A compact flagship with refined design, strong performance, and practical upgrades that most people will actually appreciate.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 doesn't get the same spotlight as the Ultra; it never really does. But, after sitting with everything that's been announced, the regular S26 might actually be the most sensible buy in the entire 2026 lineup. It doesn't have the S Pen, it doesn't have the Privacy Display, and it might not be as impressive as the Ultra. But what it does have is a refined, compact flagship that covers almost everything most people actually need and does it at a price that, while not cheap, is at least justifiable. Let’s dive into this article to discuss everything about the Samsung Galaxy S26, including its expected price in Nepal, specifications, and features.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Overview
Design
The S26 is marginally larger than the S25, 149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2mm against last year's 146.9 × 70.6mm, but the difference in hand is barely noticeable. The extra height is entirely down to the bigger screen, while the overall footprint has remained compact. At 167 grams, it's only 5 grams heavier than its predecessor despite carrying a larger battery and display.
The design language has been updated across the whole S26 series this year, and the base model benefits from that too. The corners are softer, the edges flatter, and the new "Ambient Island" camera module with translucent rectangular island that unifies the lenses now gives the back a much cleaner, more premium look than the older protruding bump. The frame is Armor Aluminum 2, the front and back are Gorilla Glass Victus 2, and IP68 is standard. Colors follow the same lineup as the Ultra: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, and White, with Silver Shadow and Pink Gold as Samsung.com exclusives.
Display
Display has the most meaningful upgrade over last year. The 6.3-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X panel, up from 6.2 inches on the S25, now hits up to 2,600 nits peak brightness and carries an adaptive 1–120Hz refresh rate. Samsung has also brought in the upgraded mDNIe image processor (four times more precise than the S25's) and ProScaler AI upscaling, the same feature found on the Ultra. However, the resolution stays at FHD+ (1080 × 2340).
Performance
In the US and China, the S26 runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. In most other regions, it gets the Exynos 2600, Samsung's first 2nm chipset. The Snapdragon variant delivers roughly 17–19% faster CPU performance, 23–24% stronger GPU output, and 36–39% faster AI processing compared to the previous generation. But its also worth saying that the Exynos chips in Samsung flagships do not have a good record, and unfortunately its a bummer for the S26 buyers, anywhere besides the US and China. Anyway, the thermal system has also been redesigned, as Samsung claims up to 29% better heat dissipation over the S25. All configurations come with 12GB LPDDR5X RAM, and storage starts at 256GB. Samsung has also finally dropped the 128GB base model across the lineup, which is a pretty big win for everyone.
Cameras
The S26's triple rear camera system carries the same hardware as the S25, 50MP f/1.8 main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP 3x telephoto. On paper, nothing has really changed. But in practice, the gap between this year and last year is meaningful, and it's almost entirely down to software and processing improvements.
Nightography Video has been overhauled with per-sensor noise reduction, producing low-light footage that's noticeably brighter and cleaner than what the S25 was capable of. Horizontal Lock arrives on the S26 too, the same gyroscope-and-accelerometer-based horizon stabilization that impressed on the Ultra.
The AI ISP refinements bring more natural color rendering and better highlight control, when the older Galaxy cameras had a tendency to slightly oversaturate and over-process, and Samsung has been steadily pulling that back. The 12MP selfie camera also benefits from the same ISP upgrade.
Similarly, Photo Assist and Creative Studio carry over from the Ultra — natural language photo editing, background replacement, object tweaking, sticker and wallpaper generation. These features work identically across the lineup. Meanwhile, video tops out at 8K@30fps, 4K @ 60fps, and 1080p @ 240fps with 10-bit HDR.
Battery and Charging
The S26 gets a 4,300mAh battery this year, up from 4,000mAh on the S25. Combined with the efficiency gains from the new chipset, Samsung claims up to 31 hours of video playback, and real-world screen-on time is expected to improve meaningfully over last year.
Charging speeds stay at 25W wired and 15W wireless, unchanged from the S25, which is the one area where the S26 feels like it's showing its age relative to what's available elsewhere. At that price, you'd hope for at least a step up in wired charging, and 25W is starting to feel conservative when mid-range phones are pushing 45W or higher. The bigger battery softens that blow somewhat; you're charging a larger cell, and 55% in 30 minutes is still a reasonable result. Anyway, you also get reverse wireless charging at 4.5W. As with the rest of the lineup, no magnets and no charger in the box.
