Samsung’s standard Galaxy S26 is suddenly its hottest phone

It looks like Samsung is aggressively shifting its production gears in April, as demand for the Galaxy S26 series is reportedly blowing past projections.

A report from ZDNet Korea says Samsung is raising its monthly production target to 3 million units, a 25% increase from its original plan of 2.4 million.

Although the Ultra model usually gets the most attention, the report says Samsung has increased production of the base Galaxy S26 by 500,000 units just for April. The company first planned to make 800,000 of the standard model, but now that number is up to 1.3 million.

At the same time, Samsung has cut production of the Galaxy S26 Plus by 100,000 units.

Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the most popular model, accounting for 60% to 70% of S26 series demand. Samsung increased Ultra production by 200,000 units, so April’s total is now 1.5 million. In other words, out of every three S26 phones made, two are Ultras.

What’s causing this unusual split? First, the base S26 appeals to buyers who want top performance without paying a high price or getting a huge screen. Second, the Ultra offers a unique Privacy Display feature that blurs the screen from the side but stays clear when viewed straight on. This is the first time Samsung has included this privacy technology directly in the screen.

However, this success has a downside. Samsung has reportedly cut production of its budget A-series phones. The Galaxy A57 dropped from 1.8 million to 1.6 million units, and the A17 went from 4.4 million to 3.9 million. Higher memory chip prices are apparently making it harder to keep these lower-cost devices affordable.