At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, the company announced its latest top-of-the-line phone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It starts at $1,299.99 and releases March 11. It’s available for preorder now at all the usual retailers (see it at Samsung and Amazon). Depending on where you buy, you can get free gift cards or exclusive options, which we’ll dive into below. Read on for full details and to see what’s new in the latest smartphone model.
Amazon: Free Double Storage and a $200 Gift Card
Amazon has one of the best deals available on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (as well as the standard Galaxy S26). If you buy from the online mega-retailer, you’ll get double the baseline storage for free (512GB instead of the standard 256GB), plus a $200 Amazon gift card. That’s $1,699.99 worth of goods for $1,299.99, a savings of $400.
Samsung: Exclusive Color Options and a $150 Credit
Samsung is offering up to $900 in trade-in credit, or $150 in Samsung credit if you don’t have an older device to trade in. Additionally, if you buy from the Samsung’s online store, you have two exclusive color options to choose from: shadow silver and pinkgold.
Best Buy: Free Double Storage
Best Buy is matching the “free double storage” offer that Amazon has, but it doesn’t throw in a gift card for your troubles. Still, if you have a Best Buy gift card lying around or incredible brand loyalty, you can get the phone there.
What’s New in the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the latest top-of-the-line Android phone from Samsung. One of the biggest new stand-out features is the Privacy Display, which narrows the viewing angle on sensitive information on the screen. It can make your notifications, for instance, more private when you glance at them from your lock screen, so people around you can’t peep into your personal life as easily. Or you can set it to obscure your password entry forms, or even entire individual apps. This is an optional security feature that will come in handy for some people.
Hardware-wise, the S26 Ultra is a relatively minor upgrade from last year’s model. It has a faster processor and cameras that can take better low-light photos and videos. In terms of software, it has some new AI features for photos and notifications. But really, you’re probably not going to get the S26 if you already own the S25. It’s a big upgrade from most phones from several years ago. It’s the latest and greatest of Samsung’s offerings.
If you don’t need the Ultra, you can also score some terrific preorder deals on the Samsung S26. They’re even selling a new generation of Galaxy Buds that ought to rival Apple’s ultra-popular AirPods Pro.
Chris Reed is a commerce editor and deals expert for IGN. He also runs IGN's board game and LEGO coverage. You can follow him on Bluesky.
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