At a glance
Expert’s Rating
Pros
- Long battery life
- Modern design with IP67 rating
- Clean software
- Six years of updates
Cons
- Poor performance under load
- Display lacks brightness
- Cameras disappoint in low light
Our Verdict
The Galaxy A26 is cheap and stylish, but its performance and dim display hold it back. While it gets the job done for basic users, better alternatives exist in the same price range.
Price When Reviewed
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Best Pricing Today
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy A26
The Galaxy A26 is one of Samsung’s 2025 attempts to compete in the budget smartphone space.
Sitting below the popular A36 and A56 models but above the A16 and A16 5G , this entry-level device tries to deliver the basics at a price that won’t break the bank. It arrives with a modern, if basic, design, a large display, and long battery life. And as you’d expect from Samsung, it benefits from a clean Android experience and years of software updates.
But underneath that glossy Samsung polish is a phone that’s simply not up to scratch. The processor is underpowered for even casual multitasking, the cameras struggle outside of perfect lighting, and the display, while large, lacks the punch and clarity seen in rivals of a similar price.
It’s a phone that works well for very light users or those who just want something functional for calls, texts, and the occasional WhatsApp message. But for anything more, the Galaxy A26 starts to show its age and limitations.
Note: Our Galaxy A26 review sample was supplied by Three UK , but it had no say in how we reviewed the device.
Design & Build
- Modern, flagship-esque styling
- Now glass on the rear
- Still includes Micro-SD port
At first glance, the Galaxy A26 doesn’t look like a sub-£300 phone. It borrows Samsung’s clean design language from its more expensive siblings, with three vertically stacked rear cameras, a subtle Samsung logo, and a glossy finish on the back.
While the frame is still plastic, Samsung has upgraded the back of the phone to Gorilla Glass Victus+ (also found on the front). It feels well-built and impressively premium.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
I tested the ‘Mint’ model, a subtle blue-green finish that looks really nice. But standard ‘Black’ and ‘White’ models are also available if you’d prefer. While it’s possible to use the phone case-free, I’d recommend applying a case.
The Galaxy A26 is 7.7mm thick and weighs 200g, making it comfortable to hold and light enough for all-day use. The side-mounted fingerprint scanner is integrated into the power button and works consistently, while the volume rocker sits just above it on the right-hand side.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
They’re both slightly extended on a notch, which is helpful for getting a good grip on the handset. A USB-C port sits on the bottom, along with a single speaker (a downgrade on the A25).
There’s an IP67 rating, which is nice to see on a phone this affordable, but no wireless charging, which you wouldn’t expect at this budget level. More importantly, after using the phone, it feels like using one that can survive everyday drops and scrapes.
This is a well-built phone, even if it doesn’t push boundaries – and for less than £300, that’s fine
This is a well-built phone from Samsung, even if it doesn’t push boundaries, and for less than £300, that’s fine. It’ll more than get the job done for its target audience.
Screen
- 6.7-inch AMOLED display
- Full HD+ (1080×2340) resolution and 120Hz refresh rate
- Good for watching videos and scrolling, but visible pixelation
The Galaxy A26 features a 6.7-inch Super AMOLED panel with a 1080×2340 resolution and an increasingly common 120Hz refresh rate.
That’s a solid spec sheet for a budget phone in 2025, and suggests it’ll be one of the handset’s key strengths.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Unfortunately, it’s not as impressive as I was hoping. Colours on the A26’s screen appear muted, and viewing angles are fairly narrow. Whites have a greyish tone, and blacks quickly become washed out in dim lighting or exceptionally bright lights.
The display is usable for YouTube, web browsing, and messages, but everything feels a little soft and dated. Despite the resolution, pixelation is visible when reading text or watching content close-up, which really lets the phone down.
It gets just bright enough for indoor use, but struggles under direct sunlight. The screen also lacks any form of HDR support, so streaming content won’t benefit from dynamic colour improvements either.
There’s a waterdrop notch at the top, which feels fairly modern, but a thick chin of bezel at the other end gives away its budget nature. If you’re used to watching videos or reading on more premium phones, this display will feel like a step back.
Specs & Performance
- Exynos 1380 chipset
- 6/8GB RAM
- 128/256GB of storage
- Slows down quickly with multitasking or gaming
Under the hood, the Galaxy A26 is powered by the Exynos 1380 – an octa-core chip that debuted in 2023 and is starting to show its age now.
It’s paired with either 6GB (in the US) or 8GB (in the UK) of RAM and either 128- or 256GB of storage (again US and UK, respectively), so the American market gets shafted there.
Luckily, you can expand storage using a Micro-SD card. It’s nice to see in a 2025 phone, and necessary if you need more than 256GB.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Performance is fine for simple tasks such as texting, scrolling social media, or watching YouTube on low resolution. But as soon as you want to open multiple apps, load image-heavy websites, or switch between a few tasks, the smartphone begins to lag, and noticeably so. App load times become much slower, scrolling can stutter, and even opening the camera sometimes takes a second too long.
Gaming performance on the Galaxy A26 is very limited. Casual titles such as Subway Surfers run okay, but anything more demanding, like Call of Duty: Mobile or PUBG Mobile, struggles with frame drops and long load times, even on the lowest settings.
Cameras
- 50Mp main camera
- 8Mp ultrawide, 2Mp macro
- 13Mp selfie lens
The Galaxy A26 features a triple rear camera system – but only one of them really matters.
