The 25W wireless charging feature of the Galaxy S26 Ultra may not perform as claimed.

      Samsung's newest flagship makes achieving 25W wireless charging more complicated than necessary.

      With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung rolled out several updates related to the battery and charging capabilities, including a slight increase in battery size and improvements in both wired and wireless charging speeds.

      After years of user feedback, Samsung's latest model finally upgraded wireless charging to 25W, a significant leap from the previous 15W standard that had been used across its high-end devices. However, users may find it challenging to achieve those speeds.

      So, what’s the issue?

      A Reddit user pointed out that the S26 Ultra’s wireless charging performance is heavily reliant on compatible chargers, cases, and precise alignment. Consequently, many users may never experience the advertised 25W wireless charging unless these specific conditions are satisfied. Thus, Samsung is not misleading users, nor is there a hardware fault; it all hinges on compatibility.

      A feature that requires conditions to work

      Although the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports 25W wireless charging, it does not have complete native Qi2 magnetic alignment. This means that owners must buy a compatible charger and power adapter, as well as a case that aligns the magnets correctly. The Reddit user mentioned that their S26 Ultra, when used with a dbrand case, never reached the claimed 25W wireless charging speeds, topping out at 15W.

      Switching to the official Samsung case, however, allowed them to achieve the full charging speed. This indication suggests the issue lies not with the phone or the charger itself, but with magnetic alignment and positioning. Dbrand's official response clarified that even minor discrepancies can hinder the phone from achieving 25W speeds.

      In summary, your charging performance could greatly vary based on the case, charger, and exact positioning of the phone. While this doesn’t imply that the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 25W wireless charging doesn’t function, it comes with a caveat. Users may experience more trial and error in real-world usage than they might expect.

      Tech journalist and product reviewer specializing in consumer electronics, Sean has covered a wide range of flagship devices and more.

      The VPN issues on your phone are reportedly an unresolved bug in Android 16

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      Samsung will offer rentals of the Galaxy S26 Ultra at half the retail price for a year

      However, users may find it less advantageous when comparing the costs of purchasing against renting (taking into account the additional Galaxy Forever program fee) and the lower resale value after a year.

      Samsung has introduced a new strategy to attract more customers to the Galaxy S26 series in one of its primary markets. In a press release issued today, the company announced a "Galaxy Forever" program in India.

      While the name may be somewhat misleading, it essentially functions as an ownership or periodic upgrade initiative allowing customers to acquire the Galaxy S26 Ultra (priced from $1502) or Galaxy S26 Plus (starting at $1,288) by paying 50% of the device's cost upfront, spread over 12 months without interest. The standard Galaxy S26 is not part of this program.

      Nothing CEO Carl Pei claims AI agents will soon replace your apps

      Carl Pei suggests that our smartphones are outdated, and that AI is the solution.

      According to Nothing's CEO Carl Pei, the smartphones we currently use are hardly different from the Palm Pilots and PDAs that were prevalent two decades ago, with the same lock screens, home screens, app stores, and full-screen apps. He believes this stagnation in the industry's evolution over the last 20 years calls for a change, and he is convinced that AI is the answer. Speaking at SXSW, Pei boldly predicted that apps will eventually become obsolete. While he doesn’t expect this to happen immediately, he insists that the trajectory is clear, warranting the attention of industry founders.