Samsung Galaxy A26 review

Competition

The sub-€300 category is really packed this year and the market offers a handful of solid all-rounders, so the Galaxy A26 will have a hard time competing, even when the price drops around the mid-€200. At the time of writing, it's €299.

The recently released Poco X7 Pro is a great example and beats the Galaxy A26 in pretty much every aspect. It has a brighter display, better performance, longer battery life, can take better photos, charges faster, and offers twice the storage. Xiaomi's contender makes it really hard to recommend the Galaxy A26.

Another sensible and cheaper alternative to the A26 and the X7 Pro is the Motorola Edge 50 Fusion. It's a nice all-rounder with better cameras, speakers, display, charging and battery life.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G is a good choice, but given its proximity to the Poco X7 Pro price-wise, it's definitely not the best pick from Xiaomi's portfolio.

Xiaomi Poco X7 Pro • Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G (Global) • Motorola Edge 50 Fusion • Samsung Galaxy A55

But if you are dead-set on getting a Samsung phone for about the same price, then last year's Galaxy A55 might be a better choice. Sure, it's an older device, especially since we have the Galaxy A56 around, but it brings more value for money. Not to mention, the A55 is entitled to 4 major OS upgrades since its release, so it will be relevant for a few more years.

In case you reside in the US, where the choice is very limited, you have only the Moto G Power (2025) as a direct alternative. In this particular case, the Galaxy A26 wins with its OLED panel and slightly better camera experience. However, the Motorola Edge (2024) has gone down nicely in price and offers an OLED screen too, along with a better camera, a considerably faster chipset and faster charging. And it can now be had for the same price.

Last year's Galaxy A35 may not give you similarly long software support, but it will offer you the same base features plus stereo speakers and possibly better video stabilization. It also has better battery life, a screen that gets brighter and has a punchhole selfie cam instead of a notch.

Motorola Moto G Power (2025) • Motorola Edge (2024) • Galaxy A35

Verdict

The Galaxy A26 brings a few upgrades to last year's model - you get a 6.7-inch display (up from 6.5"), proper IP67 ingress protection, Gorilla Glass Victus+ glass on the back, and last but not least, the more powerful chipset from last year's Galaxy A35. It also gets to keep its microSD slot too, while it got axed in the new A36 and A56.

However, the list of updates is not enough to make the Galaxy A26 very competitive as it doesn't seem to stand out with anything in particular, except its nice selfies and long software support.

We aren't very happy with the display (not bright enough, no automatic refresh rate control); the main camera's image quality leaves more to be desired; charging is painfully slow; battery life is underwhelming; the stereo speakers from the Galaxy A25 got axed; the chipset is not very competitive, not to mention performance could be more fluid.

So even when the price goes down, the A26 is still going to be a hard sell. Even in the US, with its limited options, potential buyers will have to consider that the A26 lacks stereo speakers and wireless charging, which similarly priced competitors have.

Pros

• Clean, durable design with IP67 rating.
• Android 15, One UI 7 with 6 major OS upgrades promised.
• Excellent selfies.
• microSD card slot.

Cons

• The screen could have been brighter.
• No video stabilization in 4K, only 1080p.
• Battery life is underwhelming.
• The virtual proximity sensor for turning off the screen during calls is not as good as a physical one.
• No stereo speakers.
• No charger in the box.