Samsung Galaxy A26 deals

Design and display

The Galaxy A26 has a different design compared to the A25. Instead of individual camera housings, it features a new pill-shaped camera bump on the back. However, the overall body design remains largely unchanged, with a slimmer chin and thinner bezels around the display.

The phone has slightly increased in size to accommodate its larger 6.7-inch display (up from 6.5 inches on the previous model), though it still weighs around 200 grams. A key upgrade is the glass back, which now features Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+—the same durable protection used on the front.

The display is a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED, supporting a smooth 120Hz refresh rate and offering up to 1000 nits of brightness in High Brightness Mode. Given the price point, this is a very solid lineup.

How good is the Samsung Galaxy A26 camera system?

Given the price, the A26 has a brilliant camera lineup. The Galaxy A26 has the same camera setup as its predecessor. The main sensor is a 50MP Samsung and features OIS and phase detection autofocus. The secondary cameras include an 8MP ultrawide lens with a 120-degree field of view, fixed focus, and a dedicated 2MP macro camera. While many brands have moved away from standalone macro lenses, Samsung has kept one here.

For the price of the phone, this is a more than adequate lineup. Its main camera is better than the £799 iPhone 16 (48MP), so for an average photographer, you will have no issues getting the snaps you want.

Performance and storage

The Galaxy A26’s hardware is great for a £299 phone. It runs on the Exynos 1380, a slight upgrade over its predecessor, which already delivered decent performance and should be smooth for everyday usage and even casual gaming capabilities.

The A26 has 8GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. For most people who just browse the web, do some work, and stream videos, 256GB of storage should be plenty. But if you’re into storing big video files, playing high-end PC games, or keeping tons of photos and videos, you might want to go for a device with 512GB or even 1TB of storage.

Samsung Galaxy A26 AI and software

Given the cost, one of the Galaxy A26's biggest selling points is its AI-powered features. With its latest A-series devices, Samsung introduced Awesome Intelligence, a streamlined version of Galaxy AI. While the name might be a playful nod to Apple’s Apple Intelligence, what really matters is that users can now experience core AI features without spending a fortune on a flagship.

The Galaxy A26 comes equipped with useful AI tools like Google’s Circle to Search, Object Eraser, and Filters. Circle to Search lets you quickly look up things by circling them on your screen, while Object Eraser removes unwanted objects or people from photos with just a tap. Filters allow you to extract colour styles from one photo and apply them to another.

On the software side, the Galaxy A26 runs Android 15 with One UI 7 right out of the box. Samsung has also committed to six major Android updates, which is a great perk for a budget-friendly device.

Samsung Galaxy A26 battery

The Galaxy A26's battery is a huge 5,000mAh, the same capacity as Samsung’s top-of-the-range S25 Ultra. A 5000mAh battery is pretty solid—it’s big enough to keep your phone running all day, even with heavy use, and can last even longer if you’re not on it constantly.

However, charging speeds remain modest—Samsung sticks with 25W wired charging and, unsurprisingly, there’s no wireless charging on board.