TL;DR
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra is only expected to launch in the new year, but we’ve already seen a few clones.
- These devices claim to offer impressive specs for under $200, but you should stay far away from them.
It’s not uncommon to see cloned versions of popular smartphones, with Apple and Samsung frequently targeted by sketchy phone brands. The Galaxy S26 series isn’t even out yet, though, but we’ve already seen a few clones on the market.
There are several listings on Amazon for Galaxy S26 Ultra clones, starting with the $170 S26 Ultra (also called the C26 Ultra). The listing promises features such as a 7.3-inch HD screen, 8GB of RAM, 256GB of storage, a 6,800mAh battery, a “108MP+72MP” camera, a stylus with an integrated stylus slot, and a microSD card slot. If the microSD support is indeed confirmed, that means this Galaxy S26 Ultra clone has a feature that the real S26 Ultra likely won’t have.
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However, this Galaxy S26 Ultra clone also raises alarm bells by claiming it has the Snapdragon 8 Elite chipset. Aside from the fact that a $170 phone with a Snapdragon 8 Elite chip is effectively impossible, the company also claims that this chip has a 12-core CPU. Spoiler alert: The real Snapdragon 8 Elite is only available with seven or eight CPU cores.
Otherwise, the actual phone offers an interesting two-tone rear cover in various colors, along with an overall shape more in line with the S25 Ultra. The company also promises in-box goodies like a screen protector, a charger (Samsung would never), and headphones. But I wouldn’t trust the brand to actually follow through on these accessories if it’s willing to lie about specs.
Looking for a Galaxy S26 Ultra clone with a more restrained but still derivative design? Then the £130 (~$170) ULUCAN S26 Ultra offers a plain rear cover in line with Samsung’s own flagships. Otherwise, the claimed specs point to a 7.3-inch “HD” screen (with a listed resolution of 3,040 x 1,440), a “108MP 72MP” camera, and an 8,000mAh battery.
The ULUCAN handset also promises a Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset with a 10-core CPU (the actual Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 has an eight-core CPU), 16GB of RAM, and 1TB of storage. Needless to say, these specs are a load of hot garbage as you won’t find a new phone with these features for ~$170.
It’s not just fly-by-night companies trying to capitalize on Galaxy S26 Ultra hype, either. Prominent smartphone brand iTel also launched its Super 26 Ultra in September (h/t: r/samsunggalaxy). The name alone reveals the Samsung inspiration, and while it’s not really a clone compared to the aforementioned devices, it still features a very similar rear camera layout. At least the name is better than the iTel S25 Ultra, which was the firm’s previous release.
The iTel device isn’t half-bad for ~$200, though. Expect a 144Hz curved OLED screen, a budget-tier UniSoC T7300 chip, a 6,000mAh battery, and an IP65 rating. Either way, it’s a shame to see an established brand like iTel stooping to this level. Then again, Xiaomi recently copied Apple’s naming convention with its Xiaomi 17 series. So iTel wouldn’t be the only notable company blatantly copying other manufacturers.
In any event, you should really stay away from the more blatant S26 Ultra clones. And you definitely shouldn’t trust the specs listed on those Amazon product pages. Even if, by some miracle, these specs are the real deal (they aren’t), these shady companies are unlikely to offer any software updates, let alone a formal update policy. So I hope Amazon cracks down on these listings sooner rather than later.
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