Samsung has long been a household name in the smartphone industry, but its mid-range offerings have often struggled to innovate year after year. The Samsung Galaxy A26, the latest addition to the popular A-series, attempts to continue this legacy of “refined” but familiar designs and performance. Priced in the budget to mid-range segment, the Galaxy A26 is expected to stand out, thanks to Samsung’s long-standing commitment to software support and hardware durability. However, with growing competition and evolving customer expectations, can the Samsung Galaxy A26 still hold its ground? Let’s find out.
Design: Premium Look, Outdated Feel
The Samsung Galaxy A26 does indeed offer a sense of quality and premium design. Samsung has equipped it with Corning Gorilla Glass Victus+ for both the front and rear panels, providing durability. The rear panel is notably good at resisting smudges, but the glossy finish on the back combined with the matte-finish polycarbonate mid-frame makes the phone a bit slippery. You’ll likely need a case, which, unfortunately, is not included in the box.
While the phone retains the design elements of its predecessor, the Galaxy A25, it features a size upgrade with a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display. However, the outdated waterdrop notch and thick bezels detract from the overall display experience, making it feel out of place for a 2025 mid-range smartphone. These design choices seem stuck in the past, especially when many competitors are offering edge-to-edge displays and punch-hole cameras in the same price range.
Despite the size upgrade, the Galaxy A26’s display suffers from poor color saturation and is not ideal for outdoor viewing due to limited brightness levels. It also lacks HDR10+ support, which many phones in this price range now offer.
Performance: A Mid-Range Player with Room for Improvement
The Samsung Galaxy A26 runs on Samsung’s One UI 7, based on Android 15, providing an optimized and smooth user experience. The 120Hz refresh rate offers a smooth interface but has consequences on battery life, which we will discuss shortly.
In terms of performance, the Exynos 1380 chipset powers the device, and while it’s capable, it doesn’t shine. The phone performs adequately for day-to-day tasks and light gaming, but for demanding apps and games, its performance lags behind competitors like the Poco F6 and iQOO Neo 10R.
A disappointing aspect is the single bottom-firing speaker, which struggles to deliver rich sound. The audio quality is treble-heavy and lacks depth, especially at higher volumes. This is certainly a letdown considering competitors like the Nothing Phone 3a offer better sound at this price point.
Camera: A Mixed Bag of Features
The Samsung Galaxy A26 features a 50MP primary camera with OIS, a 8MP ultra-wide camera, and a 2MP macro camera, paired with a 13MP front camera for selfies. While the camera setup sounds decent on paper, the results tell a different story.
Daylight photography from the primary camera tends to have good color reproduction but suffers from overexposure, low dynamic range, and a lack of detail, making images look flat. Low-light performance is disappointing, with a noticeable watercolor effect in night mode, despite the phone’s OIS.
The ultra-wide camera delivers poor-quality images with low detail and high distortion. The macro camera is virtually useless, offering low-resolution images that do not do justice to close-up shots.
Battery: Not as Impressive as Expected
The Samsung Galaxy A26 houses a 5,000mAh battery, but the performance doesn’t live up to expectations. Battery life is sub-par compared to competitors like the Nothing Phone 3a, which lasts much longer under similar tests.
Despite a decent charging speed of 30% in 30 minutes, it takes nearly two hours to fully charge with a third-party charger. The PCMark battery life test shows a disappointing 8 hours and 53 minutes, significantly lower than many devices in the same category. For light users, the phone might last a full day, but heavy users may find themselves recharging before the day is over.
Software Experience: A Few Standout Features
Samsung’s One UI 7 brings plenty of useful features, including an AI language translation tool and an image editing tool, but the phone’s overall software experience feels bogged down by pre-installed apps (including a non-removable VPN app) and lock screen ads from Samsung’s Glance integration.
While the One UI 7 interface is smooth, users might find the bloatware and ads distracting, particularly when compared to phones from other brands that offer cleaner software experiences.
Samsung Galaxy A26: Final Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A26 offers solid software support, premium design, and durability through features like IP67 water resistance. However, its performance, outdated display, and underwhelming camera system fail to keep up with the competition in 2025. At this price point, alternatives like the Poco F6, Nothing Phone 3a, or even the Vivo T4 with its massive battery and superior performance are better choices.
If you value software updates and prefer Samsung’s ecosystem, the Galaxy A26 may still be a good option. However, for those looking for better camera quality, battery life, and overall performance, it might be worth considering other options in the same price range.
Share your thoughts on the Samsung Galaxy A26 in the comments below and let us know how it stacks up against other phones in its price range. For more tech reviews and comparisons, make sure to check out our other articles! Thanks for reading! For more updates and insights, visit us at newsbaazi.com. Stay tuned for more!
FAQs
What are the key features of the Samsung Galaxy A26?
The Samsung Galaxy A26 offers a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, Exynos 1380 chipset, 50MP primary camera with OIS, 5,000mAh battery, and One UI 7 based on Android 15.
Is the Samsung Galaxy A26’s camera performance good?
The 50MP camera offers decent photos in daylight but struggles with low-light performance and detail resolution. The ultra-wide and macro cameras are subpar with noticeable distortion and poor image quality.
Does the Samsung Galaxy A26 support fast charging?
Yes, the Samsung Galaxy A26 supports 30W fast charging, with 30% charging achieved in 30 minutes, but it takes nearly two hours to charge fully with third-party chargers.
How does the Samsung Galaxy A26 compare to other mid-range smartphones?
While the Galaxy A26 excels in software updates and design, it lags behind competitors like Poco F6 and Nothing Phone 3a in terms of performance, camera quality, and battery life.
Is the Samsung Galaxy A26 a good option for gaming?
The Galaxy A26 performs decently in gaming with medium settings, but due to its Exynos 1380 chipset and single bottom-firing speaker, it’s not the best choice for heavy gamers.
