Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- Early sales of the Galaxy S26 series are reportedly 29% higher in the US than early sales of the Galaxy S25 range.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra accounted for 71% of early sales in the market, compared to 61% for the S25 Ultra a year ago.
- The news comes despite price hikes for most Galaxy S26 models.
Counterpoint Research reported that sales of the Galaxy S26 series grew 29% in the US over the first three weeks of availability compared to Galaxy S25 series sales during the same period. Check out the firm’s graphic below.
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The graphic also notes that the Ultra model accounted for 71% of all Galaxy S26 series models sold during this initial period. That’s a full 10% more than the Galaxy S25 Ultra during its first few weeks on sale. Counterpoint says price increases for the S26 and S26 Plus are a big reason why people are switching to the Ultra. Samsung indeed hiked the price of most models, although the base Galaxy S26 Ultra maintains the same price as last year’s model. The firm added that the Privacy Display was also another key selling point that wasn’t available on the other models. Furthermore, the S26 Ultra has apparently received more carrier sales promotions than its predecessors.
It’s also worth noting that the US market isn’t exactly swimming in premium Android phones. The only other major Android flagship family available at US carriers is the Google Pixel series, while OnePlus flagships are no longer available from networks. However, Counterpoint adds that the Galaxy S26 series still saw double-digit sales growth in Western Europe. And this region has plenty of flagship Android options from Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, and HONOR.
What about the global reception to the Galaxy S26 series? Counterpoint associate director Sujeong Lim revealed some details:
Cumulative Samsung smartphone sales during the first three weeks of the Galaxy S26 series launch were 4% higher than those of the Galaxy S25 series during the same period in 2025.
In any event, it’s clear that more people are buying the Galaxy S26 series at this stage than the Galaxy S25 range. However, the Ultra model is doing most of the heavy lifting, and we do wonder about the long-term viability of the base and Plus models if Samsung doesn’t bring major upgrades next year.
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