Published 2026-05-18 by James Maxwell

The short answer is: probably not, unless you’re keeping this phone for four or more years. GSMArena’s head-to-head comparison of the two phones laid out the upgrade story clearly, and it’s a familiar one for Samsung’s Ultra line — real improvements, but incremental ones. The £500 price gap between the two phones is the actual headline here.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s flagship Android phone for 2026, released on 11 March 2026 at an RRP of £1,279 SIM-free. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is its direct predecessor, released in early 2025 at a similar launch price, now available from £779.98 based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data across 9 UK retailers.

That £500 drop happened fast. Shopping.co.uk price tracking data shows the S25 Ultra fell to around £780 (256GB) within weeks of the S26 Ultra shipping — which tells you something about how quickly Samsung’s premium phones lose their launch premium once the next model arrives.

The S26 Ultra brings four concrete changes over the S25 Ultra: faster charging at 60W (up from 45W), a new Privacy Display that narrows viewing angles on demand, wider apertures on the ultrawide and telephoto cameras for better low-light performance, and a slimmer, flatter design with no raised camera island. Per TechRadar’s coverage of the launch, the main camera sensor resolution stays at 200MP, so if you’re expecting a dramatic camera leap, you won’t find one.

The chip is new too. Samsung confirmed the S26 Ultra ships with a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and Android 16 out of the box, compared to the Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy in the S25 Ultra.

The Privacy Display is useful for commuters. It works like a built-in privacy screen protector, narrowing the viewing angle so people beside you on the tube can’t read your screen. No other flagship currently matches this at launch.

The S26 Ultra is available from 10 UK retailers including Currys, iD Mobile, Laptops Direct, OnBuy.com, and Gamingkit, with prices ranging from £19 per month on contract up to £1,279 SIM-free, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data at the time of writing. The S25 Ultra is stocked by 9 retailers including AO.com, Box.co.uk, Clove Technology, and OnBuy.com, from £779.98 upward.

The S26 Ultra’s contract pricing starting at £19/month should be read carefully. That figure reflects introductory or shorter-term deals and the total cost over a 24-month contract will be considerably higher, always calculate the full contract cost before comparing to SIM-free. For context, the Samsung Galaxy S26+ 5G (512GB) is currently available from £771.99 at Amazon, which makes it a credible alternative if you want a current-generation Samsung flagship without the Ultra price tag.

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy is a step forward on paper, and real-world testing backs that up. Per GSMArena’s testing, the S26 Ultra is approximately 17% faster in CPU-heavy Geekbench scores and around 19% faster in AnTuTu 11 compared to the S25 Ultra. Samsung’s own figures are slightly more bullish: per Samsung’s UK press release, the S26 Ultra delivers a 19% faster CPU, 24% stronger GPU, and 39% improved NPU versus the S25 Ultra.

The NPU improvement matters most if you use on-device AI features heavily, faster neural processing means quicker photo editing, better real-time translation, and snappier Galaxy AI responses. For everyday tasks like browsing, streaming, and messaging, the S25 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy still handles everything without hesitation.

The honest framing: if you’re upgrading from an S25 Ultra you bought 12 months ago, you won’t feel 17% faster in daily use. If you’re coming from an S23 Ultra or older, the jump is dramatic.

Both phones share the same 6.9-inch footprint, but the S26 Ultra is 0.3mm thinner than the S25 Ultra, per Samsung’s confirmed specifications. The bigger visual change is the camera module. The S25 Ultra used a floating-camera design with each lens on a raised island; the S26 Ultra integrates the cameras flush into the back, which Samsung says improves in-pocket feel and reduces the phone catching on fabric.

Neither phone’s IP rating has been published in the mandatory facts provided for this article, so we won’t speculate. Both retain the built-in S Pen, which remains the clearest differentiator between the Ultra line and every other Android flagship on the market.

The design changes are subtle enough that most people won’t notice them from across a room. Up close, the flush camera layout does look cleaner.

Both phones use a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel, so the display hardware is essentially the same generation. The S26 Ultra adds the Privacy Display feature on top, which is a software and hardware combination that restricts viewing angles when enabled. Per Samsung’s launch materials, this is built into the display itself rather than a software-only filter.

