Samsung started its Galaxy A series as an affordable way for aspirational buyers to experience its crème de la crème without breaking the bank. With the Samsung Galaxy A26 5G, I believe the brand has gone full throttle towards this goal. The phone’s rear design mirrors the current aesthetic of the Samsung S series. It encompasses almost a full version of the One UI 7 with its AI features and promises of six years of updates. Its cameras are adequately stacked for varying conditions. As a garnish on top, the Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus guards its display against scratches and accidental drops.
Samsung Galaxy A26 5G
Rs 24,999
What Is Good?
- Exceptional Display with vibrant colours
- Intuitive user experience
- Good and reliable option for parents and grandparents
- Dependable cameras in daylight
- Attractive design with a robust body
- 6 Years of Software Support
What Is Bad?
- Performance is underwhelming while multitasking
- Bloatware
- Battery drains relatively quickly on moderate usage
- Mono speaker lacks depth in audio quality
- Low-light camera performance needs tweaking
- Better alternatives available
While it is very noble of Samsung to furnish features reserved for its ultra-premium offerings, this feat is achieved at the expense of some cost-cutting. Can these cost-saving methods be easily overlooked? Or did the brand fall short of delivering its promise? Read my review to find out.
Pricing and Availability in India
The Galaxy A26 5G is available in two storage variants on Flipkart, Samsung’s website and major retail chains. Here’s a look at pricing:
| Variant | Price |
| 8GB+128GB | Rs 24,999 |
| 8GB+256GB | Rs 27,999 |
Design and Build Quality
It’s 2025, yet Samsung has again incorporated the design language of its S series into this year’s Galaxy A series, including the Galaxy A26 5G. This trend traces back to 2023 when the Galaxy A54 was unveiled. However, this time, the brand has introduced a slight modification to the camera module of this latest generation. Each camera is now unified in one long camera island.
| Design | Specifications |
| Colour Options | White, Mint (reviewed), Peach Pink, and Black |
| Weight | 200g |
| Thickness | 7.7 mm |
| IP Rating | IP67 |
| Port and Button Placements | Bottom: Primary microphone, USB port, and speaker grille
Top: Secondary microphone Right side: Power button and volume button Left side: SIM Card tray |
Among mid-range smartphones, the Galaxy A26 5G stands out as a sophisticated gentleman whose dapper, minimalistic design attracts folks. While the phone resembles the Galaxy S25, the brand has given its rear a glossy treatment to distinguish it from its premium sibling. In doing so, Samsung did something fantastic.
During my time using this phone, I didn’t notice any glaring fingerprint smudges on its back. These pesky imperfections remained subdued even when the light reflected off them.
The Galaxy A26 5G is made of plastic, yet it feels sturdy in my hand. I never gave its safety a second thought, as I was convinced it could easily survive accidental drops.
Additionally, the adequate weight distribution lends the phone a premium feel. With an IP67 rating against dust and water, using it in torrential rain won’t worry anyone. That said, it is essential to highlight that the sub-Rs 25,000 segment has phones with an IP68 rating or above, and they are not in the minority.
Display and Audio Quality
Picking up the Galaxy A26 5G by its front can urge folks to reminisce about their golden era in 2018 because the phone feels dated with its teardrop notch and thick chin. I have been using the Galaxy A52s 5G as my daily driver, and it appears more futuristic with its punch-hole design and relatively slimmer chin.
| Display | Specifications |
| Size | 6.7-inch |
| Type | Super AMOLED |
| Resolution | Full HD+ resolution (1080 x 2340 pixels) |
| Refresh Rate | 120Hz |
| Display Protection | Corning Gorilla Glass Victus Plus |
| Peak Brightness | Claimed: NA, Tested: 1141 nits |
| Minimum brightness | 02 nits |
While it may distance you with this quirky trait, it will instantly pull you in with its exceptional viewing experience. I was delighted to catch up with my YouTube watch list on the Galaxy A26 5G, as each scene emerged with vibrant colours and sharp visuals. This is a department where Samsung has never cut any corners.
When I completed my YouTube watch list, I realised 40 per cent brightness was sufficient to my liking. Otherwise, going a notch above started irritating my eyes. I mean, the display can hit 1141 nits of peak brightness, so this is a no-brainer observation.
Samsung may win accolades for this display, but it can’t win hearts with its multimedia experience. The mono speaker is at fault for this, which is quite disappointing since phones in the sub-Rs 15,000 segment also often include stereo speakers. To add insult to injury, it wasn’t loud, even at full volume, and the audio quality lacked depth.
Performance and Software
The Galaxy A26 5G is not winning any trophies for its performance. And, that’s completely fine because its not aimed at people wanting to play graphic-intensive games. This is a perfect choice for parents or grandparents who just want a reliable device.
That said, the A26 still handles most of the tasks I do on a phone quite swiftly, without any lag or stutter. But as you try to do multiple things simultaneously, it suddenly shows that it isn’t built for this purpose. Performance declines within a few instances of multitasking, and either of your apps feels jittery.
| Hardware | Specifications |
| Processor | Exynos 1380 |
| RAM | 8GB |
| Storage | Up to 256GB UFS 2.2 |
| Storage Test | 49278 |
| CPU Throttling Test | 76 per cent of its max performance |
| Software Version | One UI 7 based on Android 15 |
| Connectivity Details | Bluetooth 5.3 |
| Number of Software Updates | Six years of OS updates and six years of security updates |
Regarding the benchmark round, it delivers a modest score compared to its rivals.
