After 6 months with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I think Samsung is its own worst enemy

Samsung’s Ultra phones have long been among the best Android flagships, and after spending the past six months with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I can confidently say that hasn’t changed. It’s a gorgeous phone that feels incredibly premium in the hand and delivers excellent performance. There’s very little to complain about, although that doesn’t mean everything has been perfect.

For context, I’ve been using the Ultra since the Galaxy S24 Ultra, so I’ve had a front-row seat to how the lineup has evolved over the past couple of years. And honestly, it’s been quite interesting to watch. Samsung has steadily improved the cameras, performance, and overall experience with each generation.

But after spending some good months with the S26 Ultra, I’ve come to a rather strange realization. I think Samsung has made the Ultra a little too good for its own good. That might sound like an odd complaint about a phone I really enjoy using, but I feel this way for a reason.

I tried moving on, but One UI won’t let me

One of the biggest perks of reviewing smartphones for a living is getting to try pretty much every new model that hits the market. I spend time with them, figure out how well they fit into my routine, and eventually decide whether they’re worth the money. But even after trying so many different phones over the years, I always find myself gravitating toward Samsung. And if there’s one thing that makes me want to stick with Samsung phones, it’s One UI.

I’ve always loved One UI because it lets me do so much. I can customize almost everything to my liking, switch between navigation buttons and gestures, use Good Lock to take customization even further, tweak camera settings, or give my home screen a complete revamp whenever I get bored. And that’s barely scratching the surface — it has so many features scattered throughout that I’m still discovering new ways to use my phone. It all feels incredibly smooth and polished.

What’s more, I’m not someone who uses every Galaxy AI feature Samsung throws my way, but I’ve found myself returning to features like Now Brief, AI Network Guard, Call Brief, and Scam Detection. I like that these features actually come in handy in my everyday life, unlike most AI features I try once, forget about, and never use again.

A flagship that can take a tumble

Of course, even the best software wouldn’t mean much if the hardware struggled to keep up, but thankfully, that’s never been a concern with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. We’ve reached a point where almost every flagship can put up impressive benchmark numbers, and the S26 Ultra is no exception. But I honestly couldn’t care less about its benchmark score if the experience doesn’t feel equally good in everyday use. And that’s where this phone really shines.

My daily usage is a bit of everything. I can spend an embarrassing amount of time scrolling Instagram, jump to Reddit to catch up on gossip, watch random YouTube videos, solve a few Sudoku puzzles, and somehow end up on Pinterest without remembering why I opened it in the first place. All of this happens alongside the usual calls, messages, music, and constant app switching.

Through it all, the S26 Ultra has been an absolute delight to use. I’ve also switched to its higher-performance setting, and the phone feels incredibly responsive all day. Even in more demanding games, the experience stays just as enjoyable.

What makes using the S26 Ultra even more enjoyable is how good everything looks and feels on its display. It has a massive AMOLED panel with a 120Hz refresh rate, and it’s easily one of my favorite things about the phone. Everything looks gorgeous, and animations glide like butter. Since I’m constantly on the move and doing something or the other on my phone, I really appreciate how fluid everything feels. I’ve also grown quite fond of the Privacy Display feature, especially when I’m replying to personal messages or checking something important while sitting around other people. It’s nice knowing someone sitting next to me can’t skillfully peek at my screen.

But another thing about the S26 Ultra impresses me even more than its display: how well it’s held up to my rather careless handling. I’m quite clumsy with my phones, and unfortunately, the S26 Ultra hasn’t been spared. I’ve accidentally dropped it face down, landed it on its back, and had a few moments where I was convinced I’d finally damaged something. To make matters worse, I don’t use a case or even a screen protector. I love how the phone looks and feels without anything covering it, even if that means taking a bit of a risk.

And somehow, despite all those accidental drops over the past six months, my S26 Ultra still looks fantastic. I haven’t noticed any scratches, dents, or cracks, which is frankly quite impressive considering what I’ve put it through. Don’t get me wrong — I’m not suggesting the phone is indestructible, and I certainly wouldn’t recommend testing its durability this way. Trust me, my heart still skips a beat every single time it hits the floor. But the fact that it’s survived my clumsiness this well has only made me admire it more.

