The Galaxy S26+ ($1,099.99) is the mid-sized option in Samsung's latest collection of Android phones. Like the smaller S26 ($899.99), it forgoes the Privacy Display of the S26 Ultra ($1,299.99), but includes the larger phone's design, cameras, AI tools, and radio package. It's the battery leader of the bunch, is just as fast, and has equally sharp cameras. The S26 Ultra is our Editors' Choice of the group, thanks to its Privacy Display, even more powerful cameras, and S Pen, but the S26+ is a less-expensive alternative if you don't need the Ultra's extra focal power or stylus.

Design: It's Tough Being the Middle Child

The S26 Ultra is the biggest, the S26 is the smallest, which means the S26+ must be somewhere in between—literally and figuratively—and it is. It competes more with its own stablemates than it does with any other phone, though it's closest in size and cost to Apple's iPhone Air ($999). Speaking plainly, I wish Samsung had scrapped the S26+ and updated the S25 Edge, instead. It also competes with the Google Pixel 10 Pro ($999), which offers Google's best hardware but with a smaller screen. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Like the other S26 phones, the S26+ has an aluminum frame with Gorilla Glass Armor on the front and Gorilla Glass on the rear. It's a mature design, with smooth surfaces, clean lines, and an appealing finish. It's put together tightly enough to meet the IP68 rating for dust and water resistance, which the iPhone and Pixel also share.

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The S26+ measures 6.24 by 2.98 by 0.29 inches (HWD) and weighs 6.70 ounces. The S26 is smaller (5.89 by 2.82 by 0.28 inches, 5.89 ounces), and the S26 Ultra is bigger (6.44 by 3.07 by 0.31 inches and 7.55 ounces). 

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In comparison, the iPhone Air measures 6.15 by 2.94 by 0.22 inches and weighs 5.82 ounces, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL measures 6.41 by 3.02 by 0.33 inches and weighs 8.18 ounces. 

Samsung didn't make any wild adjustments to the controls or functional elements of the design. The power button and volume toggle are on the right edge, where they are easy to reach and use. The USB-C port, SIM card tray, and down-firing speaker are built into the bottom edge. The phone can support one physical SIM card, but also works with eSIM. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

You can't miss the camera module, a vertical trio of lenses in the upper-left corner of the rear panel. It's an attractive array, but large. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The new colors this year are Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, or White, with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow options available online. This is uniform across all three Galaxy S26 devices. I received the Black S26+ for testing. I like the matte finish.

Display: The Best of the Bunch

The S26+'s screen is a blend of the S26 and S26 Ultra displays. All three are Dynamic AMOLED X2 panels from Samsung, and while the S26+ lacks the Privacy Display of the Ultra model, it shares the same resolution (3,120 by 1,440 pixels), refresh rate (1-120Hz), and brightness (2,600 nits). It measures 6.7 inches, while the S26 is 6.3 inches and the Ultra is 6.9 inches. The S26 has a lower resolution of 2,340 by 1,080 pixels. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The Plus model's screen is terrific. It's larger and sharper than the S26, and more pixel-dense than the Ultra. I like it the most of the three because it doesn't have the viewing-angle issues the Ultra model's screen shows. It's sharp, bright, easy to use and see, and works well outdoors. It easily warded off direct sunlight. 

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For comparison, the iPhone Air's screen is 6.5 inches, with a resolution of 2,736 by 1,260 pixels and up to 3,000 nits of brightness. The Pixel 10 Pro XL has a 6.8-inch OLED screen with 2,992 by 1,344 pixels, a 1-120Hz refresh rate, and peak brightness of 3,300 nits.

The S26+ screen is excellent and competes well for its price.

Performance: Another Winner from Samsung

The S26+ packs the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, just like its stablemates. As with the S26 and S26 Ultra I received for review, the S26+ I got from Samsung has 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Pricing looks like this: 

• Galaxy S26: 12GB/256GB = $899.99; 12GB/512GB = $1,099.99
• Galaxy S26+: 12GB/256GB = $1,099.99; 12GB/512GB = $1,299.99
• Galaxy S26 Ultra: 12GB/256GB = $1,299.99; 12GB/512GB = $1,499.99; 16GB/1TB = $1,799.99

I wish the phone came in more memory and storage configurations. Samsung should at least offer up to 1TB of storage, which Apple and Google do for their iPhones and Pixels, respectively. 

I ran the 3DMark, Geekbench, and PCMark tests to measure its performance. Here are the results in comparison with several other phones:  

As I noted in my reviews of the S26 and S26 Ultra, the three phones score remarkably close in these benchmarks. This is likely thanks to their shared processor, RAM, and storage specs. The Ultra model is available with up to 16GB of RAM and 1TB of storage; however, that model likely scores a bit higher on these tests. 

The iPhone Air has the A19 Pro chip and is available in 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, and 12GB/1TB options, while the Pixel 10 Pro XL is available in 16GB/256GB, 16GB/512GB, and 16GB/1TB.

The S26+ runs just as quickly on everyday tasks as you're likely to ever need. It doesn't struggle to open apps, run AI calculations, edit media, or anything else. It's quick across the board, opens every app in a split second, and multitasks with ease. 