I tried playing BGMI on this phone at the lowest graphical settings. It could run the game at 60fps, but the frame rate wasn’t consistent in my playthrough.
At one moment, it dropped to 44fps when I was just coasting the landscape with my car. In a nutshell, it suits casual gamers who seek high scores in games like Subway Surfers and Candy Crush.
Samsung’s core strength has always been its software, which is somewhat retained in the Galaxy A26 5G. In my usage, the app opening animation executed fluidly. Even navigating through the entire user interface was seamless.
The quantity of AI features is low, but they are nifty, like the AI select, which lets you extract text from the screenshot, convert it to a GIF and much more. This is quite a handy feature, something we mentioned in our Galaxy S25 Ultra review, too.
On a side note, I love that I can easily reach each component of One UI 7 despite the large display. The entire system has been built for a flawless one-handed experience. Moreover, its familiar yet intuitive system always wins my heart because it hardly takes my entire mental capacity to search for one particular setting.
What I didn’t like about the software experience in the Galaxy A26 5G is the sheer number of pre-installed apps. It is unfortunate to see Samsung joining the ranks of companies like Vivo and Realme for shoving unnecessary apps. Spammy notifications constantly refilled my notification panel, causing annoyance.
On a side note, the fingerprint scanner takes over five attempts to recognise me, even when my thumb is pristine. I hope Samsung irons out this issue with a software update.
Camera
The Galaxy A26 5G features a triple camera setup on the rear, with the primary camera doing the heavy lifting.
| Cameras | Specifications |
| Primary camera | 50-megapixel, f/1.8 (OIS) |
| Secondary camera | 8-megapixel, Ultra-wide, f/2.2 |
| Tertiary camera | 2-megapixel, Macro, f/2.4 |
| Selfie camera | 13-megapixel, f/2.2 |
| Video capabilities | 4K at 30fps for the rear and 1080p at 30fps for the front camera |
The primary camera captures subtle yet almost realistic colours in daylight conditions. It also does a great job of retaining details in the shadow. Speaking of retaining, its HDR tuning manages exposure well. So the details in the subject still appear in the image, despite the overblown background.
The ultra-wide snapper functions similarly to its primary sibling, capturing almost true-to-life colours. However, edge distortion is noticeable, and details at the edges appear comparatively less sharp. Additionally, it struggles to manage the dynamic range in bright sunlight, causing subjects in shadow to appear less detailed.
In low light, the camera’s performance becomes average. The primary sensor captures all the details it can see in ample lighting. Even the colours stay almost real in these photographs.
As the light reduces in brightness, noise creeps in instantly. Moreover, the images clicked in this scenario lack details, which is apparent when you slightly zoom in on them. Also, it hates subtle motion, as it takes just a few seconds to generate hazy photos.
The portrait mode is decent when you calmly click photographs of your subject, as edge detection is on point. However, if you shake a bit, the subject’s certain portion instantly becomes hazy.
The front camera takes appealing selfies in adequate lighting, but stumbles in managing exposure. So your selfie may have an overblown background.
Battery and Charging
The Galaxy A26 5G is surprisingly an average performer in this department. It shares the exact battery capacity with the Nothing Phone (3a), yet the latter lasted almost 11 hours more in our PCMark Battery test.
| Battery | Specifications |
| Capacity | 5,000mAh |
| PCMark Battery Test | 10 Hours 54 Minutes |
| Charger Support | 25W |
| Charging Speed | 1 hour 32 minutes |
It is a little challenging to squeeze more than a day’s battery life in moderate usage, as it depletes relatively faster than its competitors. So, keeping a charger handy becomes a necessity in this case. However, you have to purchase one, as the phone’s retail box does not include a charger.
I used a 68W PD charger to charge the phone. It took me an hour and 32 minutes to charge it completely, which is still fine.
Verdict
The Samsung Galaxy A26 5G is a perfect choice if you want to give your teenagers their first smartphone or purchase one for your parents or grandparents. Its user interface is intuitive and well-designed for one-handed usage. The phone can capture pleasing images in daylight. The phone’s display is tremendous for its vibrant colour and brightness. And the 120Hz refresh rate keeps things buttery smooth. All of these features come in a stylish yet minimalist outer shell.
However, you get all these appealing features with some compromises on the side: While the software is easy and one-handed reachable, it brims with pre-installed apps. The phone performs adequately for normal usage but slows down when overwhelmed with tasks. Moreover, its battery drains relatively faster on moderate usage than its rival. The mono speaker doesn’t cut it for a satisfying multimedia experience. The cameras struggle to capture crisp images in low-light conditions.
If you want an all-rounder phone for yourself with a clean UI, opt for the Motorola Edge 60 Fusion. The Nothing Phone (3a) suits folks seeking a well-rounded smartphone with some speedy performance. But you’ll miss out on the longevity that the Galaxy A26 offers.
