Should you upgrade from Galaxy S25 to Galaxy S26?

Keep your Galaxy S25. The Galaxy S26 is a little better in several small ways: a bigger battery, faster wired charging, a slightly larger screen and a newer chip, though it drops mmWave support. None of them changes what you do with your phone every day. Samsung lists the same cameras for both phones: 50MP wide, 12MP ultra-wide and 10MP 3x telephoto.

What the Galaxy S26 adds

The battery grows from 4,000 mAh to 4,300 mAh, by Samsung's stated typical capacity for each phone. Samsung puts the S26 at up to 30 hours of video playback, one hour more than the 29 it gives for the S25. Expect a little more charge left at the end of a long day, not an extra day between charges.

Wired charging with a 25W adapter reaches up to 55% in around 30 minutes, against up to 50% on your S25. The screen goes from 6.2 to 6.3 inches, in a body that is slightly larger and 5 g heavier.

The chip is newer, but Samsung gives no speed figure for the S26 against the S25, so we do not count it as a reason to switch. One thing goes the other way: Samsung lists the S26 with sub-6 5G only, where the S25 was also listed with mmWave. That matters only if you rely on your carrier's mmWave service in a big city or a stadium.

Who should upgrade

Upgrade only if your S25's battery has worn down and you want a fresh phone anyway. The extra capacity and quicker charging will feel welcome then. If your S25 still gets you to bedtime, keep it.

Price and value

Checked Nov. 15, 2026, the Galaxy S26 costs $849.99, close to its lowest price since the list price changed on October 1, so if you are buying one anyway, now is a good time. The Galaxy S27 is reported for early 2027, but that is a report, not a date, so it is not a reason to hold off if you are buying now. As an upgrade from an S25, it is a lot to pay for small gains. Keep yours.