If you think the Galaxy S26 Ultra design is boring, you're looking at it wrong

25 Feb 2026, 18:00 by Andy Boxall · Android Police

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra looks quite a lot like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Galaxy S24 Ultra, the Galaxy S23 Ultra, and S22 Ultra too.

I can hear the cries of frustration and anger from here. It’s just so boring, people will inevitably say.

In a way, they’re right. The design doesn’t push boundaries, and it won’t overwhelm anyone’s senses with flair.

Where they’re wrong is because this approach isn’t just OK, it’s a master stroke. Samsung has been working towards building the Ultra into an icon, and it’s starting to pay off.

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By Mark Jansen

Icons don’t need wild looks

Simplicity counts

Before we get into the Galaxy S26 Ultra, we need to define what an iconic design actually is, in the context of consumer tech, rather than cars, chairs, or clothing.

At its heart, an iconic design needs to be recognizable, memorable, and influential in some way.

This may come from others using the design for inspiration, or for a design to become the default style for a product or item, but it will always remain functional, even after being refined over generations.

It shouldn’t follow trends, it is unlikely to be outlandish, and probably won’t split opinion.

All brands work to come up with an iconic design, whether they want to admit it or not, but only a few ever succeed.

It not only requires a good design starting point, but it also requires patience, restraint, and careful adjustment to turn a run-of-the-mill design into an iconic one.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
RAM
12GB / 16GB

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a world-first new feature called the Privacy Display, which hides the phone screen from prying eyes. The phone is lighter, thinner, and more powerful than its predecessor.

$1300 at Samsung
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What has worked before

And what hasn’t

While many will point to the Apple iPhone as an iconic design in consumer tech, I’d point to the Apple Watch instead.

It’s essentially unchanged since the first model, released more than a decade ago, but subtly improved and refined instead. It’s recognizable, highly functional, and endlessly copied.

What about a less successful example?

Honor has tried to make its “dual ring” design around the rear cameras on its phones an icon since 2021, but it never works because the company can’t leave it alone, and its regular updates make it busier and over-complicated, instead of refined and less visually intrusive.

Here’s where we get to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Take a look at the design as a whole for a moment.

The camera module layout hasn’t changed much, the shape of the phone has become squarer and curvier at the same time, and the S Pen stylus remains a key visual anchor point.

It’s so clearly part of the Galaxy S26 family, but distinct in a subtle way. It’s bigger and has more cameras on the back, clearly communicating its place in the range.

The Galaxy A56 and other mid-range models all look like the normal Galaxy S phones, and never the Ultra models. Samsung keeps it separate. Almost on a pedestal.

Doesn’t it have to be pretty?

Wow-factor isn’t part of the game

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, just like the previous four generations, doesn’t have a pretty design. The wow-factor comes from its imposing size and capability, and not from something like a rear-facing screen or a denim rear panel.

Restraint is a crucial step towards creating an icon. Messing around with a shape only dilutes its recognizability. It’s a cliché, but there’s a reason why the Porsche 911’s silhouette hasn’t dramatically changed over the years.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra may not look exciting, or that different to before, but it has taken the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s monolithic shape and comfort issues that came with it, and then blended in the S24 Ultra’s ergonomic successes to create a better version.

It’s less sharp, more curved in the right places, yet still obviously an Ultra.

It takes more work to hold back than it does to go mad with design, and when done correctly, the results are almost always an improvement on what came before.

It’s also counterproductive to start with a blank slate each time a new product comes out. People need time to get used to a shape and style, and then start to identify it with a brand. Changing it every time resets the clock.

So is it an icon?

It’s complicated

Samsung has kept itself in check with the Ultra models’ design for five generations now, and it’s really starting to pay off.

If I see someone holding a Galaxy Ultra phone, I immediately know what it is. I may not be able to instantly tell which model it is, but that doesn’t matter. In fact, it’s a good thing. Not only do I know it’s a Galaxy phone, I know it’s a Samsung phone.

With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung has successfully created a recognizable and memorable smartphone design, through sensible, subtle alterations to make sure it stays contemporary, and not being swayed by fashion or folly.

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If you call the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s design boring, or use it looking “the same as the old one” as an insult, you’re actually giving it a backhanded compliment.

Icons are rarely eye-catching or trendy. They’re confident in their clean lines and timelessness, which often only comes from consistency.

There’s one problem

Where are the imitators?

You can have iconic designs that exist in isolation, but successful icons are also influential.

The Rolex Submariner is considered the template for diver watch design, and there are simply too many phones that look like an Apple iPhone to name.

This is where the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and the phones that came before it, still stumble. It hasn’t caught the attention of other brands all that much, and imitators are few.

While Samsung will be pleased its design language remains its own, it’ll also likely be frustrated it hasn’t spawned a host of copycats.

However, there’s a chance they’ll come, and really, the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t need others to be hailed as an icon. Yes, I said it.

Samsung’s careful treatment of the Galaxy Ultra’s design over the last few years has resulted in the S26 Ultra, the thinnest, lightest, most refined, and subtly updated Ultra phones yet.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

SoC
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
Display type
Dynamic AMOLED 2X
Display dimensions
6.9-inch
Display resolution
3120 x 1440
RAM
12GB / 16GB
Storage
256GB / 512GB / 1TB

Battery
5,000mAh
Charge options
Wired / Wireless
Operating System
Android 16 / OneUI 8.5
Front camera
12MP
Rear camera
200MP main / 10MP 3x / 50MP 5x / 50MP wide
Dimensions
78.1 x 163.6 x 7.9mm
Weight
214 grams
Colors
Cobalt Violet / Sky Blue / Black / White / Silver Shadow / Pink Gold
Stylus
S Pen
$1300 at Samsung
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