Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus

At Rs. 330,495, the Galaxy S26 Plus sits in an awkward middle spot. It gives you a bigger, sharper screen than the S26, a larger 4900mAh battery with faster 45W charging, the same triple camera with 3x optical zoom, full Galaxy AI and 7 major Android upgrades.

The catch is that it shares most of its hardware with the cheaper S26, while the S26 Ultra costs only a little more and adds a stronger camera system, the S Pen, a Snapdragon chip in Pakistan, and an anti-glare privacy display. For many buyers stretching to the Ultra makes more sense.

The Google Pixel 9 Pro XL is cheaper and offers 16GB RAM, a larger 5060mAh battery, a 48MP telephoto and a 42MP selfie camera, though with an older Tensor G4 chip and slower 37W charging.

Verdict: choose the S26 Plus if you want a large-screen Samsung with fast charging and long support but do not need Ultra features; otherwise compare it closely with the Ultra.

The S26 Plus has a 6.7-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display with a sharp 1440 x 3120 (QHD+) resolution, a 120Hz adaptive refresh rate, HDR10+ and 2600 nits peak brightness, protected by Gorilla Glass Victus 2.

Colour quality, smoothness and peak brightness are on par with the S26 Ultra, so you do not lose display quality by skipping the Ultra. It is also noticeably sharper than the smaller S26's Full HD+ screen.

What it lacks are two Ultra-only features: the anti-reflective matte coating, which cuts glare in bright light, and the privacy display that hides the screen from side angles.

Official Pakistani units of the S26 Plus use Samsung's Exynos 2600 (2nm, 10-core) with 12GB RAM; some other markets get the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, and the S26 Ultra uses Snapdragon in Pakistan. It scored about 3.14 million in AnTuTu, slightly below the Ultra.

• Everyday use: nothing feels slow; in daily use it is hard to tell which chip is inside.
• Gaming: PUBG Mobile supports maximum settings, with 120fps at Smooth, 90fps in middle modes and 60fps at Ultra HD, matching the Ultra in the games tested.

Long-term smoothness over three to four years matters more than launch speed, and that is not yet known. Heating was not tested in depth for this model.

The S26 Plus uses the same triple camera as the S26: a 50MP main camera with OIS, a 10MP 3x telephoto and a 12MP ultrawide, plus a 12MP selfie camera. There is no laser autofocus, which only the Ultra has.

• Quality: front camera results are close to the S26 Ultra, and rear camera colours look very similar to the Ultra's.
• Video: up to 8K 30fps and 4K 60fps, with Horizon Lock keeping footage level even as you rotate the phone.
• AI editing: Galaxy AI photo tools let you type the change you want to make in a picture.

The rear cameras are the same as the previous generation, so there is little camera upgrade over the S25 Plus, and the 12MP selfie camera has a lower resolution than some rivals.

The S26 Plus has a 4900mAh battery, larger than the S26's 4300mAh, and charges much faster at 45W wired (about 69% in 30 minutes). It also supports wireless charging and 4.5W reverse wireless charging for earbuds or a watch.

There are no built-in magnets; Samsung sells cases that add magnetic accessory support separately.

Real-world battery life has not been tested in detail for this model, so endurance is not confirmed.

The phone runs Android 16 with One UI, and Samsung promises 7 major Android upgrades, which makes it a long-term phone.

All the Galaxy AI features from the S26 Ultra are included, such as Call Assist, Now Brief and Now Nudge, and type-to-edit photo editing. The main software-linked feature missing is the Ultra's privacy display, along with the S Pen tools.