Samsung Galaxy A26 Review: Bigger Display, Stronger Chip — But Still Hard to Recommend

Samsung’s latest budget-friendly phone, the Galaxy A26, joins the lineup a bit later than expected — but it brings some key upgrades, including a bigger display, better build materials, and a more capable processor. Still, not everything hits the mark.

Introduction

The Galaxy A26 steps up from last year’s model with a larger 6.7-inch display (previously 6.5 inches) and the Exynos 1380 chipset — the same one that powered the Galaxy A35. Samsung also gives the A26 a more premium touch this time, with Gorilla Glass Victus+ on both the front and back, plus IP67 dust and water resistance — a rare find in this price segment.

As for the rest, you’ll find familiar specs: a 50MP main camera, 8MP ultrawide, 2MP macro, and a 13MP front camera. Powering it all is a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging.

Design

The Galaxy A26 follows Samsung’s clean 2025 design language — flat sides, rounded edges, and neatly arranged camera lenses. Unlike its pricier siblings, the A26 has a plastic frame, but Samsung upgrades the back panel to Gorilla Glass Victus+, making it feel sturdier.

At 7.7mm thick, the phone is slimmer and easier to hold than before. The matte texture on the frame gives it a better grip than typical glass-backed phones, which often feel slippery. Overall, it looks and feels more refined than you’d expect from a budget phone.

Display

The A26’s 6.7-inch 120Hz display is one of its headline upgrades. It offers Full-HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) and smooth scrolling thanks to the high refresh rate.

However, the screen’s brightness is disappointing — 365 nits manually and up to 777 nits in auto mode — which means visibility under direct sunlight can be challenging. There’s also no HDR support, something competitors like Xiaomi and Realme have started offering at similar prices.

Battery Life

Battery capacity stays the same at 5,000mAh, paired with the energy-efficient Exynos 1380. But surprisingly, performance doesn’t impress. In testing, the phone lasted about 10 hours and 44 minutes of active use — below average for a mid-ranger.

Web browsing and video playback drain the battery faster than expected, and rivals in this price range easily outlast the Galaxy A26.

Charging Speed

Charging is another weak point. The Galaxy A26 supports 25W charging, but it’s far from quick. A full charge from 0–100% takes around 1 hour and 26 minutes — slower than many competitors that now offer 45W or even 67W charging.

Samsung does include useful battery protection options, allowing users to limit charging to 80% or 90% to extend battery life, but the slow top-up speed may frustrate frequent users.

Software

Out of the box, the Galaxy A26 runs Android 15 with One UI 7 — Samsung’s latest interface. The biggest highlight is six years of OS updates and security patches, which is practically unheard of in this price segment.

However, many AI-powered features found in higher-end Galaxy models are missing due to hardware limitations. Features like Circle to Search and Object Eraser are present, though the latter doesn’t work as smoothly as on the Galaxy S25 series.

Performance

Powered by the Exynos 1380, the Galaxy A26 supports 5G, Wi-Fi 6, and Bluetooth 5.3. The chip includes four Cortex-A78 performance cores and four Cortex-A55 efficiency cores, paired with a Mali-G68 MP5 GPU.

While the performance is decent for everyday tasks and light gaming, it’s far from class-leading. During stress tests, the chip throttled to around 71% of its peak performance, which shows it struggles to sustain high workloads.

Camera

The A26’s camera setup is nearly identical to last year’s model — a 50MP main, 8MP ultrawide, and 2MP macro on the back, plus a 13MP selfie camera.

Daytime photos are decent, but low-light shots show noticeable noise and lack of detail. The selfie camera, however, delivers surprisingly good results, especially in well-lit conditions.

Verdict

The Samsung Galaxy A26 offers some nice upgrades — a bigger screen, Gorilla Glass Victus+, IP67 protection, and the Exynos 1380 chip. It also stands out with six years of software updates, a promise few phones in its category can match.

However, the downsides are hard to ignore — dim display, slow charging, mediocre battery life, no stereo speakers, and average camera performance. While it’s a reliable choice for casual users who value Samsung’s brand and software support, it doesn’t offer the best value for money.

Unless Samsung drops the price, the Galaxy A26 will face tough competition from more powerful and feature-rich rivals in the same price range.