Galaxy S26 Ultra 120 Days Later: Everything I love and the one thing I still want Samsung to fix

Four months is usually enough time to figure out whether a phone is actually good or whether you’re still riding the excitement of owning something new. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has now been my primary smartphone for around 120 days, and at this point, I know exactly where I stand with it. I still carry an iPhone 17 Pro Max, but that remains my secondary phone by choice. Samsung is the one I reach for first, the one I trust most, and the one that’s an essential part of my daily routine. And no, this is not a traditional long-term review. If you’re looking for benchmark scores, gaming performance and camera samples, I’ve already covered all of that in my full review. This piece is about something else entirely. It’s about what happens when a phone becomes your everyday companion. It’s about the features you stop thinking about because they work so well, the moments where a device surprises you, and the small frustrations that linger even after months of use.

As someone who has been a Samsung user long before becoming a tech reviewer, perhaps none of this should come as a surprise. My first Galaxy smartphone was the Galaxy S3, followed by the S4, S5, S6 Edge Plus and eventually the Galaxy Note 9. The first Samsung flagship I reviewed professionally was the Galaxy S20 FE, but it wasn’t until the Galaxy S21 Ultra that I truly returned to using a Galaxy flagship as my main phone. Since then, I have reviewed or used every major Galaxy S and Galaxy Fold device. Yet somehow, after spending time with incredible phones over the years, I keep coming back to where I started.

After four months with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I absolutely believe this is the best smartphone money can buy in 2026. Here’s my long-term review.

The phone that survived what should’ve been a disaster

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the thing that surprised me most over the last four months has nothing to do with AI features, cameras or performance. Its durability. It’s funny, we rarely talk about it anymore because modern flagship phones are expected to be durable in today’s day and age. IP ratings, stronger glass and reinforced frames have become standard talking points, and perhaps because of that, we’ve started taking them for granted.

I certainly did.

But that changed after I dropped my Galaxy S26 Ultra twice on hard concrete roads. And trust me when I say this, these weren’t small slips or gentle tumbles. Both drops were hard enough for me to immediately assume the glass was gone. I use the phone without a case or a screen protector, and Samsung didn’t provide one either, so there was absolutely nothing protecting it from the impact. Yet when I picked the phone up on these two separate occasions, the damage was surprisingly minor. A couple of tiny nicks on the corners. That’s it.

Thankfully, there was no shattered glass or major dents. So, no visible structural damage.

What makes this more impressive is that I remember dropping my Galaxy S23 Ultra three years ago in a far less dramatic incident, and that phone ended up with a shattered back panel. So, whatever Samsung and Corning have done this time around clearly works.

Also, for the first time, I am actually taking Samsung’s ‘Armor Aluminum’ branding seriously. Usually, these names sound like marketing gimmicks designed for keynote presentations. This time, however, the frame feels every bit as strong as Samsung claims it is, and as you just read it, I say this from experience.

After using a bunch of premium devices over the years, this is probably the most confidence-inspiring build I have experienced on a smartphone.

Privacy Display is the feature more brands should copy

No Samsung phone discussion is complete without talking about the display, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s panel remains exceptional. While there has been some criticism around peak brightness this year, I think that conversation lacks context.

You need to understand that the Privacy Display feature changes how the display behaves, and because of the technology involved, there is naturally some impact on brightness. Yet in real-world usage, I have never found the screen difficult to use outdoors. At times, when I am outside under the harsh Delhi sun, I have never faced a concern with visibility. In practice, it is easily as bright as other flagship phones, if not brighter.

The anti-reflective coating deserves praise, too. It remains one of Samsung’s most underrated innovations.

But circling back, the star of the show is undoubtedly Privacy Display. I genuinely hope other brands shamelessly copy this feature. You see, the smartphone industry spends a lot of time copying cosmetic trends and questionable design choices. Yet genuinely useful innovations often get ignored. I really hope to see the Privacy Display feature on more smartphones in the near future.

Personally, I have customised the Privacy Display to work with specific apps and notifications, and now I barely think about it. That’s actually the biggest compliment I can give it. I’ll be reading my WhatsApp messages, opening banking apps or simply checking personal notifications in public, and I no longer worry about someone peeking over my shoulder. It works quietly in the background and makes everyday life easier, and that’s exactly what good technology should do.

Why One UI 8.5 remains Android’s best software experience

Hardware gets people excited, but software is what determines whether a phone remains enjoyable after months of use. For me, One UI 8.5 continues to be one of Samsung’s biggest strengths.

A lot of people still believe Apple owns the ecosystem conversation, and to some extent, I understand why. The iPhone and Mac combination remains excellent. But over the last few months, I have been using the Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside the Galaxy Book 6 Ultra, and to be fair, Samsung’s ecosystem has been just as impressive. Everything I routinely do between an iPhone and a Mac can be done just as easily between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy Book. In some cases, it even feels more flexible.

Other than the continuity features, Samsung’s My Files remains the best file manager available on Android. It has been that way for years, and nothing has changed my opinion. Features like Storage Share, which allow me to wirelessly access my laptop’s 2TB storage directly from my phone, have become surprisingly useful once they become part of your workflow. The software’s handling of files and codecs is equally impressive. Rarely do I come across a file that the phone cannot open or process.

