Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Unlocked Android Smartphone, 512GB, Black

Why it's worth it

Samsung's biggest flagship covers every job you'd ask a phone to do: long-range zoom, night shots that hold up, on-device AI editing, and a privacy screen that hides your notifications from the seat next to you. It's heavy and it's a lot of phone, but nothing else here does as much.

This is the Android phone that asks you to give up the least. The camera setup covers wide, ultrawide and long zoom, so you don't have to walk closer or crop later. Nightography keeps concert shots and city streets usable after dark. Photo Assist lets you type what you want changed — remove the trash can, restore a blown-out sky — instead of digging through editing menus. Most phones make you pick two of those strengths.

The privacy display is the feature we didn't expect to care about. You can set it to kick in when notifications land, when you type a password, or inside specific apps, and the screen dims for anyone sitting beside you. On a plane or a packed train, that's genuinely useful. Owners coming from older Galaxy phones keep calling it the surprise standout, right alongside the cameras.

From our review of 8 smartphones, by Ben Carter, Tech Editor

What we like

• +This is the Android phone that asks you to give up the least
• +The privacy display is the feature we didn't expect to care about
• +Samsung's flagship screens have set the bar for outdoor readability
• +A 512GB configuration quietly changes how you use a phone

What to know

• –It's big, and there's no getting around it
• –Battery is the other recurring gripe