The Galaxy S26 series is outselling the Galaxy S25 in US, and it’s not a small margin

Source: 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 US sales, compared to 61 % for the S25 Ultra a year ago.
• This growth occurs despite price hikes for most Galaxy S26 models.

Early US Sales Performance

The Galaxy S26 series hit store shelves last month, and Samsung said the phones have seen more pre‑orders than the Galaxy S25 range. A recent report from Counterpoint Research confirms that actual sales performance matches the hype.

• Sales of the Galaxy S26 series grew 29 % in the US over the first three weeks of availability compared to the Galaxy S25 series during the same period.
• The Ultra model alone accounted for 71 % of all Galaxy S26 sales in that window, a full 10 % increase over the S25 Ultra’s share.

Counterpoint attributes the shift toward the Ultra to:

• Price increases for the S26 and S26 Plus models (the base S26 Ultra kept the same price as last year).
• The introduction of the Privacy Display, a feature unavailable on the other models.
• More aggressive carrier promotions for the S26 Ultra.

Market Context in the US

The US premium Android market is limited:

• The only other major Android flagship family available from US carriers is the Google Pixel series.
• OnePlus flagships are no longer sold through US networks.

Despite this narrow competition, the Galaxy S26 series still posted double‑digit sales growth in Western Europe, where consumers have a broader selection of flagship Android devices (Samsung, Google, OnePlus, Xiaomi, OPPO, vivo, HONOR, etc.).

Global Reception

Counterpoint associate director Sujeong Lim shared additional insights:

• Cumulative Samsung smartphone sales during the first three weeks of the Galaxy S26 launch were 4 % higher than those of the Galaxy S25 series in the same period of 2025.

Outlook

The data shows that more consumers are choosing the Galaxy S26 series over its predecessor, with the Ultra model driving the majority of that growth. The long‑term viability of the base and Plus models remains uncertain unless Samsung delivers substantial upgrades for them in future releases.