Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus vs Galaxy S25 Plus: Justified Upgrade?

Are Samsung’s ‘few’ upgrades worth you spending money on an upgrade?

The new Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus is a few weeks old and still in pre-order mode, having been announced globally just recently. Most Samsung Galaxy S25 mobile owners wonder what exactly the new Galaxy S26 Plus has to offer and whether it's worth handing out hard earned money for the newer model.

We’ll share our honest opinion on whether Samsung has done enough to entice Galaxy S25 Plus owners to spend extra on an upgrade.

Reliable But Last-Year’s Flagship

The Samsung Galaxy S25+ may be 2025’s flagship but it's a reliable one you have to recommend as you can’t go wrong with it.

It sports everything you would need for a daily-use smartphone from a vibrant, crystal clear display to an A-list camera setup. The Galaxy S25+ ticks the majority of boxes and there isn’t much complaining apart from a desire for a bigger battery.

Interestingly, the Galaxy S25 Plus overtakes the S25 and S25 Ultra, making it the most ideal choice out of a packed S25 lineup.

Also read: Top 15 Gaming Mobile Phones in India 2026

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus vs. Galaxy S25 Plus: Design & Hardware

Keeping in-line with Samsung style quotient, both phones have a trade-mark Samsung design.

There’s a slight difference with the Galaxy S26 series as the vertically aligned cameras are now enclosed in that pill-shaped island that previous mid-range Samsung phones sported. Previously, the Galaxy S25 had the cameras set up vertically but directly fixed on the back panel.

This departure from the previous design has likely been triggered by the Galaxy S25 Edge and the company’s latest foldable phone, the Galaxy Z Fold 7.

Apart from the camera pill enclosure difference, there is little else Samsung has tinkered with design-wise for the Galaxy S26 Plus. Both phones feature that Samsung-esque boxy form factor, flat side panels, and a dual (back and front) glass finish.

The two phones share identical dimensions and feature IP68 dust and water durability certification.

The camera setup is literally a recycled setup of the ones on the Samsung Galaxy S25+ with a triple camera array consisting of a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, and a 10MP telephoto lens that enables 3x optical zoom.

Yes, it’s a more than capable asset but we would have liked to see something from Samsung for Photography enthusiasts.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus vs. Galaxy S25 Plus: Display

Both the S26+ and S25+ come with the 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED display which has impressed and remained a standout feature for the Galaxy S25 Plus.

The extremely high 500ppi pixel density and 120Hz adaptive refresh rate adds to the impressive spec list of their displays.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus vs. Galaxy S25 Plus: Analyzing the Specifications

Samsung has stuck to its habit of applying industry-best hardware to the flagship S, S+, and S Ultra-series smartphones.

A Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (for Galaxy) powers the latest Galaxy S26+ device which is the greatest Qualcomm SoC at the moment. Some markets will receive the version that is powered by the newest Samsung-developed Exynos 2600 chipset.

The company has mentioned that the new Qualcomm chipset will deliver a 25% boost in single-core performance and 20% boost for multi-core tasks.

Storage options have been consistent from the last generation model with a 12GB RAM partnered with either 256GB or 512GB.

Despite these slated performance boosts, the performance of last year’s Galaxy S25+ isn’t shabby and there is no reason to ignore it at all!

The Samsung Galaxy S26+ does promise next level endurance even though it retains the same battery that gave the S25+ its exceptional battery life and efficiency. The battery has a rather modest capacity of 4900mAh but should be able to deliver a full day of power like its predecessor.

Some may be disappointed by the same small battery (like us) but we were more disappointed by the fact that Samsung still hasn’t transitioned to the silicon-carbon tech that powers the Motorola Signature and the more recent offering, a compact flagship, the Xiaomi 17.

Charging support also remains the same with 45W wired charging. There is a slight improvement in wireless charging with support for 20W now instead of the previous generation’s 15W support.

Another question we had is why this 2026 flagship doesn’t have inbuilt magnets that facilitate the Qi2 magnetic charging. I mean, after paying over $1000 for a device you shouldn’t need a special magnetic case to get the function.

I mean, we’ve even seen the recently launched Google Pixel 10 Pro get magnetic charging through inbuilt magnets.

As for the software, like the rest of the Galaxy S26 series, the Galaxy S26+ runs Android 16 straight from setup. This Android version will be accompanied by Samsung’s One UI 8.5, their latest custom UI.

You get the company’s inbuilt AI features like Bixby updates, Galaxy AI suite, and more. But, we can expect these features and Android version to make it to the Galaxy 25 Plus soon enough.

Verdict

Off-sale, the Samsung Galaxy S25+ and Galaxy S26+ don’t differ much in price. But if you time your purchase with sales and the festive season, you’ll catch the S25+ at a bargain.

If you’re using an older Samsung Galaxy S+ device like the S22+ or S23+, getting the Samsung Galaxy S26+ is logical because it’s such a big tech upgrade. But, it's not compelling for Samsung Galaxy S24+ users to make the jump to the Samsung Galaxy S26+.

The Samsung Galaxy 26+ will also face competition from other branded smartphones such as the Xiaomi 17.

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