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Galaxy S26 Review: Is it really a good choice, or is it a trap?This in-depth review of the Galaxy S26 base model analyzes both its pros and cons. The video evaluates the S26's value from the perspective of both general users who are indifferent to specs and experts who are sensitive to hardware, helping viewers decide for themselves whether this smartphone is worthy of being a 2026 flagship.
1. 👍 Positive Aspects of the Galaxy S26: Design, Display, Camera, Performance
· The Galaxy S26 base model is an excellent choice for users looking for a compact flagship phone.
· It boasts robust and dense premium build quality, featuring a clean and minimalist design, and a light and thin profile.
· It offers sharp content viewing, excellent peak brightness outdoors, and smooth operation with a 120Hz refresh rate.
· It provides a great viewing experience in any condition with vibrant and rich colors, is comfortable to use due to its small size, and has an excellent in-display fingerprint scanner.
· It features the best camera system among small phones, delivering excellent results in any condition, balanced photos, wide dynamic range, and accurate colors and skin tones.
· It offers flexibility with ultrawide and telephoto lens options (though the main camera is better in low light), and a new 24MP mode activated via Camera Assistant maintains higher resolution and detail.
· Log video functionality allows for wider dynamic range and editing control, with in-device LUT application and the ability to add LUTs during the editing process.
· Regular video recording is also excellent, with a 'horizontal lock' feature enabling stable, shake-free video capture.
· It delivers outstanding performance without frame drops, providing a fast and smooth user experience.
· Galaxy AI features (such as Audio Eraser, log video processing) can be quickly utilized on the device, and it also serves as an excellent portable high-performance gaming machine.
· All-day battery performance and the convenience of wireless charging are also advantages.
· It boasts robust and dense premium build quality, featuring a clean and minimalist design, and a light and thin profile.
· It offers sharp content viewing, excellent peak brightness outdoors, and smooth operation with a 120Hz refresh rate.
· It provides a great viewing experience in any condition with vibrant and rich colors, is comfortable to use due to its small size, and has an excellent in-display fingerprint scanner.
· It features the best camera system among small phones, delivering excellent results in any condition, balanced photos, wide dynamic range, and accurate colors and skin tones.
· It offers flexibility with ultrawide and telephoto lens options (though the main camera is better in low light), and a new 24MP mode activated via Camera Assistant maintains higher resolution and detail.
· Log video functionality allows for wider dynamic range and editing control, with in-device LUT application and the ability to add LUTs during the editing process.
· Regular video recording is also excellent, with a 'horizontal lock' feature enabling stable, shake-free video capture.
· It delivers outstanding performance without frame drops, providing a fast and smooth user experience.
· Galaxy AI features (such as Audio Eraser, log video processing) can be quickly utilized on the device, and it also serves as an excellent portable high-performance gaming machine.
· All-day battery performance and the convenience of wireless charging are also advantages.
00:00 - 05:56
1. 👍 Positive Aspects of the Galaxy S26: Design, Display, Camera, Performance
· The Galaxy S26 base model is an excellent choice for users looking for a compact flagship phone.
· It boasts robust and dense premium build quality, featuring a clean and minimalist design, and a light and thin profile.
· It offers sharp content viewing, excellent peak brightness outdoors, and smooth operation with a 120Hz refresh rate.
· It provides a great viewing experience in any condition with vibrant and rich colors, is comfortable to use due to its small size, and has an excellent in-display fingerprint scanner.
· It features the best camera system among small phones, delivering excellent results in any condition, balanced photos, wide dynamic range, and accurate colors and skin tones.
· It offers flexibility with ultrawide and telephoto lens options (though the main camera is better in low light), and a new 24MP mode activated via Camera Assistant maintains higher resolution and detail.
· Log video functionality allows for wider dynamic range and editing control, with in-device LUT application and the ability to add LUTs during the editing process.
· Regular video recording is also excellent, with a 'horizontal lock' feature enabling stable, shake-free video capture.
· It delivers outstanding performance without frame drops, providing a fast and smooth user experience.
· Galaxy AI features (such as Audio Eraser, log video processing) can be quickly utilized on the device, and it also serves as an excellent portable high-performance gaming machine.
· All-day battery performance and the convenience of wireless charging are also advantages.
· It boasts robust and dense premium build quality, featuring a clean and minimalist design, and a light and thin profile.
· It offers sharp content viewing, excellent peak brightness outdoors, and smooth operation with a 120Hz refresh rate.