Battery capacity is identical at 5,000mAh on both phones. The difference is charging speed: 60W wired fast charging on the S26 Ultra versus 45W on the S25 Ultra, per Samsung’s confirmed specifications. In practical terms, 60W will charge the phone from flat to full noticeably faster, roughly 30 to 35 minutes quicker in most real-world scenarios, though Samsung has not published an exact full-charge time for either model in the facts available to us.

If you’re someone who plugs in for 20 minutes before leaving the house, that speed difference matters. If you charge overnight, it’s irrelevant.

The S26 Ultra ships with Android 16 and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, confirmed by Samsung on launch day. Samsung has committed to seven years of OS updates for its Ultra line, which means the S26 Ultra should receive updates through to approximately 2033.

The S25 Ultra was launched in early 2025 and carries the same seven-year update promise, putting its support window at approximately 2032. So the real-world difference in software longevity is about one year.

For most people replacing their phone every two or three years, that gap is irrelevant. For anyone who keeps phones until they stop receiving security patches, the S26 Ultra’s newer chip gives it a slightly longer useful life, and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is likely to handle AI-driven features more capably in years five and six than its predecessor.

Save with the S25 Ultra if you want flagship Android performance and the S Pen at the lowest price. At £779.98, it undercuts the S26 Ultra by around £500 and still delivers a 200MP camera, a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, and Samsung’s best chip from 2025. Per Shopping.co.uk price tracking data, that £780 price point makes the S25 Ultra one of the strongest value propositions in the current UK flagship market.

Upgrade to the S26 Ultra if you plan to keep the phone for four or more years, commute on public transport and want the Privacy Display, or charge from near-empty regularly and will notice the 60W versus 45W difference. The newer chip also gives a slightly longer software support runway for those who use phones until the updates stop.

The S25 Ultra is the better buy for most people right now. The S26 Ultra’s improvements are real, faster charging, a cleaner design, better low-light camera apertures, but none of them are the kind of leap that makes a £500 premium feel necessary unless one of those specific features solves a specific problem you have.

Compare Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra prices across UK retailers on Shopping.co.uk

For more, read our iPhone 17 Pro Max vs Galaxy S25 Ultra.

At £779.98, the S25 Ultra is the standout value flagship of 2026, it launched at the same price as the S26 Ultra just over a year ago and has dropped by roughly £500, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data at the time of writing.

Best place to buy: AO.com, currently among the lowest SIM-free prices for the S25 Ultra at £779.98 with reliable next-day delivery and a clear returns process.

vs. S26 Ultra: The S26 Ultra’s £1,279 launch price is hard to justify against a phone with the same camera resolution, same display size, and near-identical battery capacity for £500 less. The 60W charging and Privacy Display are useful, but not £500 useful for the majority of buyers.

Our take: Buy the S25 Ultra now unless you specifically need the Privacy Display or plan to use this phone past 2030, in which case the newer chip earns its premium.

For more, read our Galaxy A57 deals guide.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra worth buying over the S25 Ultra?
For most buyers, no. The S25 Ultra at £779.98 offers the same core camera hardware, display, and battery at roughly £500 less. The S26 Ultra’s advantages (60W charging, Privacy Display, slightly slimmer design) are real but incremental.

What is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s UK price?
The S26 Ultra launched at an RRP of approximately £1,279 SIM-free, available from 10 UK retailers including Currys and iD Mobile, with contract options from £19/month, based on Shopping.co.uk price tracking data at the time of writing.

Does the S26 Ultra have a better camera than the S25 Ultra?
The main sensor resolution is unchanged at 200MP on both phones. The S26 Ultra adds wider apertures on the ultrawide and telephoto lenses, improving low-light performance, and brings AI processing to the 12MP front camera. Per TechRadar’s coverage, the sensor itself is the same generation.

How much faster is the S26 Ultra than the S25 Ultra?
Per GSMArena’s real-world testing, the S26 Ultra scores approximately 17% higher in Geekbench CPU tests and around 19% higher in AnTuTu 11. Samsung’s own figures cite a 19% CPU, 24% GPU, and 39% NPU improvement.

Where can I buy the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra in the UK?
The S25 Ultra is available from 9 UK retailers at the time of writing, including AO.com, Box.co.uk, Clove Technology, and OnBuy.com, from £779.98 for the 256GB Black model. Check current prices on Shopping.co.uk.