What you need to know
- Galaxy S26 series sales grew 29% in the U.S. in the first three weeks compared to last year.
- Galaxy S26 Ultra drove 71% of sales, as buyers leaned toward the premium model this year.
- Higher prices on S26 and S26 Plus pushed more users to choose the Ultra model instead.
Despite talk of a slowing smartphone market and rising prices, it looks like Samsung has hit the mark with the Galaxy S26 series, as sales have been strong for the brand.
According to a report by Counterpoint Research, Galaxy S26 series sales in the U.S. grew by 29% in the first three weeks compared to the Galaxy S25 series over the same period last year. Of that growth, the Galaxy S26 Ultra alone accounted for 71% of total sales, which is around 10% higher than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s share last year.
The report suggests more buyers are leaning towards the Ultra model this time, partly due to price increases on the base Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus. Samsung raised prices of those models by $100, while keeping the Galaxy S26 Ultra at the same price as last year, which likely pushed more users towards the higher-end option.
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In addition, the report highlights the Privacy Display feature as one of the key reasons driving interest in the Ultra model. It also points to aggressive deals from carriers like AT&T and T-Mobile as another factor behind the strong sales of Samsung’s $1,300 flagship.
There have been several reports this year suggesting that smartphone sales could slow down due to rising component and memory costs, but Samsung seems to be bucking that trend, which is quite impressive.
Attention is now shifting towards Samsung’s upcoming foldables, which are expected to launch soon, including a rumored Wide Fold device aimed at competing with Apple’s expected iPhone Fold. That said, with prices continuing to rise across the industry, it’ll be interesting to see how demand holds up in the coming months.
Android Central’s Take
Not surprised the Ultra is doing most of the heavy lifting here. Between better deals and more meaningful features, it just feels like the smarter buy this year compared to the regular Galaxy S26 models.
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