Even an Ultra has its not-so-Ultra moments

As much as I’ve enjoyed using the Galaxy S26 Ultra over the past six months, a few things still bother me — and the biggest one has to be the battery life. It’s 2026, and I really wish Samsung would start taking battery capacity a little more seriously.

I’ve always wanted a phone that can comfortably last at least a day and a half without worrying about charging. Unfortunately, the S26 Ultra doesn’t come close to that with my usage. On days when I’m constantly using my phone, I only manage a few hours of screen-on time before I start looking for a charger. And while I’ve learned to live with it, I don’t think I should have to make that compromise on a phone this expensive.

The 5,000mAh battery feels particularly underwhelming compared with what Chinese brands like OPPO, OnePlus, and vivo are doing with their flagships, some of which now pack batteries as large as 8,000mAh or even 9,000mAh. I know battery capacity isn’t everything, but it’s hard not to feel like Samsung could be doing a lot more here.

What makes the situation even more frustrating is the lack of built-in Qi2 wireless charging. I’ve grown quite fond of MagSafe accessories, especially those compact magnetic power banks that snap onto the back of a phone. They’re incredibly convenient when I’m out and don’t want to deal with cables.

This gets even more annoying when I’m heading out for the day. I make sure the phone is fully charged before leaving home, and I almost always carry a wired power bank. That’s because I know a long day of using Google Maps, staying connected to mobile data, taking photos, and constantly checking my phone can drain the battery much faster than I’d like.

The cameras are another area where I have mixed feelings. Now, before you get the wrong idea, I enjoy taking photos with the S26 Ultra. The cameras are reliable, the photos look great, and I’ve been particularly impressed with its video recording capabilities. But after using Samsung phones for several generations, I can’t help feeling that the camera experience has become a little too familiar.

We’re still looking at a 200MP primary camera, and while Samsung has made refinements over the years, I haven’t noticed a major improvement that makes me want to pull out my phone and experiment with something new. I still remember when Samsung’s phones were what everyone looked at for some of the most exciting smartphone camera tech.

These days, though, brands like OPPO and vivo are pushing it further with larger sensors, impressive zoom, and photography features that make their flagships feel closer to DSLR cameras.

Samsung has created a monster, and I love it

Even with these complaints, I can’t deny that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is an excellent smartphone. After months of using it, I still enjoy picking it up every morning. And that brings me to something I’ve been thinking about lately: has Samsung made the Ultra a little too good for its own good?

Think about it — the software is excellent, performance is never an issue, the display is gorgeous, and the cameras can already take fantastic photos and videos. Sure, there’s room for improvement. I’d love to see Samsung bring silicon-carbon battery technology to the Galaxy S27 Ultra, especially now that it’s already using it in its latest foldables. The rumored design changes also have me hoping we’ll finally get built-in Qi2 magnetic charging, and I’m sure Samsung will find ways to improve the cameras. But beyond those upgrades, what else can Samsung realistically do to make the next Ultra feel totally new?

Strangely enough, this has also helped me understand Apple’s approach to iPhone upgrades a little better. Apple often takes its time introducing changes, refining the experience year after year. Samsung, on the other hand, has spent years packing its Ultra phones with almost everything you could ask for. In some ways, Samsung offered features years ago that Apple is only now catching up to. And while that’s great for someone buying an Ultra today, it also leaves Samsung with a rather interesting challenge.

After all, when a phone already does nearly everything I want it to, what would convince me to spend money on its successor? That’s the question I keep coming back to after six months with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I don’t expect Samsung to invent something groundbreaking every year. But if I’m spending that much money on a new Ultra, I want to feel like I’m getting something noticeably better, not just the same great phone with a few minor upgrades.

Perhaps that’s the biggest compliment I can give the Galaxy S26 Ultra after living with it for half a year. It isn’t perfect, and I desperately want Samsung to fix a few things. But it’s so good at everything else that, for the first time in a while, I’m more curious about how Samsung plans to convince me to upgrade than I am about the upgrade itself. And if the Galaxy S27 Ultra turns out to be another year of small refinements, I might just be perfectly happy holding on to what I already have.