Meaningful, impactful year-on-year upgrades seem impossible in the current reality, and that’s fine, actually – smartphones have become crazy good and capable. That’s called plateauing and it happens to everything and everybody at a moment – just ask any bodybuilder in your local gym.
What really grinds my gears, however, is when brands announce their latest-gen devices as some outstanding improvement over the previous generation. Maybe I’m being cynical about it, but I can’t help but scoff at it most times.
Every once in a while, we get real improvements, but are we going to get them with the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra? More importantly, will we have to cough more hard-earned $$$ for the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
It seems that a price hike is on the horizon:
… and now comes the part where I lay out my argument on why the next Ultra by Samsung shouldn’t cost a dollar over the $1,299 price tag.
Why the foul words?
Image by PhoneArena
The rumors I mentioned above are about TSMC, the world’s largest and most advanced semiconductor foundry, headquartered in Taiwan.
So, TSMC has reportedly raised the cost of its third-generation 3nm wafers, and that could soon lead to more expensive smartphones. According to local reports, MediaTek is paying about 24% more while Qualcomm faces a 16% increase for chips built on TSMC’s N3P process.
These added costs are expected to be passed down the line, meaning phones like Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series or Vivo’s X300 (which could use the new processors) could launch with higher price tags.
By the way, Apple is also said to be paying the increased wafer price. But since it designs its own chips and doesn’t rely on third-party designers like Qualcomm or MediaTek, the impact on iPhone pricing may be less direct.
I’m mentioning Apple for a reason here. I’m wondering if Samsung can pull off the same stunt.
Is Exynos really back in the game?
Image by Samsung
There’s a nasty rumor going around, stating that Galaxy S26 Ultra might ditch Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 (the Snapdragon 8 Elite successor) for the in-house made Exynos 2600.
As I’ve argued before, Samsung will have a hard time convincing everybody Galaxy S26 Ultra with Exynos 2600 is great – and that has to do with Exynos history.
Samsung’s in-house chips had lagged in performance and often struggled with heat, leading tech-savvy users to favor the Snapdragon versions of its devices instead. As you know, Samsung often equips its Galaxy phones with either a Snapdragon or an Exynos chip, depending on the region where they’re sold.
But what if the Exynos 2600 is excellent and heads in the right direction?
The upcoming processor is said to be built on Samsung Foundry’s 2nm GAA process, potentially making it the first smartphone chip at that scale, ahead of competitors who are still on 3nm (smaller number is generally perceived as better).
Early rumors suggest a 10-core CPU paired with an Eclipse 960 GPU, which may outperform the Snapdragon 8 Elite’s Adreno 830 by about 15%. Improved heat management is also expected, which could boost performance and efficiency. Overall, the Exynos 2600 appears poised to help Samsung close the gap with Qualcomm’s high-end processors.
On paper, it sounds pretty cool, but I still think that Samsung will struggle to convince the majority of people that it’s a capable Snapdragon rival.
And that’s precisely why the Galaxy S26 Ultra shouldn’t cost a dollar over the $1,299 price tag: Exynos 2600 should be cheaper to produce (compared to the Snapdragon chips by Qualcomm).
Unless Samsung decides to charge us more for the alleged upgrades.
Raise high the roof beam, carpenters
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a massive camera bump. | Image Credit – Ice Universe
Several enhancements are expected for the Galaxy S26 Ultra – it’s up to you to decide if they’re what you truly need (not “want”, but “need”).
An increase to the wired charging speed from 45W to 60W is expected. While not as fast as some competitors supporting 100W or more (the OnePlus 15 might hit 120W charging speeds), this upgrade could reduce the 5,000 mAh battery charge time to under an hour. Wireless charging may remain at 15W.
The phone could feature a brighter and thinner 6.89-inch OLED display using Samsung’s new M14 material. This should improve brightness, reduce power consumption, and increase panel lifespan. Additionally, Color Filter on Encapsulation (CoE) technology may be applied for sharper colors and thinner screens. Rumors also mention Flex Magic Pixel technology, which adjusts pixels for viewing angles and privacy.
The main camera is likely to get a new 200MP to capture more light and natural bokeh. The ultra-wide and telephoto cameras may remain similar, though a 50MP 4x zoom and improved F1.4 lens are possible.
The S26 Ultra may remain similar to the S25 Ultra’s flat-sided, rounded-corner design, but could be slightly slimmer by about 0.4mm. Eh, not worth the hassle, but there you go.
Personally, my biggest letdown is the battery capacity, as the S26 Ultra could’ve sacrificed the thickness for some extra 700-800 mAh of battery capacity. The phone will come with a marvelous camera setup, it’ll come with an amazing display (the S24 Ultra has it, too), it’ll feel sleek and premium, but that’s about it.
$1,300 is a lot as it is
So, a slightly brighter OLED display, 60W charging speeds, marginally thinner chassis and a clever feature here and there.
Paired with an in-house made chipset like the Exynos 2600 (which could turn out to be great, don’t get me wrong – I just happen to think that many will see it as a downgrade), Samsung really shouldn’t push the $1,300 envelope further.
But if Sammy decides to raise prices, I can already hear the marketing slogans about the Galaxy S26 Ultra being “more premium” than ever, with a “revolutionary” display and “super-fast” charging speeds.
I just don’t hear the roaring applause.
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