I like some of Samsung's innovations on the Galaxy S26 Ultra but here's why I'm sticking with my iPhone

Date:
Sun, 29 Mar 2026 23:58:26 +0000

Description:
As a recent iPhone convert, I thought Samsungs new Galaxy S26 Ultra would
lure me back to Android, but Im staying put.

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When the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra was launched in late February, it was the first time in years that I felt excited for a new flagship launch, thanks to rumors of innovations like the Privacy Display in the lead up to the big reveal. On seeing the new phone in person, even the Super Steady Horizontal Lock feature for shooting videos seemed like a fabulous idea.

As a recent iPhone convert from only a year ago, I honestly thought the S26 Ultra would lure me back to Android, especially since my iPhone 16 Pro Max is a generation behind. First impressions of the S26 Ultra were great, and the aforementioned features lived up to their hype as far as I was concerned, and the handset itself has impressive specs. But it ultimately failed to convince me to switch back to Android thanks to some disappointments that put me off the S26 Ultra. Article continues below You may like I went hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and it has one killer feature even Apple may want
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the Ultra I tested the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and of course it's the best Android phone ever AI phone? No thanks Samsung leaned hard into the Galaxy
S26 Ultra being an AI phone, and rightly so. The Super Steady feature and the AI-powered call screening were highlights for me, but most of the AI
additions were novelties that arent particularly useful.

The Now features were highlighted during the launch, but none of them were useful to me. The Now Brief widget was meant to show me how my day went, but it was nothing more than the weather, my calendar and recommended YouTube videos that were already on my Watch Later playlist. (Image credit: Lance Ulanoff / Future) The Now Bar works somewhat similarly to the iPhones Dynamic Island, but I found it less useful plus it only lives in the home screen whereas the Dynamic Island is always there. Now Nudge, meanwhile, felt like nothing more than glorified predictive texting, and it also doesnt help that its only available through Samsung Keyboard (I prefer Gboard for Android phones).

The S26 Ultra added a prompt-based generative AI photo editing tool called Photo Assist , which is useful in theory, but the end result makes it obvious that AI did a lot of the heavy lifting. The image generation feature,
Creative Studio, is also just another novelty, and it also outputs lower-quality pictures. Get daily insight, inspiration and deals in your
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Samsung also added Perplexity to its Bixby voice assistant, which just feels like a replication of the existing Google Gemini integration that I already use, which is more than enough for my needs. That camera bump and whats not there Samsung also boasted how much slimmer and lighter the S26 Ultra is compared to its predecessor, which unfortunately resulted in a much more prominent camera bump.

The bump is so big that the handset wobbles quite vigorously when placed on a flat surface hardly the kind of movement I want to see from a device this expensive. Seeing the bump immediately made me look for a case thick enough
to make the S26 Ultra lie a little bit flatter. This means Id end up hiding that thin chassis that Samsung was boasting about inside a thick case, which kind of defeats the purpose. What to read next Samsung has unveiled the
Galaxy S26 series, and its AI tools are a huge win 'This is one feature we can't wait to try' 6 major Galaxy S26 updates for the Ultra and its siblings that could change how you use your phone I just proved the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra screen is slightly dimmer than the S25 Ultra but it doesn't make me love it any less (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) Speaking of cases, using them to add magnetic charging just isnt the same as the built-in
magnets in iPhones and Google Pixel phones. It doesnt help that the S26
Ultras camera bump design also blocks some accessories from attaching
properly to the cases magnets.

The S26 Ultra also switched back to aluminum after using titanium, with Samsung citing better thermals, ergonomics and cost reasons. Its understandable, but Ive gotten so used to my iPhones titanium chassis that
the S26 Ultra now feels comparatively cheaper. Its iOS for me at least for
now With the AI overload from the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Im actually glad that Apple Intelligence didnt take off, as my iPhone is virtually generative AI-free. I dont have Siri activated, and having that option is a big plus for me. I use Gemini for all my AI needs, which isnt a whole lot like research for shopping and looking up recipes.

The iPhone 16 Pro Max does have a prominent camera bump as well, but its design makes the handset less wobbly when placed on a surface. My iPhone case also doesnt add too much thickness to the handset, while also making it lie flatter on a table. (Image credit: Future | Nico Arboleda) MagSafe is, in my opinion, a game changer and its not because of improved wireless charging. I love how it changed the way accessories interface with iPhones, where I dont have to worry about cheap plastic mounts and tripods rubbing on the handset.

My last point is somewhat unfair to the S26 Ultra, but Ive invested in other Apple devices like an iPad, an Apple TV 4K and a Mac mini , so their integration with my iPhone was something I missed when I temporarily switched to the S26 Ultra. I also own a pair of AirPods and some AirTags, and even a Find My-compatible MagSafe wallet to further entrench me into the Apple ecosystem.

With all that said, my thoughts on the S26 Ultra could still change in a few months (maybe Samsung delivers something game-changing with its software updates?), given that the iPhone 16 Pro Max is also an older device. But then again, there are many more flagships expected to come out later in the year, so Im not holding my breath. Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!

And of course, you can also follow TechRadar on YouTube and TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too. Today's best Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max deals Contract Deals Sim Free Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts 5GB data 50 upfront 53.50 /mth View Deal at Vodafone Ltd See all prices Three Premium Protection Bundle (Transparent) Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max 36 months Unlimited mins Unlimited texts Unlimited data 370 upfront 63.83 /mth View Deal at Three Home Broadband See all prices We check over 250 million products every day for the best prices



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