Samsung is set to unveil its Galaxy S26 series at Unpacked later this week, but a YouTuber claims to have purchased the phone and is showcasing its features on social media.
Sahil Karoul bought what he says is an S26 Ultra on sale at a market in the United Arab Emirates and has been posting videos of it on X. Karoul reports that a design change means you can no longer insert the stylus however you want. Previous handsets, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra, let you plug the stylus into the phone nib first, with the button facing either up or down.
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Karoul found that the S Pen could still be inserted fully when placed incorrectly, but its curved end means it won’t sit flush with the rest of the phone until you insert it with the button facing up. It appears you can do so without any issues or warnings appearing on the phone.
The influencer also confirms that the Bluetooth features removed from the Galaxy S25 Ultra lineup are still missing on the S26 Ultra. Last year, Samsung told Android Police that “Bluetooth Low Energy is not supported on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as Samsung found that S Pen usage for BLE-enabled features was very low. In addition, Galaxy users are utilizing gesture controls on the Galaxy Ring and Galaxy Watch for hands-free photo capture instead.”
So, if you’re upgrading from a stylus-toting Samsung phone older than the S25 Ultra, be aware that you’ll lose these Bluetooth perks when you upgrade to the new phone.
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As for how Karoul got his hands on the phone, he says on X that he “paid a significant amount of money” for it, and has no qualms about leaking the details before its launch. “This phone is already selling openly in the market, and it’s being sold at a premium price,” he tweeted. “I paid for the phone, so it is legally mine, and I have the right to use it however I want.”
We’ll find out if the phone he purchased is legit on Feb. 25. Samsung’s Unpacked event is scheduled for 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET.
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