Then there is customisation. The lock screen, the app drawer, the always-on display, the animations, the themes; everything can be personalised exactly the way you want. And if that’s still not enough, Good Lock takes things even further. The amount of control Samsung gives power users remains unmatched.

The best voice recorder on any smartphone

One feature I feel doesn’t get enough credit is Samsung’s Voice Recorder. As someone who spends a good amount of time taking interviews, recording meetings and transcribing conversations, this app has become one of my most-used tools.

Of course, the recording quality is excellent, but that’s not what impresses me most. It’s the transcription and speaker separation. The ability to accurately identify multiple speakers in a recording is incredibly useful, and Samsung does a remarkably good job here. I have recorded conversations involving multiple people and watched the software separate and identify different speakers with surprising accuracy. Neither the Pixel nor the iPhone has matched this experience for me.

As I said, we don’t give enough credit to a voice recorder because it doesn’t sound like a flashy feature to have, but it’s one of those things that becomes invaluable once you start relying on it.

Samsung’s missing piece

For all the praise I have for One UI, there is still one glaring omission. The one thing I really want Samsung to fix. The fact that you still don’t get a native app locker in One UI. And frankly, I don’t understand why.

Almost every major smartphone brand now includes one. For what it’s worth, even iPhones have the native app locking capability. Yet Samsung continues to rely on alternatives and workarounds instead of implementing a straightforward solution. In fact, Google’s Pixel phones also have the same issue.

The good news is that Android 17 is expected to address this, and rumours surrounding One UI 9 suggest Samsung may finally be preparing to introduce a native app locker. And I sincerely hope those rumours are true. Because this is the only significant feature I find myself missing on a daily basis.

The S Pen, battery life, and the features you stop thinking about

Every year, I see reviewers and the general public alike question whether the S Pen still matters. My answer to that remains unchanged.

Absolutely.

Not because I use it every day, but because it’s always there when I need it. Signing embargo documents, marking up PDFs, jotting down notes or making quick edits becomes infinitely easier when your phone has a stylus readily available. It’s one of those features you don’t actively think about until it disappears.

I would also want to address the battery life situation here. Yes, Samsung is still using a 5,000mAh battery. Yes, competitors from China are shipping much larger battery capacities. And yes, I would love to see Samsung finally increase the battery size next year. But despite all that, battery anxiety has never been a problem for me. Not just in regular day to day life in Delhi, but also when I have travelled with this phone domestically and internationally, the battery life holds up pretty well. I mean, could a phone’s battery last longer than one day? Certainly. But has it ever become an issue with me? Not once.

The camera I trust most

One of the fundamental pillars of a great phone is a solid camera. The one on the S26 Ultra is the most reliable one for me. And, I am not saying it’s the absolute best at everything, but as I said, it is reliable.

In fact, I will admit, the iPhone 17 Pro Max still holds a slight advantage when it comes to video recording. So, whenever I’m shooting professional footage for my work videos, I generally give the edge to the iPhone. But for photography, versatility and general daily use, I continue reaching for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

There’s something about Samsung’s colour science that I absolutely love. The images themselves are detailed with excellent dynamic range across different lighting conditions. Colours, especially skin tones, look balanced and most importantly, the camera rarely disappoints.

These are the reasons I feel separate a great camera from a good one, and the S26 Ultra’s camera system falls firmly in the former category.

A design we may soon say goodbye to

The version I have of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung’s hero colour, and while I initially preferred the white variant, I’ve completely changed my mind over the last four months. Without a shadow of a doubt, this is the best-looking S26 Ultra finish.

In fact, I’ve come to believe that smartphone brands generally know what they’re doing when selecting hero colours. Many would remember the criticism surrounding the orange iPhone 17 Pro earlier this year proved exactly that. Despite the complaints, it became one of the most popular finishes. I think the same logic applies to each and every device out there.

As for the design itself, it may soon become a part of Samsung history. If current rumours are to be believed, the Galaxy S27 Ultra may just move away from the design language first introduced with the Galaxy S22 Ultra. Reports suggest Samsung is looking at a horizontal camera strip design, similar in spirit to the Galaxy S10 Plus, partly to accommodate Qi2 magnets and other hardware changes.

If that happens, it will definitely mark the end of one of Samsung’s most recognisable flagship designs. Part of me is excited for this, and a part of me knows I’ll miss it.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Final Verdict

Who is the Galaxy S26 Ultra for?

I think the people who bought it already know the answer. This is a phone for those who want the safest flagship recommendation possible. Great phones arrive every year, but only a handful remain part of the conversation long after launch.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of those phones.

In fact, I would say the same applies to the iPhone as well. And that’s why the debate has never really been iPhone versus Android. It’s always been iPhone versus Samsung. These are the two heavyweight champions of the smartphone world, and whichever side you choose, you’re unlikely to regret your decision.

For me, though, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes out ahead.

After 120 days, I still believe it’s the best smartphone of 2026. And if Samsung finally delivers a native app locker with One UI 9, it might just become the closest thing to a perfect smartphone I’ve ever used.