The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra arrived this morning, about two days ahead of official availability. Already, a few design decisions rile me, and they could possibly be dealbreakers. Hopefully, they won’t be.
In my September 2014 analysis “In Good Design, Balance of Benefits is Everything“, I explain the importance of features, and the benefits they deliver, working well together without detracting from one another nor diminishing a device’s most fundamentally essential functions. If, for example, the new thingy takes away battery longevity—and that’s a customer priority—the digital device is unbalanced.
Protrusion Confusion
Physical balance is the other crucial consideration in this equation, and that’s where is my first concern about the S26 Ultra. The camera module protrudes considerably compared to the S25 Ultra, such that the newer smartphone wobbles when placed on a flat surface. Perhaps for anyone using a case, the design compromise wouldn’t matter much. But I always carry my phones bareback. So that’s an annoyance for me.
Maybe Samsung presumes, probably rightly, that most people use cases—or they should for drop protection. For the latter (hint, hint), get a case, Samsung says, with a little compulsion. Wobble be gone.
Not for Butter Fingers
However, in my hands the S26 Ultra feels top heavy compared to its predecessor. You can partly blame the redesigned camera island, which also is an obstruction for my fingers grasping the smartphone as I text with my thumbs. That little annoyance combined with the top-heaviness makes the S26 Ultra clumsy in my hands, and I worry about dropping it while using the keyboard. Once again, a case might remedy the problem, particularly one of the magnetic models—or so I suspect—because of the added weight midframe.
Case in point: A case could remedy both design attributes, and compelling case purchases could well be by design.
Blinded by the Light
Manufacturers make many tradeoffs to achieve benefits balance and that of the physical device. Tonight, while texting my daughter, I suddenly became aware of glare from the kitchen overhead light—something not noticed on the S25 Ultra. So, I must presume that implementation of the Privacy Display means reducing the antiglare capability.
I live in sunny San Diego, antiglare is much more important to me than preventing people from seeing my screen sideways. Samsung seeks balance, which it might achieve for people purchasing the phone primarily for privacy than the antiglare capability. But the latter was my main interest in the S25 Ultra and remains important to me.
On the subject of the Privacy Display, Samsung seeks balance through compromise. The feature can obscure the display from different angles, but it also diminishes the visible quality for the intended user in the process. That rashly diminishes many of the sublime benefits of the smartphone’s screen. One thing takes away from another.
Better Balance Elsewhere?
My out-of-the-box experience is thus far mixed. I haven’t yet used the features, or experienced their benefits, that compel my interest in the S26 Ultra. Many of these, such as Horizon Lock or improved apertures for photos and videos, may make up for what bothers me now. To be clear, I don’t care about features or spec sheets but actual benefits—and contrary to popular misconception they are not the same.
Think of the differences this way: The holder that goes around a take-out coffee cup is a feature. Keeping your hand from burning is a benefit. While related, the two things are different. Not all features deliver benefits and some can take away from the user experience. What will Samsung achieve in the overall balance with S26 Ultra? I will offer my answer in a future post.
Finally, the title is a bit clickbait, as I don’t dislike the Galaxy S26 Ultra but use my concerns as opportunity to discuss the importance of balance.
Let’s talk Featured Image, which I captured using Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. Vitals: f/1.7, ISO 127, 1/127 sec, 13mm (film equivalent); 12:53 p.m. PST. S26 Ultra is on the left and S25 Ultra on the right. None of the lighter colors appealed to me this year, nor the pungent purple. So black is back.