The Galaxy S26 Ultra is a relic of the past, and this one missing feature proves it

With an expected release date of February 25, the Samsung Galaxy S26 range is on the cusp of release.

I have a long history with Samsung phones, dating back to the Galaxy S4 Mini, and have owned a number of Samsung Galaxy flagships over the years. So, you might expect me to be excited.

I’m not. The latest leaks and rumors have confirmed that the headline act, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is stuck in the past. And despite my love of Samsung phones, I’m simply not willing to overlook it any longer.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 range won’t include Qi2 charging

It’s been reported in leaks that the Galaxy S26 range will not include built-in Qi2 compatibility. Instead, anyone who wants to make use of magnetic accessories or chargers will have to rely on magnetic cases.

That may not feel like a big deal to you, especially if you don’t have a phone with Qi2. After all, it’s just a slightly better version of wireless charging, right?

If you don’t bother with wireless charging, the idea of an upgraded version of that may seem like it’s not worth bothering with.

I would have agreed with you — before I got a Qi2 phone.

I didn’t like wireless charging very much. As far as I was concerned, it was an unreliable and less useful version of wired charging.

It was too easy to move the phone slightly and ruin the connection, and the charging speed wasn’t worth the effort either.

It wasn’t even a nice thing to have; most of the time I could lose it and not notice.

It turns out that Qi2 is a game-changer. Not because it makes wireless charging more reliable and faster — no, it’s because letting me stick stuff to the back of my phone is great.

In the last almost six months since I got my Google Pixel 10 Pro, I’ve stuck all manner of things to the back of my phone. Power banks, game controllers, even e-readers.

My magnetic car charger is particularly notable, because I can’t bear the idea of having to go back to a cradle. Car cradles are some of the most awkward and loathsome accessories ever fashioned.

With Qi2, I pop my phone onto the magnetic pad and there’s no need to mess around with spring-loaded grabbers.

Yes, the Galaxy S26 range will let you add similar functionality with a magnetic case, but it’s not really the same. Most cases lack the magnetic strength of true Qi2, and it adds limits to what you can do with your phone.

It’s no replacement for being Qi2 compatible — and for some reason, Samsung is happy for its most powerful and “capable” flagship phone to lack it.

Samsung is letting itself fall behind

The Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t living up to its name. And the horrible truth is, this isn’t anything new.

The Galaxy Ultra line, in particular, has been struggling to innovate over the years, having barely changed since 2022.

Samsung has dutifully upgraded the processor every year, but the amount of RAM on offer hasn’t increased since the Ultra debuted, and the battery size has stayed the same since 2020.

Put the original Galaxy S20 Ultra next to the S25 Ultra, and too many of the specs line up exactly.

The form has changed slightly, and some elements have been updated, but if you’d launched the S25 Ultra in 2020, it still wouldn’t have looked hugely out of place.

The Ultra has stagnated, and every year, Samsung falls further and further behind.

Samsung will claim it’s innovating through AI, but it rings hollow when those same AI features land on older phones and work just fine.

It’s reached the point where buying a new Samsung Galaxy Ultra feels pointless, especially if you already own an older Ultra.

And at some point, people are going to stop buying into the empty hype. I know I have.

How long can the Ultra be mediocre?

I’ve reached the point where buying a new Samsung phone feels pointless because it’s not keeping up with the pace of change.

What was once a cutting edge smartphone is now as stagnant as a bog.

The features I’ve come to love and rely on are simply not being offered by Samsung, and that means the new S26 phones are not phones I would want to buy.

Don’t get me wrong, if someone gave me one I’d accept it, but it would have an uphill struggle trying to replace my Pixel 10 Pro.

I’ve tasted the future, and there’s no going back. For me, the future is being able to stick things on the back of my phone, like it’s the world’s tiniest fridge.

I’ve contemplated changing phones several times now, and it’s always the Qi2 support that keeps me on my Pixel 10 Pro.

I admit my reticence isn’t reflected in the market as a whole, though.

Samsung’s sales certainly haven’t slowed, and the Ultra continues to be one of its biggest selling devices. It’s certainly the best-selling S-class Galaxy phone, and Samsung doesn’t expect that to change with the S26.

I suspect a lot of this is brand loyalty and the draw of something familiar, but come on, how long can Samsung continue to let its flagships coast? How long can it continue to sell the same six-year-old flagship with a new processor?

At least another year, and probably a little while after that. But for me, a Samsung Galaxy S phone won’t be worth considering until Samsung chooses to re-enter the future with the rest of us.