galaxy has a Privacy Display.
- 🚀 It's faster and the cameras are slightly better.
- 🛡️ The Privacy Display prevents other people from seeing the screen content.