Samsung Galaxy S26 Review: Full Specs, Pros, and Cons

Samsung has unveiled the Samsung Galaxy S26, the smallest and most affordable member of the new Galaxy S lineup for 2026, alongside the higher-tier S26+ and S26 Ultra. Despite being the most affordable model, Samsung hasn't made major sacrifices in design quality or build, retaining most of the flagship lineup's design touches in a smaller, more one-handed-friendly size, at a price significantly lower than the Ultra. In this review from Qayim Li, we cover every aspect of the phone in depth: display, design, camera, battery, and pricing in the Egyptian and Gulf markets.

Display and Design

The display is a Dynamic AMOLED 2X panel measuring 6.3 inches with an FHD+ resolution (1080×2340 pixels) at 409 ppi, nearly identical to the previous generation, with a 120Hz refresh rate that keeps scrolling, gaming, and animations smooth. Peak brightness reaches 2,600 nits, with a High Brightness Mode (HBM) of up to 1,400 nits keeping the screen legible even under direct sunlight, plus Corning Gorilla Armor 2 protection that significantly reduces glare.

On design, the phone measures 149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2mm and weighs just 167g, making it one of the lightest and easiest-to-use flagships single-handedly. That said, the phone joins the Ultra in moving away from the titanium frame used in previous generations to a new aluminum frame this year, paired with a Gorilla Armor 2 front and Gorilla Glass Victus 2 glass back. It's available in four colors: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, and White, with IP68 water and dust resistance allowing submersion to about a meter for roughly 30 minutes.

Performance

The phone runs on Samsung's own Exynos 2600 chipset, built on a 2nm process, across most global markets including Egypt, while the US market exclusively gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. Regardless of chipset, day-to-day performance is comparable between variants, and the chipset delivers strong power for daily tasks, multitasking across several apps, and most games, with good thermal management even during long sessions. The phone comes with 12GB of LPDDR5X RAM across all variants, with two internal storage options: 256GB or 512GB, and no external microSD expansion.

Camera

The rear camera system consists of three lenses: a 50MP main sensor (f/1.8, 1/1.56″ sensor) delivering great detail in bright light and acceptable results in low light, a genuine 10MP telephoto lens (f/2.4, 1/3.94″ sensor) with 3x optical zoom useful for portraits and mid-range shots, and a 12MP ultra-wide lens (f/2.2) without autofocus. The rear camera benefits from Galaxy AI features like the Object Eraser and post-capture photo enhancement, plus 4K UHD video recording at 60fps. The front camera is 12MP (f/2.2), powered by an AI image processor that automatically balances highlights, shadows, skin tone, and fine details, delivering more natural-looking selfies compared to the over-processed results common on some rival phones.

Battery and Charging

The battery has a typical capacity of 4,300mAh (with a rated capacity of 4,175mAh), a 300mAh increase over the previous S25 generation's 4,000mAh, translating to roughly an extra hour of video playback for up to 30 hours total. The phone supports 25W wired charging only — a relatively modest figure compared to some competitors that have pushed past 100W — but it remains sufficient for a full charge within a reasonably short session. Wireless charging tops out around 15-20W depending on market, without a built-in Qi2 magnetic array for magnetic wireless charging, a feature some users may miss.

Software and Galaxy AI

The phone ships with One UI 8.5 based on Android 16, with full support for Galaxy AI features that have become a signature of the Galaxy S lineup in recent generations, including Circle to Search in partnership with Google, live call translation, and note summarization assistance. The phone supports Wi-Fi 7 for the fastest currently available transfer speeds, Bluetooth 5.4, and NFC with UWB technology for precise location-finding with compatible devices. On security, the phone features an under-display ultrasonic fingerprint sensor for faster and more accurate reads than older optical sensors.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Box Contents

The box includes: the phone, a USB Type-C cable, a SIM ejector tool, and quick start guides, with no charging adapter included, following Samsung's usual practice with recent phones.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Price in Egypt and the Gulf

Samsung officially announced launch pricing for the Egyptian market at EGP 45,399 for the 256GB / 12GB RAM variant, a price that reflects the phone being locally manufactured in Egypt as part of Samsung's local investment plan, with the price later rising to around EGP 49,000 at some retailers amid currency and demand fluctuations. In Saudi Arabia, pricing ranges between SAR 4,000 for the 256GB variant and up to SAR 4,400 for the 512GB variant, while in the UAE it ranges between AED 3,500 and AED 3,900 depending on storage. Compared to the Ultra, which starts at around EGP 67,000 in Egypt, the base model offers considerable savings of roughly EGP 22,000 versus the higher-tier model. Note that these prices are subject to change based on available promotions, so we recommend checking the current price at your local retailer before purchasing.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Worth Buying?

Overall, the base Galaxy S26 strikes a very good balance for anyone who wants a flagship Galaxy S experience without paying the Ultra's steep price, benefiting from its comfortable one-handed size and full Galaxy AI features. Anyone who needs a genuine telephoto lens or Qi2 magnetic wireless charging might find the Galaxy S26+ a better fit, while anyone who wants the flagship camera and stylus experience will find the Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the top choice.