Galaxy S26 Ultra Improves f/1.4 Camera and 10-Hour Battery, as Privacy Display Cuts Viewing Angles
Updated
Updated · PhoneArena · May 27
Galaxy S26 Ultra Improves f/1.4 Camera and 10-Hour Battery, as Privacy Display Cuts Viewing Angles
2 articles · Updated · PhoneArena · May 27
PhoneArena’s Q&A says Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra delivers the clearest gains in low-light photography, with the main camera widened to f/1.4 from f/1.7 and the 5x periscope to f/2.9 from f/3.4.
Those aperture changes let the phone shoot at lower ISO and slightly faster shutter speeds, reducing noise and motion blur versus the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra; zoom gains are described as modest but noticeable.
On video, the S26 Ultra adds Samsung’s APV codec, which PhoneArena says improves efficiency, while Google has said broader APV support will arrive on more phones with Android 17.
Display testing showed little peak-brightness difference—2,420 nits on the S26 Ultra versus 2,373 on the S25 Ultra—but the optional Privacy Display lowers saturation and brightness and narrows viewing angles, though it can be enabled per app.
Battery results were mixed: the S26 Ultra neared 10 hours in PhoneArena’s 200-nit video streaming test versus about 9 hours for the S25 Ultra, but trailed in gaming endurance even as it showed better gameplay stability.
Does the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera sacrifice everyday versatility for niche low-light performance?
Is the S26 Ultra's new Privacy Display worth the trade-off in screen brightness and color quality?
Is Samsung's pro-grade APV video codec a game-changer or a gimmick without wider software support?