Samsung has announced its 2026 flagship smartphone series, which is made up of the S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra.
While you might assume the only differences between the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus are their respective price and screen size, there are a few additional specs to keep in mind. To help you decide between the two, we’ve assessed the specs and highlighted the key differences (and similarities) between the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus below.
Once you’re finished here, make sure you visit our lists of the best smartphones and best Android phones. On a tighter budget? Our guide to the best mid-range phones and best cheap phones have you covered.
Thinking of upgrading to Samsung’s top-end flagship instead? Visit our Galaxy S26 vs Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Plus vs S26 Ultra pages to see how the premium phone compares.
| Samsung Galaxy S26 | Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus | |
| Battery | 4300mAh | 4900mAh |
| Chipset | Exynos 2600 | Exynos 2600 |
| Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
| Operating System | OneUI 8.5 | OneUI 8.5 |
| Rear Camera | 50 + 12 + 10MP | 50 + 12 + 10MP |
| Screen Size | 6.3-inches | 6.7-inches |
| Storage Capacity | 256GB, 512GB | 256GB, 512GB |
| UK RRP | £879 | £1099 |
Price and Availability
At the time of writing, the entire Galaxy S26 series is available for pre-order and will launch officially from March 11th. The Galaxy S26 is the cheapest phone in Samsung’s flagship lineup, with a starting price of £879 for its 256GB model.
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Next up in the series is the S26 Plus, which starts at £1099 for 256GB storage.
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Galaxy S26 Plus has a much larger display
We’ll get the obvious difference out of the way. As its name suggests, the Galaxy S26 Plus boasts a considerably larger display compared to the Galaxy S26 – although it isn’t as big as the Galaxy S26 Ultra. At 6.7-inches, the Galaxy S26 Plus is the same size as last year’s Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Edge. In comparison, the Galaxy S26 is just 6.3-inches, which is slightly bigger than the Galaxy S25.
Whether you prefer a larger or smaller phone depends on your personal preference. For example, if you plan on using your phone primarily for streaming content or gaming then a larger device will likely suit you better. On the other hand, if you want a phone that you can use comfortably with one hand, then smaller is the way to go.
Galaxy S26
Galaxy S26 Plus
Galaxy S26 Plus has Super Fast Charging 2.0
If you’ve used Samsung phones before, then you’ll know they aren’t famed for their battery prowess. That’s not to say they’re bad, it’s just they don’t feature the mammoth cells and super fast charging speeds as some of the best Android phones. Unsurprisingly, it seems as if neither the S26 nor the S26 Plus can challenge the likes of the OnePlus 15 or Oppo Find X9 Pro. While those phones boast cells upwards of 7000mAh, the S26’s battery is just 4300mAh while the S26 Plus has a 4900mAh cell instead.
Even so, we’ve found that the Samsung S-series usually offers a decent all-day battery life, which means either handset should see you through the day before conking out.
Otherwise, like the Galaxy S25 Plus, the Galaxy S26 Plus supports Super Fast Charging 2.0 which is 45W speeds. This means we can expect the S26 Plus to take around 75 minutes to reach a full charge.
Instead, and much like the S25, the S26 tops out at 25W speeds. 25W is certainly not particularly fast and likely means the phone will take around an hour and a half to fully charge. Fortunately, both the S26 and S26 Plus support wireless charging which is a convenient way to keep topped up when on the move.
Galaxy S26 Plus has a QHD+ panel
It’s not just screen size that differentiates the S26 from the S26 Plus. The S26 Plus benefits from a QHD+ (3140 x 1440) panel, whereas the S26 has a slightly lower FHD+ (2340 x 1080) display instead.
Even so, both the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus have Dynamic AMOLED 2x panels with a 1-120Hz refresh rate too.
Galaxy S26 is much lighter
Perhaps unsurprisingly given it’s a larger phone, the Galaxy S26 Plus is significantly heavier than its Galaxy S26 alternative at 190g. For context, this is the exact same weight as the Galaxy S25 Plus and the S25 FE too.
In comparison, the Galaxy S26 weighs just 167g which although is slightly heavier than the Galaxy S25, is the same size as Apple’s affordable iPhone 16e.
Both have the same camera set-up and use the same processor
We’ll now move onto the similarities between the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus. Firstly, flip the two handsets over and you’ll be greeted by the same 50MP, 12MP and 10MP camera set-up at their rear. This is also the same set-up found in their respective predecessors too. Samsung has, frustratingly, decided against making any major improvements with either of the Androids, which is a shame as they’re starting to fall behind many of the other best camera phones.
Still, considering we found both the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus to be reliable snappers and able to capture solid images in most lighting conditions, we can expect the S26 and S26 Plus to perform well too.
Galaxy S26 rear
Galaxy S26 Plus rear
Camera aside, both the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus also run on the same Exynos 2600 chipset, which is Samsung’s own. We’re yet to review the chip ourselves, however Samsung claims it sees up to 39% NPU, 24% GPU and 19% CPU improvements compared to its predecessor. It also, importantly, enables the running of the entire Galaxy AI toolkit.
Early Verdict
Essentially, whether you opt for the Galaxy S26 or Galaxy S26 Plus depends on whether or not you want a larger phone, and that boils down to personal preference. However, if you do opt for the larger S26 Plus then you’ll benefit from a QHD+ screen and faster charging than the Galaxy S26.
Having said that, as both have the same camera hardware and same processor, then either way you’re getting one of Samsung’s top handsets.
We’ll be sure to update this versus once we review both handsets and if we uncover any further differences that could sway your decision.
