Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra may skip the big upgrades you want

All major Android flagships launched in the last few years have seen a noticeable increase in their battery capacity. The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is the only exception, sticking to the same 5,000mAh cell that the company first used on the 2020 Galaxy S20 Ultra. Sadly, it seems Samsung will continue with the same-sized battery for its 2026 flagship as well.

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Samsung comes up short

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Thanks to a breakthrough in battery technology using silicon-carbide, newer Android phones are coming with higher-density batteries. The OnePlus 13 comes with a massive 6,000mAh cell despite retaining the same thickness as its predecessor. The more compact OnePlus 13s packs a 5,850mAh battery despite being noticeably smaller than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Despite such impressive density improvement in battery technology, a report from GalaxyClub reveals that Samsung will again use a 5,000mAh cell on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, the company's decision not to use a bigger battery on its next year's flagship might be due to regulatory reasons.

As leaker @UniverseIce explains, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) Dangerous Goods Regulations (DGR) classify batteries into two categories based on their watt-hour rating. Devices with lithium-ion cells under 20Wh don’t require special packaging or labeling.

A 6,000mAh battery in a smartphone will exceed this limitation, making it ineligible for certain exceptions and requiring additional precautions during transportation. Apparently, the OnePlus 13 works around this restriction with its dual-cell design, ensuring each cell's capacity does not exceed 20Wh.

This limitation could explain why Xiaomi and other companies usually launch smartphones globally with a smaller battery capacity than their Chinese version.

Still, if the Galaxy S26 Ultra ships with the same 5,000mAh cell, Samsung will have to optimize other aspects of the device to extract better battery life. But with the ever-increasing power requirements of the Snapdragon chipset and other components, that's easier said than done.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera could also be a letdown

Even worse, the report claims Samsung will stick with a 200MP primary camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It’s unclear whether this will be the same ISOCELL HP2 sensor used in the S25 Ultra or a newer version.

Whatever the case may be, don't expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to deliver any radical imaging improvements. Without a major breakthrough in imaging sensor technology, Samsung can only improve the image quality further on its phones by switching to a physically larger sensor.