Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs OnePlus 15: Which Android heavyweight is right for you?
If you’ve ruled out something Apple branded, Samsung and OnePlus make some of the best Android phones you can buy.
But while the OnePlus 15 is out now to buy worldwide, we still have a bit longer to wait for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s expected arrival, which could happen in just a few weeks.
So should you hang on or buy now? Here’s how the fully realized specs of the OnePlus 15 stack up against what we’re expecting from the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs OnePlus 15: Specifications
| Row 0 – Cell 0 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra (rumored) |
OnePlus 15 |
|
Display size |
6.9 inches (3,120 x 1,440) |
6.78 inches (2,772 x 1,272) |
|
Refresh rate |
120Hz |
165Hz |
|
Chipset |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
|
Memory |
12GB, 16GB |
12GB, 16GB |
|
Storage |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
256GB, 512GB, 1TB |
|
Rear cameras |
200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope telephoto (5x zoom), 12MP telephoto (3x zoom) |
50MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 50MP periscope telephoto (3x zoom) |
|
Front camera |
12MP |
32MP |
|
Battery size |
5,400mAh |
7,300mAh |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. OnePlus 15: Release date and price
After launching in China back in October 2025, the OnePlus 15 is now available to buy in the United States and Europe. Comparatively speaking, it’s competitively priced for a high-end flagship phone, starting at $899 / £849 for the model with 12GB RAM and 256GB of storage, rising to $999 / £979 for 16GB RAM and 512GB of onboard capacity.
While the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s launch price is yet to be confirmed, we can be extremely confident that it’ll cost significantly more than the OnePlus 15. The Galaxy S25 Ultra started at $1,299 for the 256GB model, rising to $1,659 for a version with a colossal 1TB of storage. Some think it’ll get a price hike in 2026, with rumors that Samsung is having a hard time settling on a price. You’d imagine that Samsung won’t want to extend the already $100 gap between its premium model and the $1,199 price of the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
As for when we’ll see a Galaxy S26 Ultra, that’s up in the air, too. Samsung has been announcing new flagships in January, the last two years, and one report claims that will happen. But another report points to February 25 as the date for Samsung’s announcement. Either way, there’s not too long to wait.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. OnePlus 15: Design and display
It’s safe to say that neither the OnePlus 15 nor the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be a good choice for those who prefer smaller phones. The OnePlus 15 features a 6.78-inch screen, and tips the scales at a weighty 211 grams.
The OLED screen on the OnePlus 15 is unusual in the world of smartphones in that its refresh rate can reach as high as 165Hz, allowing super-smooth 165fps gameplay in supported apps. However, this has come at a price, with the 2,772 x 1,272 1.5K resolution actually a downgrade from the 3,168 x 1,440 panel on the 2K display for the OnePlus 13.
In terms of design, the latest OnePlus flagship has lost a little personality too. Gone is the distinct, circular camera hump, and in its place a square housing that makes the OnePlus 15 look more like an iPhone Pro copycat.
For the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, we’re expecting more of the same from Samsung’s established design: a 6.9-inch handset with four camera lenses staring out from the back. It will also have room for the S Pen within, letting you note take and doodle on the go.
There will be subtle changes, according to leakers. Ice Universe believes that the handset will be between 7mm and 8mm thick, with “slightly increased width and height”. Given the current model is 8.1mm thick, that could either be a big difference or a small one, depending on how close to 7mm the final measurement lands.
Leaked S26 Ultra mockups also show a handset with slightly more curved corners than the past two generations of Samsung Galaxy S Ultra handsets.
Privacy fans will also be interested to hear that Samsung will reportedly introduce a new feature that makes the phone harder to read from the side.
We expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra to once again offer IP68 water resistance. That’s actually not as stringent as what OnePlus claims for the OnePlus 15, as that phone’s IP69K rating means it can withstand high pressure water jets and higher temperatures.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. OnePlus 15: Cameras
With its four flexible rear lenses, there’s a reason that the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra series has been a staple in our list of the best camera phones for years.
