Samsung Galaxy A26 Review – AMOLED Display & One UI on a Budget

1️⃣ Samsung Galaxy A26 Review – First Impressions

Welcome to our Samsung Galaxy A26 Review, your complete guide to Samsung’s latest budget offering for 2025. Packed with a vivid Super AMOLED display, clean One UI Core software, and reliable battery life, the Galaxy A26 aims to stand out in a crowded entry-level smartphone market.

But how does it stack up against rivals like the Redmi 13C, Infinix Note 40, or even Samsung’s own Galaxy A25? In this Samsung Galaxy A26 review, we’ll dive deep into the design, display, performance, camera, and more to help you decide.

2️⃣ Galaxy A26 Review: Design & Build Quality

The Samsung Galaxy A26 brings a premium design feel to the budget segment, closely following the 2025 Galaxy A series’ updated design language. Here’s a breakdown of its design and durability features:

Sleek, Flat Design

• Follows Samsung’s modern flat-edge trend with rounded corners
• Completely flat front and back with a minimal camera bump
• Clean and minimalistic look that aligns with 2025 design standards

Material & Frame

• Front and back: Protected by Gorilla Glass Victus+
• Frame: Durable plastic frame instead of aluminum
• While it lacks the premium feel of metal, the plastic frame provides better grip and reduces slipperiness

Thin and Comfortable Build

• Dimensions: 164.0 x 77.5 x 7.7 mm
• Weight: 200g
• Thinner than most phones in its price class, making it easy to handle
• Surprisingly less slippery than other glass phones, likely due to the textured plastic edges

IP67 Dust and Water Resistance

• A rare upgrade for a budget phone
• Rated IP67, meaning it can survive:
  • Submersion in up to 1 meter of water for 30 minutes
  • Daily exposure to dust and splashes

Color Options

• Available in: Black, White, Mint, Peach, and Pink
• Color availability varies by region
• The Mint variant stands out for its refreshing, soft tone

Side-Mounted Fingerprint Scanner

• Integrated into the power button for convenience
• While not as versatile as an under-display reader, it’s:
  • Fast, accurate, and reliable
  • Easier to use one-handed
  • Surprisingly faster than some under-display scanners like the one on the Galaxy A56

✅ Verdict:

The Samsung Galaxy A26 nails the essentials: a premium glass build, slim profile, IP67 durability, and a comfortable grip—all wrapped in a stylish, modern design. Easily one of the best-built phones in its price range.

🔗 Related: Affordable Smartphones Philippines 2025: Best Phones Under 10k Compared

3️⃣ Display Quality in the Samsung Galaxy A26 Review

The Samsung Galaxy A26 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display, a standout spec in the budget space. It delivers vivid visuals and fluid interactions—but comes with a few caveats worth noting.

Display Specifications

• Size: 6.7 inches
• Panel: Super AMOLED
• Resolution: 1080 x 2340 px (FHD+)
• Aspect Ratio: 19.5:9
• Pixel Density: ~385 ppi
• Refresh Rate: 120Hz
• Extras: Always-On Display support
• HDR Support: ❌ Not supported

Visual Experience

• Rich color reproduction, deep blacks, and great contrast typical of AMOLED
• Smooth UI and animations thanks to the 120Hz refresh rate
• Excellent for media streaming and casual gaming
• No HDR support—which is expected at this price point

🔗 Also Read: Dynamic AMOLED vs. OLED: Which is Better? – A closer look at the visual differences and benefits between OLED display types.

Brightness Performance

Measured brightness levels are below average, especially when compared to similarly priced competitors.

📊 Max Display Brightness (White, 75% fill)

• Manual Brightness: 365 nits
• Auto Brightness (Max): 777 nits
• Underwhelming for outdoor use in bright sunlight
• Falls short of expectations given Samsung’s display pedigree

Refresh Rate Behavior

• Adaptive mode available, but doesn’t behave dynamically
• Standard Mode: Locks to 60Hz
• Adaptive Mode: Fixed at 120Hz in almost all apps and menus
• No real refresh rate throttling = higher battery drain
• Same issue was seen on the Galaxy A25 and remains unaddressed

🔗 Related: 120Hz vs. 144Hz vs. LTPO: The Truth About High Refresh Rate Displays – Understand how refresh rates impact real-world battery life, smoothness, and gaming.

✅ Verdict:

While the Samsung Galaxy A26 offers a premium AMOLED experience with smooth 120Hz scrolling, its low brightness output and lack of true adaptive refresh rate are drawbacks. It’s great indoors—but not ideal for outdoor visibility or power efficiency.

🔗 Related: Best AMOLED Budget Phones

4️⃣ Performance & Hardware

The Samsung Galaxy A26 is powered by the Exynos 1380 chipset—Samsung’s midrange SoC that previously appeared in the Galaxy A54 and A35, and is now making its way into the budget tier.

