The true Ultra phone?
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is here and it's one hell of a flagship. It's twice the size of the Razr Ultra 2025 and features far superior cameras, a more powerful processor, bigger battery, and much longer software update support.
Pros
- Slimmer and lighter than the S245 Ultra
- Seven years of software support
- 60W wired and 25W wireless charging is a big step up
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC delivers amazing performance
- Wider aperture for main and tele cameras should offer quality boost
Cons
- 16GB RAM only for 1TB variant
- Battery capacity is the same
- No change to selfie camera
- Expensive
- Not as compact as the Razr Ultra
Fun-sized power
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 features a flagship Qualcomm chip, very good dust and water proofing, a fabulous folding screen, and all-day battery life. It's sleeker and more compact than the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the outer display lets you get a lot done without ever needing to unfold the phone.
Pros
- Design improvements with IP48, wood and Alcantara finishes
- The titanium-reinforced hinge feels much sturdier
- All-day battery and fast charging
- Functional cover screen
- Some fun and unique AI features
- Punchy images and the return of the ultrawide sensor
Cons
- Moto AI feels less mature than Samsung and Google offerings
- AI Key feels like a wasted opportunity
- Software promise falls behind the competition
- Expensive
Comparing the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 might seem unfair at first since they are each designed for very different demographics. But considering they both cost upwards of $1,000 and have flagship SoCs, you might find yourself in a conundrum deciding between more cameras or a smaller size.
With the Galaxy S26 Ultra finally here, it's definitely a beast of a phone especially with the new Snapdragon chip. But the Razr Ultra 2025 also sports a flagship Qualcomm chip that's equally potent for gaming. Plus, the Razr has the ability to fold in half, making it smaller and lighter to carry with you.
If you're still finding it tough to decide between the two, here's everything you need to know about how these two phones compare.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025: Design and display
The Galaxy S26 Ultra gets a slight design makeover with gentler curves along the corners and an even slimmer and lighter design. This is much needed, given how the existing Ultra isn't the most ergonomic for everyday use. The S26 Ultra is 7.9mm thick and weighs 214 grams. This is only slightly heavier and thicker than the Razr Ultra, which is saying a lot.
The display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra should also be more durable than the one on the Razr Ultra 2025. Since it doesn't have to fold, Samsung is able to use a stronger glass over the display that won't indent if you apply pressure with your fingernail. This, along with the anti-reflective coating, should make the S26 Ultra's display far more legible under sunlight and stronger for everyday use.
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is hands-down one of the best foldable phones to launch in 2025. It's built extremely well with aluminum, glass, and a titanium-reinforced hinge for added durability. It is thicker than the Galaxy S26 Ultra when folded, but once opened, it's a bit slimmer at 7.2mm. It's not too heavy either, at roughly 199 grams. The Razr Ultra 2025 is much easier to live with thanks to its compact size when folded, and even in this state, it's highly functional thanks to the outer screen.
The cover display is 4 inches and encircles the two cameras. You can reply to texts, check Maps for navigation, or even use it as a viewfinder for the cameras. This display is highly versatile, durable, and has a higher refresh rate than the S26 Ultra's display.
The folding screen should be slightly larger than Samsung's, measuring around 7 inches. This AMOLED panel features a taller aspect ratio than the Galaxy, and it gets exceptionally bright, boasting a quick 165Hz refresh rate. While it is protected by an Ultrathin Glass (UTG), it's still 'softer' than a traditional display glass, which means you can cause some permanent scarring with your fingernails if you're not careful.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025: Performance and specs
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra uses a custom version of Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, just like previous generations. The standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 promises a 20% boost in CPU and GPU performance, while using 20% less power. There's 12GB of RAM for the 256GB and 512GB storage tiers, but 16GB of RAM for the 1TB storage variant. Samsung has kept the pricing the same as before as the Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,299.99, which is good news.
The Razr Ultra 2025 uses the Snapdragon 8 Elite SoC, which is actually a flagship chip for 2025 from Qualcomm. Although it may not achieve a high enough score in benchmarks compared to the Galaxy, it's equally suitable for gaming and multitasking. The Razr Ultra also features 16GB of RAM, providing ample headroom for the years to come. When we tested it, we didn't notice any lag or slowdowns, even in graphically intensive games.
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 launched at $1,299 for the 512GB variant and $1,499 for the 1TB variant. Today, you can get either variant for as low as $1,099.99 on Motorola's website with the right deal, and maybe even lower during upcoming holiday sales like Black Friday. This makes it a better value than the Galaxy S26 Ultra, if you just compare the storage tiers. The Razr Ultra comes in four colors, including a wooden finish called Pantone Mountain Trail.