· It provides a great viewing experience in any condition with vibrant and rich colors, is comfortable to use due to its small size, and has an excellent in-display fingerprint scanner.
· It features the best camera system among small phones, delivering excellent results in any condition, balanced photos, wide dynamic range, and accurate colors and skin tones.
· It offers flexibility with ultrawide and telephoto lens options (though the main camera is better in low light), and a new 24MP mode activated via Camera Assistant maintains higher resolution and detail.
· Log video functionality allows for wider dynamic range and editing control, with in-device LUT application and the ability to add LUTs during the editing process.
· Regular video recording is also excellent, with a 'horizontal lock' feature enabling stable, shake-free video capture.
· It delivers outstanding performance without frame drops, providing a fast and smooth user experience.
· Galaxy AI features (such as Audio Eraser, log video processing) can be quickly utilized on the device, and it also serves as an excellent portable high-performance gaming machine.
· All-day battery performance and the convenience of wireless charging are also advantages.
06:01 - 09:35
2. 👎 Negative Aspects of the Galaxy S26: Limitations in Design, Display, Camera, Performance
· The camera bump is severe, causing the phone to wobble significantly when placed on a flat surface, a design flaw.
· The pursuit of thinness and lightness has sacrificed practicality and functionality; the aluminum side material feels cheap, leading to criticism that a 2026 flagship should use titanium.
· The 6.3-inch display only offers Full HD+ resolution, which can make pixels visible, and there is no option to change the resolution.
· The new privacy display technology and anti-reflective coating applied to the Ultra model are absent.
· The 120Hz refresh rate is disappointing for 2026 standards, as competitors already offer 144Hz and 165Hz.
· The camera offers the same specifications as the Galaxy S22 from four years ago, lacking innovation.
· Despite the new Exynos 2600 processing, the lack of hardware advancement is disappointing.
· The reintroduction of the Exynos chipset (Exynos 2600) in the base model is disappointing, as consumers tend to prefer Snapdragon.
· The 4,300mAh battery capacity is very disappointing for a 2026 flagship, with competitors offering 7,000mAh.
· While One UI 8.5 (Android 16) continues to push Galaxy AI, Samsung's approach of only making safe choices, unlike the Ultra model or foldables, draws criticism for a lack of innovation.
· There is an opinion that all phones should offer the same top-tier specifications, and criticism that selling with current specs in 2026 is unfair.
· The pursuit of thinness and lightness has sacrificed practicality and functionality; the aluminum side material feels cheap, leading to criticism that a 2026 flagship should use titanium.
· The 6.3-inch display only offers Full HD+ resolution, which can make pixels visible, and there is no option to change the resolution.
· The new privacy display technology and anti-reflective coating applied to the Ultra model are absent.
· The 120Hz refresh rate is disappointing for 2026 standards, as competitors already offer 144Hz and 165Hz.
· The camera offers the same specifications as the Galaxy S22 from four years ago, lacking innovation.
| Camera Type | Specification |
|---|---|
| Ultrawide | 12MP f/2.2 |
| Main Camera | 50MP f/1.8 (same sensor size) |
| Telephoto | 10MP 3x f/2.4 (embarrassing to call 'telephoto' for 2026) |
· Despite the new Exynos 2600 processing, the lack of hardware advancement is disappointing.
· The reintroduction of the Exynos chipset (Exynos 2600) in the base model is disappointing, as consumers tend to prefer Snapdragon.
· The 4,300mAh battery capacity is very disappointing for a 2026 flagship, with competitors offering 7,000mAh.
· While One UI 8.5 (Android 16) continues to push Galaxy AI, Samsung's approach of only making safe choices, unlike the Ultra model or foldables, draws criticism for a lack of innovation.
· There is an opinion that all phones should offer the same top-tier specifications, and criticism that selling with current specs in 2026 is unfair.
09:36 - 10:19
3. 🤔 Final Verdict: Balancing Specs and Real-World Experience
· The Galaxy S26 can provide a positive experience for those who ignore the spec sheet.
· However, those who meticulously check the spec sheet might hesitate to buy due to identical camera components from four years ago.
· The reviewer personally purchased the S26 for rotation and as a video recording option, but the final purchase decision rests with individual users.
· However, those who meticulously check the spec sheet might hesitate to buy due to identical camera components from four years ago.
· The reviewer personally purchased the S26 for rotation and as a video recording option, but the final purchase decision rests with individual users.