But it doesn’t sound like Samsung will be making too many changes this year, despite early talk of a variable rate aperture. Instead, the upgrades sound relatively minor: a f/1.4 aperture on the main lens which should see 47% more light entering the camera, according to Ice Universe, and we might see the megapixel count on the 3x telephoto lens going from 10 MP to 12MP.
However, that’s still one more lens than the OnePlus 15 offers, with its three 50MP rear sensors (main, ultrawide and 3.5x optical telephoto).
That said, OnePlus 15 camera performance is actually rather impressive, despite the lower megapixel count. The 50MP camera onboard the OnePlus 15 proved to be a strong match for the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 200MP shooter in our OnePlus 15 review. It was, however, more disappointing in low-light conditions, which might be a red flag to avid photographers.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs OnePlus 15: Performance and battery life
While there are differences in the anticipated internal specs of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and those of the OnePlus 15, in practice there’s likely to be little difference in terms of raw performance.
The OnePlus 15 uses the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, and Samsung is set to follow with the Galaxy S26 Ultra also featuring that silicon. (At least, that’s the expectation in the U.S — the S26 Ultra chipset may turn out to be the Exynos 2600 in other markets).
That would suggest a score draw when its time to benchmark the two phones, though in recent years, Samsung has used a special “for Galaxy” version of Qualcomm’s chipset which gives a slight boost to clock speed. If that’s repeated, that would give Samsung a small advantage.
Countering that, however, is the fact that you can buy a OnePlus 15 with 16GB RAM. While Samsung may match that, if it continues with 12GB RAM that would be another point for OnePlus.
In truth, however, any performance differences that show up will be marginal at best. These will be some of the best phones of 2026, at least in terms of raw speed.
Still, each phone can claim one distinct advantage of its own. For Samsung, that’s the bundled S Pen for doodling and note taking. While this may be less versatile if the stylus loses the digitizer as rumored, it’s still a very useful extra to have and a real selling point for the Ultra.
One area that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is very unlikely to be competitive on, however, is battery life. While the new model is expected to increase battery capacity by 400 mAh to 5,400 mAh, that’s still a long way off the colossal 7,300mAh cell that powers the OnePlus 15.
In our battery test, the OnePlus went 25 hours and 13 minutes before needing a charge. For reference, the 5,000mAh cell on the Galaxy S25 Ultra gave up at just shy of 14.5 hours on our updated battery test. (The S25 Ultra fared better on an earlier version of the test that we ran after the phone’s early 2025 release — on that test, the phone held out for more than 17 hours.)
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. OnePlus 15: Software and AI
While Samsung has set a high bar with its Galaxy AI features, the OnePlus 15 proved that OnePlus is getting serious about AI in its own way. A lot of the features you find on other Android phones are present and accounted for on the OnePlus 15, including an AI Writer tool for fine-tuning your writing and a voice recorder that transcribes and summarizes recordings. You’ll find AI-powered photo editing features on the OnePlus 15, too.
But we’d expect AI to continue to be a major focus of Samsung’s upcoming phone release. In fact, one rumor even suggests that the Galaxy S26 Ultra is getting exclusive features that won’t be on other models.
One area where Samsung should continue to dominate is software support. You get four years of Android updates plus two more years of security support with the OnePlus 15. Recent Samsung flagships get seven years of support, a trend that will likely continue with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. OnePlus 15: Outlook
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be a mighty impressive smartphone. With a larger battery, a faster processor, possibly more RAM and better low-light photography performance on the cards, this will undoubtedly be one the strongest handsets of 2026.
But it’s likely to be at least $300 more than the OnePlus 15, which has very similar internals to what we’re expecting from Samsung. True, the OnePlus 15 doesn’t have an S Pen equivalent, but it has its own advantages too, including a 165Hz screen for gamers and a massive 7,300mAh battery that produces the best battery life we’ve ever recorded.
If you’re on the fence, it’s worth waiting a few more weeks to see if Samsung has any unexpected surprises as yet unknown to leakers. Worst case scenario, the OnePlus 15 will have had a few more months to dip in price…
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