Samsung Galaxy S26 5g review

On paper, the Galaxy S26 5G looks like a balanced small-flagship: a 6.3-inch LTPO AMOLED with 2600-nit peak brightness, strong chipset options depending on region, and a versatile triple camera with 3x optical zoom and 8K/10‑bit HDR video. The main compromises are a 4300 mAh battery with only 25W wired charging, no 3.5mm jack, and no microSD. FCC SAR is 1.19 W/kg (head) and 1.20 W/kg (body), with 1.58 W/kg for simultaneous/hotspot scenarios—close to the US 1.6 W/kg cap, which is worth understanding if RF exposure is a priority.

Quick facts

• Release date: March 4, 2026
• Launch / listed price: C$ 1,249.99 / $ 899.99 / £ 879.00 / € 999.00
• Display: 6.3 inches, 96.5 cm2 (~90.0% screen-to-body ratio) · Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X, 120Hz, HDR10+, 2600 nits (peak) · 1080 x 2340 pixels, 19.5:9 ratio (~411 ppi density)
• Chip / performance stack: Qualcomm SM8850-AC Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) - US/CNExynos 2600 (2 nm) - ROW · Octa-core (2x4.74 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix L + 6x3.62 GHz Oryon V3 Phoenix M) - US/CN10-core (1x3.80GHz C1-Ultra & 3x3.25GHz C1-Pro & 6x2.75GHz C1-Pro) - ROW · Adreno 840 - US/CNXclipse 960 - ROW
• Memory & storage: 256GB 12GB RAM, 512GB 12GB RAM · UFS 4.X
• Camera setup: Triple Camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide), 1/1.56", 1.0m, dual pixel PDAF, OIS · 10 MP, f/2.4, 67mm (telephoto), 1/3.94", 1.0m, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom · 12 MP, f/2.2, 13mm, 120 (ultrawide), 1/2.55" 1.4m, Super Steady video · Single Camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 26mm (wide), 1/3.2", 1.12m, dual pixel PDAF · 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, stereo sound rec., gyro-EIS
• Battery / charging: Li-Ion 4300 mAh · 25W wired, PD3.0, 55% in 30 min · 15W wireless (Qi2 Ready) · 4.5W reverse wireless
• Design: Glass front (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), glass back (Gorilla Glass Victus 2), aluminum frame · 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm (5.89 x 2.82 x 0.28 in) · 167 g (5.89 oz)
• Connectivity: Wi-Fi 802.11 a/b/g/n/ac/6e/7, tri-band, Wi-Fi Direct · 5.4, A2DP, LE · USB Type-C 3.2, DisplayPort 1.2, OTG

SAR and RF snapshot

• Head SAR (cellular): 1.19 W/kg
• Body SAR (cellular): 1.20 W/kg
• Head SAR (Wi‑Fi + cellular / simultaneous): 1.58 W/kg
• Body SAR (Wi‑Fi + cellular / simultaneous): 1.58 W/kg
• Hotspot SAR (simultaneous): 1.58 W/kg
• FCC ID: A3LSMS942U
• How to read this: Head and body SAR reflect certified testing for cellular use. Simultaneous SAR is the more relevant value when cellular and other radios such as Wi‑Fi are active together. Lower exposure in day-to-day use usually comes from distance, shorter high-power sessions, weak-signal avoidance, and turning unused radios off.

Useful links

• Open phone page
• Open SAR lookup
• FCC filing / report