Samsung Electronics said on the 15th that its flagship smartphone, the "Galaxy S26 Ultra," ranked No. 1 in the latest smartphone evaluations by U.S. consumer magazine Consumer Reports.
With this result, Samsung Electronics again proved its competitiveness in the premium smartphone market by topping the evaluation for three consecutive years, following the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra. The Galaxy S26 Ultra took sole first place with a total score of 88, combining performance, reliability, and consumer satisfaction. The Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra tied for second with 87 points each, while Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and 17 Pro Max, and the Galaxy S25 Plus tied for fourth with 86 points.
Consumer Reports said the Galaxy S26 Ultra earned a perfect 5 out of 5 in seven of 10 performance categories, including display, rear camera image quality, battery, durability, and ease of use. In particular, despite its 6.9-inch large screen, it recorded the longest battery life among the tested devices at 51 hours and 30 minutes, and it was the only model among the top 30 products to receive a perfect score in the battery category.
Samsung Electronics applied the mobile industry's first built-in "privacy display" to this product and boosted AI processing performance and stability by adopting the Galaxy-exclusive Snapdragon 8 Elite 5th generation and an improved heat dissipation structure. It also supports ultra-fast charging that can charge up to 75% in 30 minutes and the pro-grade video codec APV, which were cited as differentiators.
Overseas evaluations are also following. The Galaxy S26 Ultra was named the best smartphone by major European consumer groups, including Which? in the United Kingdom, Que Choisir in France, Altroconsumo in Italy, and OCU in Spain. At MWC 2026 held in Barcelona, Spain, on the last month, it also won the Global Mobile Award "Best in Show" organized by GSMA.
Samsung Electronics is also expanding global marketing on the back of the product's competitiveness. In the United States, it signed a multi-year partnership with the NCAA and held drone shows and fan experience events in Philadelphia and Indianapolis, while in the United Kingdom and other European markets, it is running tailored campaigns highlighting privacy features.