Core Specs:

• Chipset: Exynos 1380 (5nm)
• CPU: Octa-core (4x Cortex-A78 @ 2.4GHz + 4x Cortex-A55 @ 2.0GHz)
• GPU: Mali-G68 MP5 @ 950 MHz
• Connectivity: 5G, Bluetooth 5.3, Wi-Fi 6

RAM & Storage Options

• Base variant: 6GB RAM + 128GB storage
• Upgrades available: Up to 12GB RAM + 512GB storage
• Expandable: Yes, via microSD (up to 2TB, shared slot)
• Storage Type: UFS 2.2 – decent read/write performance for this segment

Benchmark Scores

🧪 GeekBench 6 – CPU Performance

🧪 AnTuTu 10 – Overall System Performance

🧪 3DMark Wild Life Extreme – GPU Performance (2160p)

✅ Conclusion: The Galaxy A26 outperforms only the Moto G Power and Galaxy A25 in raw benchmarks. Devices like the Redmi Note 14 Pro 5G, Poco X7 Pro, and Edge 50 Fusion offer better overall performance at similar price points.

Sustained Performance

The A26 maintains decent stability in stress tests, though it throttles under extended load:

• CPU throttling: Drops to ~71% of peak but averages around 80% sustained
• GPU stability: Excellent – holds 99% consistency in long sessions
• No overheating or system crashes, but overall responsiveness could be better

✅ Verdict:

The Exynos 1380 gives the Galaxy A26 a slight edge over last year’s A25, but it lags behind several competitors in both CPU and GPU performance. For basic tasks, it’s sufficient—but power users and mobile gamers should look elsewhere.

5️⃣ Camera Performance – Familiar Setup with Mixed Results

The Samsung Galaxy A26 continues with a triple-camera setup that’s identical to its predecessor, the Galaxy A25. While it delivers acceptable results in ideal conditions, the camera system struggles in more demanding scenarios—especially in low light or zoom.

Camera Specs Overview

Rear Cameras:

• Main: 50MP, f/1.8, PDAF, OIS
  • Sensor: Samsung ISOCELL JN1 (1/2.76″, 0.64µm)
  • Video: Up to 4K @ 30fps
• Ultrawide: 8MP, f/2.2, 120°, fixed focus
  • Sensor: Samsung ISOCELL 4HA (1/4″, 1.12µm)
  • Video: 1080p @ 30fps
• Macro: 2MP, f/2.4
  • Sensor: GalaxyCore GC02M1

Front Camera:

• 13MP, f/2.2, fixed focus
  • Sensor: Hynix Hi-1339
  • Video: 1080p @ 30fps

Daylight Performance

✅ Main Camera

• Good color accuracy and reliable HDR
• Sharpness is acceptable outdoors, but detail falls off indoors
• Shadow areas appear muddy, and textures can get noisy
• Occasional focus hunting was observed in field testing
• 50MP mode offers slightly more detail, but not a dramatic improvement

✅ Portrait Mode

• Decent subject separation and natural background blur
• Colors and contrast are consistent with standard photo mode
• Usable even in less-than-ideal lighting

❌ 2x Zoom (Crop Zoom)

• Noticeably softer, noisier, and lacking detail
• No telephoto lens = digital crop = expected compromise
• Best avoided in low light

Ultrawide Performance

• Decent for social media use
• Limited detail and some softness, especially in corners
• Colors and contrast hold up well
• Dynamic range is narrow but HDR helps in outdoor scenes

Selfie Camera

• One of the stronger points in the camera setup
• Delivers sharp, colorful selfies with good skin tones
• Even in tricky lighting, the front camera holds its own
• Outperforms many budget rivals in this area

Low-Light & Night Mode

🌙 Main Camera (Auto & Night Mode):

• Night mode triggers automatically, brightening shadows
• Reduces noise but still produces soft, noisy images
• Color temperature and balance are often inconsistent
• We’ve seen better low-light processing from other brands in this price range

🌙 2x Zoom at Night:

• Highly compromised detail and excessive noise
• Night mode can’t save digital zoom in dark scenes

🌙 Ultrawide in Low Light:

• Grainy and soft regardless of mode
• HDR struggles, and color accuracy drops
• Not usable for anything beyond casual snaps

🎥 Video Recording

• Main Camera:
  • 4K @ 30fps (no EIS)
  • 1080p @ 30fps (with gyro-EIS)
• Ultrawide & Selfie Cameras:
  • 1080p @ 30fps max
• Video Quality Verdict:
  • 4K is sharp but unstable without EIS
  • Use 1080p for smoother clips with stabilization
  • No advanced shooting modes (slow-mo, pro video, etc.)

✅ Verdict:

The Galaxy A26 camera setup is serviceable for casual users, offering decent daylight photos and excellent selfies. However, the lack of telephoto, poor low-light performance, and limited ultrawide capability make it less ideal for photography enthusiasts.

6️⃣ Battery Life & Charging

The Samsung Galaxy A26 comes with a standard 5,000mAh battery and an energy-efficient Exynos 1380 chipset, but in real-world tests, its battery performance is underwhelming—especially compared to key rivals in the same price range.