Battery Life: Time to Level Up

The S26+ may have the same battery as last year's S25+, but it lasts longer than the S26 and S26 Ultra, which gives it a leg up in at least one metric. It has a 4,900mAh battery that charges at 45W via a cable and 20W via Qi2 wireless charging pad. Comparatively, the S26 has a 4,300mAh battery that charges at 25W and 15W, and the Ultra has a 5,000mAh battery that charges at 60W and 25W, respectively. None of these phones supports magnetic wireless charging on their own. You'll have to buy a compatible case for that. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

In testing, wherein I streamed a YouTube video via Wi-Fi with the screen at full brightness, the S26+ lasted 15 hours and 20 minutes, or 15 minutes longer than the S26 Ultra and 5 minutes longer than the S26. Those are some razor-thin margins. Meanwhile, the iPhone Air ran for 19 hours and 15 minutes, the Pixel 10 Pro XL lasted 12 hours and 35 minutes, and the OnePlus 15 lasted 26 hours and 42 minutes.

Samsung doesn't supply a charger with its phones anymore, though it recently introduced a new 45W brick. Using that, the S26+ charges from 0% to 100% in 1 hour and 14 minutes. The S26 Ultra needed 60 minutes, and the S26 needed 1 hour and 5 minutes. The OnePlus 15, meanwhile, needs only 31 minutes thanks to the company's proprietary charging tech and the phone's silicon-carbon battery.

Connectivity: A Solid Performer

The S26+ has the same radio package as the Ultra, making it one of the biggest points of differentiation over the vanilla S26 model. 

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It packs 5G (sub-6GHz, C-band, and mmWave, which the S26 lacks), Wi-Fi 7, and NFC. It also has Bluetooth 6.0 (the S26 has Bluetooth 5.4) and Ultra Wideband (which the S26 also lacks).

I tested the S26+ against the S26 on Verizon's network in New Jersey. The Plus model recorded excellent download speeds of 707Mbps and upload speeds as swift as 71.5Mbps. When tested in the same spot, the S26 hit 752Mbps down and 219Mbps up. 

Both phones did well on Wi-Fi, too. I tested them near my home's Wi-Fi 6 router, where the S26+ hit peaks of 844Mbps down and 288Mbps up, and the S26 scored 855Mbps down and 263Mbps up.

The S26+ has no issues pairing with the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro or various pairs of wireless headphones. 

Audio: Quite Loud 

The S26+ is the loudest of the three Galaxy phones. In fact, it's much louder, and the sound is more mid-focused than the other two. 

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It's a good phone for making calls. The earpiece generates a huge amount of volume, pushing 81.0dB, where the 26 hit 76.4dB. The speakerphone, too, pumped out lots of volume, reaching 82.3dB, where the S26 reached a peak of 78.2dB. You'll be able to hear calls in most places you're likely to reach out and touch someone. Clarity is great; the phone really does a good job of scaling back the surrounding din.  

Stereo playback for media is great. You have a huge amount of volume to work with and can easily fill a living room or kitchen with music. The low bass notes that blip through the beginning of our test track, The Knife's "Silent Shout," are somewhat quiet, but the rest of the track pounds its way through the speakers. 

Cameras: One of the Best You Can Get

The S26+ shares its camera system with the S26. It has a trio of rear cameras, including a 50MP main, a 12MP ultrawide, and a 10MP telephoto. Samsung says it brightened the lenses across the board so that each camera lets in more light and performs better in the dark. The Ultra has a 200MP main camera and an additional telephoto camera for more optical zoom.

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

You can see our review of the S26 Ultra for a full explanation of the camera's features and tools. 

My eyes cannot see a difference in quality between the photos I took with the S26+ and the 26—and that's how it should be. The phones share the same sensors, optics, and software, and the results should be equivalent. What does this mean for you? You get excellent shots no matter which camera you use. Exposure is good all around, focus is sharp, and colors are more natural and less boosted than older Samsung phones. I appreciate that the phone covers ground from 0.6x through 10x optically, and allows for up to 30x hybrid zoom. You'll get good results through about 10x, but the 30x shots are definitely of lower sharpness. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The S26+ has the same selfie camera as the other two phones, which is a 12MP sensor with an f/2.2 aperture. It takes equivalent shots as the other two. Your selfies will look clean, sharp, and balanced for the most part. Shooting in the lowest light leads to grainier results, but that's par for the course. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

The phone can record video at up to 8K30 and has a number of fast and slow recording modes for time-shifting. I really like the two action modes, which allow you to steady your video and retain 4K resolution. The horizon lock tool, in particular, is impressive. 

(Credit: Eric Zeman)

Google's Pixel 10 Pro XL does better with its cameras in absolute terms, but the S26+ is ahead in ease of capture. This is one area where the iPhone Air is way behind, due to its single camera. 

Software: Samsung's Most Potent AI Yet

The S26+ has the same software as the S26 and S26 Ultra. For a complete assessment of the latest software and features, be sure to read our review of the S26 Ultra. It performs the same.

It ships with Android 16 and Samsung's One UI 8.1. Samsung says it will provide seven years of system updates and security patches for all three S26 phones, which matches Google's commitment to Pixel phones.