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Software and Galaxy AI
On the software side, the S26 gets the full Galaxy AI package. The Galaxy S26 features One UI 8.5 on Android 16, with seven years of OS and security updates. Now Nudge brings contextual on-screen suggestions, flight details auto-added to your calendar, relevant photos surfaced when someone asks for pictures from a trip, and free-time info pulled from your calendar when someone asks if you're available. Now Brief gives you a daily summary from your notifications, messages, and emails..
Bixby has been upgraded to a proper LLM-based conversational agent with Gemini and Perplexity integration. Circle to Search now handles multiple objects simultaneously. Call Screening answers unknown numbers and summarizes them before you pick up, with Scam Detection flagging suspicious callers in real time. Audio Eraser now works inside third-party apps like YouTube and Netflix. All of this is on-device where possible, processed through Knox Vault for privacy.
Connectivity and Audio
The S26 covers the full connectivity checklist: 5G (Sub-6 and mmWave in the US), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, and USB-C 3.2 with DisplayPort 1.2 and OTG support. Audio is also stereo speakers with high-bitrate support.
Security is handled by Samsung's ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner. Similarly, Face Unlock is present as a secondary option. Knox Vault manages sensitive data and on-device AI processing, and the full suite of Samsung's privacy features, Secure Folder, Private Share, and the expanded privacy controls in One UI 8.5, are all here.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Specifications
- Design, build: 149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2 mm, 167g, Armor Aluminum 2 frame, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 front and back, IP68
- Display: 6.3-inch FHD+ Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 1080 × 2340, 1–120Hz adaptive, up to 2,600 nits peak, ProScaler, 4× mDNIe precision, anti-reflective coating, Gorilla Glass Victus 2
- Chipset: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy (US/China) / Exynos 2600 2nm (global), Adreno 840 / Xclipse 960 GPU
- Memory: 12GB LPDDR5X RAM / 256GB UFS 4.0; 12GB RAM / 512GB UFS 4.0 (non-expandable)
- Software & UI: One UI 8.5 on Android 16, 7 years OS + security updates
- Rear Camera: 50MP f/1.8 main (OIS, PDAF) + 12MP f/2.2 ultrawide (120°) + 10MP f/2.4 3x telephoto (OIS), Horizontal Lock Super Steady, Nightography Video, 8K@30fps, 4K@60fps, 10-bit HDR
- Front Camera: 12MP f/2.2, dual-pixel PDAF, 4K video, upgraded AI ISP
- Security: Ultrasonic in-display fingerprint scanner, Face Unlock, Samsung Knox Vault
- Connectivity: 5G (Sub-6 + mmWave), Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, NFC, USB-C 3.2 (DisplayPort 1.2, OTG, DeX), GPS / GLONASS / Galileo / BDS / QZSS
- Sensors: Accelerometer, Barometer, Gyroscope, Geomagnetic, Hall, Proximity
- Battery: 4,300mAh with 25W wired (~55% in 30 min), 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready), 4.5W reverse wireless
Samsung Galaxy S26 Price in Nepal and Availability
The Galaxy S26 was officially unveiled on February 25, 2026, and went on general sale from March 11, 2026. Prebooking is expected to start alongside the Galaxy S26 Ultra, in the 3rd week of March. It is coming to Nepal very soon, and here's what to expect once it arrives.
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Price in USA (Official) | Price in Nepal (Expected) |
|---|---|---|
| 12GB + 256GB | USD 899 | NPR 135,000 |
| 12GB + 512GB | USD 999 | NPR 150,000 |
Should You Buy the Samsung Galaxy S26 in Nepal?
The S26 hasn't officially launched in Nepal yet, but it's coming soon here. And when it does arrive, the S26 is going to make more sense than the Ultra. You get the same Galaxy AI features, the same chipset, the same software support commitment, and a form factor that's actually manageable day-to-day, all at a significantly lower entry point. The 25W charging is a bit underwhelming at this price, and the lack of a Privacy Display or S Pen might sting if those were on your wishlist. But for the vast majority of users, those omissions won't matter.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Meanwhile, check out our video on the Galaxy S25 / S25+
Article Last updated: February 26, 2026