Battery Specs

• Capacity: 5,000mAh
• Chipset: Exynos 1380 (5nm)
• Charger: 25W wired charging via Power Delivery (PPS supported)
• Charging brick: May vary by region (check official Samsung PH listings)

Battery Life – Active Use Test

The Active Use Score of just 10:44h places the A26 near the bottom of its class, with weaker performance in web browsing and video playback.

📊 Battery Life Comparison

📊 Samsung Galaxy A26 vs Rivals: Battery Life Chart

✅ Summary: While the A26 can last a full day with light to moderate use, almost all its competitors offer longer endurance—especially in web browsing and media playback.

Charging Speed

Despite supporting 25W fast charging, the Galaxy A26 lags behind the competition in speed tests.

📊 Charging Speed Comparison

✅ Charging Extras:
Samsung includes battery protection features such as:

• Charging limit to 80% or 90% to extend battery health
• Smart charging control based on user habits

✅ Verdict:

While the Galaxy A26 has dependable day-to-day battery life, it falls short in web browsing, video playback, and charging speed compared to its competition. Users looking for longer runtime or faster charging may want to consider alternatives like the Poco X7 Pro or Galaxy A55.

📌 Related: Best Phones with Big Batteries 2025 – Long-Lasting Power Champions

7️⃣ Software – Android 15 & One UI 7 Experience

The Samsung Galaxy A26 ships with the latest Android 15 and One UI 7 pre-installed, offering one of the best long-term software support packages in the budget segment. Samsung promises:

• ✅ 6 major Android OS upgrades
• ✅ 6 years of security updates

That’s flagship-level commitment for a budget phone—but keep in mind: while the updates are guaranteed, smooth performance after 6 OS versions on entry-level hardware is another story.

One UI 7 Experience

• Familiar interface for Samsung users
• New design tweaks and improved animations
• Updated Home screen, Quick Toggles, and Settings UI for 2025
• Navigation is mostly smooth, but not as fluid as higher-end Galaxy devices
• Day-to-day usage is fine, though some lag is noticeable in heavy multitasking

📱 Watch our One UI 7 Mobile Video Review – Best viewed on your phone!

Missing Features & AI Limitations

While the software experience is polished, hardware constraints mean you won’t get:

• Samsung Knox
• Secure Folder
• Full suite of Galaxy AI features (e.g., Live Translate, AI Zoom)

However, the A26 does include:

• ✅ Google’s Circle to Search
• ✅ Object Eraser in the Gallery (basic version)
• ✅ AI Select – upgraded Smart Select tool with:
  • Text recognition from photos
  • Instant photo clipping
  • GIF creation from Reels
  • AI wallpaper creation

🧠 AI Select is one of the most useful features introduced to entry-level Samsung phones this year.

📌 Related Reading: Samsung One UI Tips & Tricks | Galaxy S25 Series – Full One UI 7 AI Features

8️⃣ Connectivity & Extras

• 5G Support: Yes
• Wi-Fi 5, Bluetooth 5.3
• NFC: Yes
• SIM: Dual SIM with shared microSDXC slot
• Fingerprint Sensor: Side-mounted
• Audio: Mono speaker, 3.5mm headphone jack

9️⃣ Price & Availability in the Philippines

The Samsung Galaxy A26 is available in multiple RAM and storage configurations across Philippine retailers. Here’s a breakdown of pricing:

📦 Launch Offers & Warranty

• May come with a free gift bundle during first-week sale promos
• 1+1 Year Official Samsung Warranty on select purchases
• Charger inclusion may vary by region

💳 Installment Options

• Available via major credit cards & Lazada/Shopee Pay Later
• Up to 6-month installment plans starting at ₱1,499/month (estimated)

🛍️ Where to Buy

• Samsung PH Official Store
• Lazada & Shopee flagship stores
• Authorized Samsung retailers nationwide

With its AMOLED display, IP67 protection, and One UI 7, the Galaxy A26 brings a surprising level of polish and durability to the entry-level market—making it a strong choice for students and casual users.

🔗 Also check out: Samsung Price List 2025 | Smartphone Buying Guide Philippines 2025

🔟. Expert Verdict – Samsung Galaxy A26 Pros, Cons & Score

📊 Samsung Galaxy A26 Review Score Summary

⭐ Overall Rating: 7.7 / 10

The Samsung Galaxy A26 balances solid design, clean One UI software, and long-term update support, making it ideal for casual users and Samsung loyalists. But its underwhelming battery, sluggish performance, and missing stereo speakers prevent it from dominating the budget scene.

🏁 Final Verdict

If you’re looking for a reliable everyday phone with Samsung polish, IP67 durability, and long-term software support, the Galaxy A26 is a safe and practical choice. However, if your priorities include gaming, camera quality, or faster charging, there are stronger alternatives available in the ₱7K–₱10K price range.