The main 50Mp sensor does most of the heavy lifting, while the 8Mp ultrawide and 2Mp macro lenses add little value in practice. It’s something we’ve seen on plenty of smartphones at this price point, but it’s disappointing nonetheless.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
In good lighting, the main camera can take pretty solid images for a budget phone. Colours are accurate, detail is acceptable, and autofocus is reasonably quick. But when you start to zoom in or view the image on a larger display, you can notice the lack of detail.
In anything less than ideal lighting, though, quality drops fast. Low-light photos are noisy, blurry, and often unusable. Night Mode is present, but it does little to salvage dark scenes. Indoors, photos often lack detail and appear washed out.
Portrait mode can deliver pleasing results when the conditions are right, with decent subject separation. I was actually quite impressed by the edge detection, which is better than more expensive handsets – that’s down to Samsung’s quality software processing.
The 2Mp macro lens is more of a spec-sheet filler than a useful tool, like many other budget smartphones. Focus is fiddly, detail is poor, and image quality isn’t worth the effort. In all honesty, I never found myself wanting to use the camera intentionally beyond testing it out.
The front-facing 13Mp camera is average for selfies and video calls, but highlights blow out easily and low-light performance is weak.
Video recording tops out at 4K/30fps on the rear camera and 1080p/30fps, but with no stabilisation, footage tends to be shaky unless you stand very still.
Battery Life & Charging
- 5000mAh battery
- 25W wired charging via USB-C port
- No wireless or reverse charging
Battery life is a rare strength for the Galaxy A26. With a 5000mAh battery and a relatively power-efficient chipset, this phone comfortably lasts a full day or longer on a single charge.
In fact, after using this phone for a couple of weeks, it managed to hold its charge for over a week while in Airplane Mode. Light users will easily hit 48 hours of usage before needing to juice up.
Charging, on the other hand, is slow. The A26 supports only 25W wired charging, and it takes around one hour 30 minutes to fully recharge from flat. That’s the same pace as most Qi wireless charging these days.
Making things worse, there’s no charging brick included in the UK box – just a USB-C cable. While we expect this from flagship phones these days, many budget phones do include them.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
There’s no wireless charging (understandably for a budget phone), and no reverse wired charging either. Still, the long battery life makes it one of the more reliable budget phones for those who want to avoid daily charging.
Software & Features
- Android 15 with One UI 7
- Clean software
- Six years of OS and security updates
The Galaxy A26 ships with Android 15, overlaid with Samsung’s One UI 7 (or One UI 6 in some regions).
It’s the full One UI skin used on higher-end Galaxy models. It retains Samsung’s familiar look, with rounded icons, good accessibility options, and a relatively clean aesthetic.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Bloatware is also relatively limited. You do get the Samsung basics like Galaxy Store, Notes, and SmartThings, alongside Google’s default apps, but no third-party apps like Booking.com as you’d find on budget phones from other brands.
The UI runs smoothly on the hardware (within reason), and transitions are clean if a little slow at times.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
However, one area where Samsung excels is software updates. The A26’s six years of OS and security are by far the best at this price point, and a key reason to buy the Galaxy A26 over non-Samsung phones.
Price & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy A26 is available now in the UK with a recommended retail price of £299/$299.99.
It’s just about cheap enough for Tech Advisor to consider it a budget phone , but the impressive Nothing Phone (3a) is only slightly more expensive.
More affordable alternatives include the CMF Phone 2 Pro , Xiaomi Redmi Note 13 5G and Samsung’s own Galaxy A16 5G .
Should you buy the Samsung Galaxy A26?
The Samsung Galaxy A26 delivers a solid, dependable Android experience at a low price, but you have to accept its limitations. Its sluggish performance and average camera setup mean it’s best suited to very light users.
There’s still a lot to like: clean (if limited) Samsung software, long battery life, a surprisingly nice design, and class-leading software support. But with rivals offering more powerful specs or better screens at similar prices, the A26 struggles to stand out.
It’s a safe choice for those who value simplicity over speed, but not one that earns a strong recommendation. It’s much harder to recommend in the US, where it’s only available in black in a 6/128GB model.
Specs
- One UI 7, based on Android 15
- 6.7-inch, 1080 x 2340 AMOLED display, 120Hz
- Samsung Exynos 1380
- 6/8GB RAM
- 128/256GB storage (expandable via Micro-SD)
- 50Mp main rear camera
- 8Mp ultrawide camera
- 2Mp macro camera
- 13Mp front-facing camera
- Mono speaker
- Wi-Fi 6
- Bluetooth 5.3
- 5000mAh battery
- 25W wired charging
- 164 x 77.5 x 7.7mm
- 200g
- Colours: Black, Mint, White
Best Prices Today: Samsung Galaxy A26
Author: Connor Jewiss, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Connor is a technology writer and editor, with a byline on multiple platforms. He has been writing for around seven years now across the web and in print too. Connor has experience on most major platforms, though does hold a place in his heart for macOS, iOS/iPadOS, electric vehicles, and smartphone tech. Just like everyone else around here, he’s a fan of gadgets of all sorts. Aside from writing, Connor is involved in the startup scene, which puts him at the front of new and exciting tech - he is always on the lookout for innovative products.
Recent stories by Connor Jewiss:
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