SmartPhone

The Galaxy S26 Plus is a solidly boring phone


I’ve just finished my Galaxy S26 Plus, and while I am still pondering why Samsung still bothers to make this model, one thing that surprisingly stood out to me was the design of the phone. Yes, that’s right, the same standard Galaxy S26 Plus, which has zero unique hardware features and plays it as vanilla and as safe as possible. 

Galaxy S26+: save up to $480 at Samsung

$619
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$1099
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$480 off (44%)

The Galaxy S26+ is here, bringing improved software and a more powerful processor. The device can now be yours for up to $480 off with eligible device trade-ins. Users also get 15% off the Buds 4 series with their purchase. The official store gives you a $150 credit for add-ons without trade-ins.


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It’s not a device that stands out with anything in particular; there are no extra buttons aside from the standard ones, there’s no side-positioned camera shortcut, or even a wacky lens design in the rear. 

The Galaxy S26 Plus is largely identical to all of its predecessors without taking any risks, and then again… it is solid and reassuring. Slap on a case, and it becomes a decently capable phone that’s fairly thin and lightweight. 

And interestingly, despite lacking most of the display goodies of the Galaxy S26 Ultra,  I like the Galaxy S26 Plus screen more in real life. It has slightly better viewing angles when viewed from extreme obtuse angles. 

The one major design change is the slightly elevated camera assembly in the rear. I don’t see why this design choice was made as the hardware is identical to last year’s Galaxy S25 Plus, so there wasn’t exactly a scarcity of internal space for the components. At least the lint-attracting cutouts in the base are done away with, I hated those on the previous model.

Galaxy S26 Plus measures 7.3 mm thin, at least it has that going for it, but is still a far cry from the thinnest ones out there. 

Surely, AI is one of the highlights of this phone.

Still, I wonder how long these features can keep the interest of the average user piqued. I can’t imagine that could be longer than a couple of days at best.

The generation process has been improved and is now certainly more intuitive.

Gaming is fun on the phone, and while it doesn’t have the same performance as the Snapdragon-equipped variants and lacks a vapor chamber, it does a decent job at dissipating the heat away. 

The Galaxy S25 Plus is the  exact same phone, just 0.1 mm narrower and having a slightly cleaner camera assembly. There is no unified camera cutout, which saves a couple of millimeters. 

While Apple’s iPhones don’t differ too much from their predecessors, at least Cupertino tends to shake up the design language on the regular. Samsung isn’t doing that with its standard Galaxy flagships.  

Overall, the Galaxy S26 Plus isn’t a phone that will excite you in any particular way. 

For the average user who immediately throws on a case after purchase, that shouldn’t be a big problem, though, and Samsung bets on this particular demographic to make up the brunt of the potential sales of the Galaxy S26 Plus. 

Read the latest from Peter Kostadinov



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