The Galaxy S26 is selling like crazy, and the Ultra is the reason why

Samsung just proved that even a price hike and a display controversy can’t stop the Galaxy juggernaut. Even with a less exciting hardware update and some last-minute changes to screen specs, the Galaxy S26 series broke pre-order records in South Korea, selling 1.35 million units in just one week.

The main takeaway isn’t just that Samsung sold more phones, but which models are popular. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, the top model, dominated with 70% of all pre-orders, Yonhap News reports. That left the regular S26 and S26 Plus with only a small share of the sales.

For context, the S25 Ultra took about 52% of the pie last year. Owners are clearly signaling that if they’re going to upgrade, they want the kitchen sink, even if it means paying more than they did for the previous generation.

What’s causing all the excitement? It’s not only the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, even though its 39% better NPU performance is impressive. The main attraction is the Privacy Display, a new feature that narrows viewing angles so people nearby can’t see your messages.

Samsung is also focusing on agentic AI. This is more than a chatbot; it’s an assistant that understands what you want and acts across different apps. To keep interest high, Samsung introduced the new Galaxy AI Subscription Club, which includes Samsung Care+ and theft protection. The Chosun Daily reports that more than 30% of buyers signed up, showing that people value extra peace of mind.

Not everything has gone perfectly. Samsung received criticism after changing its claim that the S26 series had true 10-bit displays. The screens are actually 8-bit with Frame Rate Control (FRC) to mimic the appearance of more colors.

If you’re waiting to get your hands on one, the global rollout kicks off on March 11 across 120 countries, including the US, UK, and India.