Samsung galaxy s26 plus vs s24 plus: should you upgrade?

Design and size

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus looks very similar to its predecessor, the S24 Plus. The main difference is the new pill-shaped camera bump, along with a slightly different color palette.

Dimensions: 158.4 x 75.7 mm (S26+) vs 158.5 x 75.9 mm (S24+)
Thickness: 7.35 mm (rumored) vs 7.7 mm (S24+)
Weight: Around 190 grams (rumored) vs 196 grams (S24+)

Display

Expect the same 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED display on both phones, likely with a 120Hz refresh rate and 3000 nits peak brightness.

Performance and software

The Galaxy S26 Plus is expected to feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in North America and China, while Europe will get the Exynos 2600. RAM and storage remain the same at 12GB and 256/512GB, respectively.

Android version: 16 with OneUI 8 (rumored) vs 15 (S24+)
Software updates: 7 years of major updates (rumored) vs 2 years (S24+ currently)

Camera

Rumors suggest the S26 Plus won't have major camera upgrades, sticking with the same triple-camera setup.

Main camera: 50 MP, f/1.8, 24 mm (rumored) vs same on S24+
Ultrawide camera: 12 MP, f/2.2, 13 mm (rumored) vs same on S24+
Telephoto camera: 10 MP, f/2.4, 67 mm (rumored) vs same on S24+

Battery life and charging

The S26 Plus is expected to have the same 4,900 mAh battery as the S24 Plus, with 45W wired and 15W wireless charging.

Specs comparison table

Spec	Samsung Galaxy S26+	Samsung Galaxy S24+
Dimensions	158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm	158.5 x 75.9 x 7.7 mm
Weight	190.0 g	196.0 g
Display	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, 3000 nits	6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED, 120Hz, 2600 nits
Chipset	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (NA/China), Exynos 2600 (Europe)	Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 3
RAM & Storage	12GB, 256/512GB UFS 4.0	12GB, 256/512GB UFS 4.0
OS & Updates	Android 16, OneUI 8, 7 years of updates	Android 15, 2 years of updates
Battery	4900 mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless	4900 mAh, 45W wired, 15W wireless
Camera	50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP telephoto	50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, 10 MP telephoto

Summary

While the Galaxy S26 Plus brings some minor upgrades, it's hard to justify an upgrade from the S24 Plus for most users, given the similarities in features and performance.