The S26 Ultra will have much rounder corners compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which itself broke the tradition of Samsung’s unique, boxy look. As such, the S Pen’s external end, the bit that is visible when the pen is stored away inside the phone, will also be becoming curvier (translated source).
While not a big deal in of itself, it does put into perspective just how much the S26 Ultra is going to resemble the iPhone 17. Not only is Samsung making the edges a lot more curved, the Galaxy S26 Edge will apparently also feature a large rear camera module, very much like the iPhone 17 Pro.
Personally, I was already pretty bummed when the S25 Ultra dropped the sharp edges, but at least it still looks like a modern smartphone. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, what with its downright ugly rear camera module, looks positively archaic.
Make no mistake, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is going to be a superb phone in every other aspect. It will feature the brilliantly capable Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 — though some regions may get Exynos — and it will also finally come with a tangible camera upgrade. The battery, unfortunately, will still remain at Samsung’s usual 5,000 mAh.
But, considering the redesign of the phone, I would personally choose the Galaxy S26 Edge. Both the standard model, which will reportedly be called the Galaxy S26 Pro, and the Ultra model will feature the outdated design that I heavily dislike.
If you don’t want the Edge and also find the new designs unpleasant to look at, but still want to stick with Samsung, perhaps it’s time to give the company’s foldable phones a try. The Galaxy Z Fold 7 is a brilliant phone: powerful, beautiful, and actually practical.
“Iconic Phones” is coming this Fall!
Rediscover some of the most unique and memorable phones of the last two decades! “Iconic Phones” is a beautifully illustrated book that we’ve been working on for over a year – and it’s coming out in just a couple short month!