Category |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra |
Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 |
|---|---|---|
Display |
6.9-inch QHD+ AMOLED, 120Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate |
7-inch LTPO AMOLED, 165Hz Adaptive Refresh Rate, 4,500 nits peak brightness (inner display); 4-inch LTPO AMOLED, 165Hz refresh rate, up to 3,000 nits peak |
Processor |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
RAM |
12GB / 16GB |
16GB |
Storage |
Up to 1TB |
512GB / 1TB |
Rear Camera 1 |
200MP, f/1.4,(wide) |
50MP, f/1.8, 24mm (wide) |
Rear Camera 2 |
10MP, f/2.4, 3x (telephoto) |
50MP, f/2.0 (ultrawide) |
Rear Camera 3 |
50MP, f/2.9, 5x (periscope telephoto) |
|
Rear Camera 4 |
50MP, f/1.9 (ultrawide) |
|
Front Camera |
12MP, f/2.2 |
50MP, f/2.0 |
Ingress Protection |
IP68 |
IP48 |
Connectivity |
5G (sub-6GHz, mmWave), Wi-Fi 7, UWB, Bluetooth 6.0 |
5G (sub-6GHz), Wi-Fi 7, UWB, Bluetooth 5.4 |
Battery |
5,000mAh |
4,700mAh |
Charging |
60W, Qi 2.2 Magnetic Compatibility w/ 25W wireless speeds |
68W wired, 30W wireless |
Dimensions |
163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm |
171.5 x 74 x 7.2 mm (unfolded) ; 88.1 x 74 x 15.7 mm (folded) |
Weight |
214 grams |
199 grams |
OS |
One UI 8.5 w/ Android 16 |
Android 15 |
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra retains the same battery capacity as its predecessor, which is 5,000mAh. This is larger than what Motorola offers and should lead to better battery life overall. Charging speed has gone up to 60W, along with wireless charging speeds which is now 25W.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra ships with the latest One UI software, based on Android 16, and will receive seven years of OS and security upgrades. Samsung currently offers some of the best on-device AI features, after Google, and there are some exciting new ones that's exclusive to the S26 series.
We found the Razr Ultra 2025 to deliver pretty good, all-day battery life from the 4,700mAh capacity. You also get a crazy-fast 68W wired charging and 30W wireless charging, though Qi2 charging is absent. Motorola's software has always been lean, which continues with the Ultra 2025. There's a dedicated AI Key that lets you jump straight into AI features, such as Playlist Studio, Image Studio, and more. We didn't find the features as helpful or useful compared to the ones offered by Samsung.
Motorola has only promised three OS upgrades and four years of security updates for the Razr Ultra 2025, which is decent but not as good as Samsung's promise.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025: Cameras
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 has just two outer cameras: a wide and an ultrawide. They are good for casual shooting and sharing on social, but telephoto shots won't be as good as what the S26 Ultra will offer without dedicated hardware. We found the images taken with the Razr to be punchy and detailed, and low-light performance was decent, too. The AI lets you take sharp photos of fast-moving subjects and better group shots. Video recording performance is pretty solid, too, with the Razr being able to shoot up to 8K 30fps.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra had a pretty solid camera system to begin with, as Samsung fixed most of the issues plaguing this series in the past. The Galaxy S26 Ultra carries forth most of the same cameras, but with some changes to a few of them. The main 200MP sensor now has a wider f/1.4 aperture and so does the 50MP 5x telephoto camera. In thoery, this should allow for crisper low-light photos with less noise and we can't wait to test it out.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Motorola Razr Ultra 2025: Which one should you buy?
Like I said at the start, the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Razr Ultra 2025 are built for different sets of users. If you're looking for a powerful phone that'll handle all the latest Android games in a compact body and be value for money, I could not recommend the Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 enough. It boasts one of the best cover displays on any folding phone, rivaling the main display of many other flagship devices today. Battery life is quite good, it charges quickly, and the current price drop makes it even more desirable.
It's not without its weaknesses, though. The folding display is never going to be as sturdy as the cover screen, the lack of a telephoto camera limits your photography experience, and the software update commitment is not as long as some of its peers. The Galaxy S26 Ultra easily addresses all of this and more. If you plan to hold on to your phone for more than four or five years, I recommend checking out the Galaxy S26 Ultra first.
The future is here
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't change the game but it definitely adds more refinement to an already polished series. It's more powerful, has faster charging, and certainly has better cameras.
Best compact flagship
The Motorola Razr Ultra 2025 is the best compact flagship one could hope for. It packs incredible performance, decent battery life, fast charging, and capable cameras for its size.
