I want better Samsung phones, but these new sales numbers show why we won’t get them

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Years ago, I considered Samsung’s flagships as the best Android smartphones to beat. But that idea has seemed increasingly nostalgic as competitors in other markets overtake the company’s smartphones when it comes to hardware specs. Sometimes, even budget and mid-range devices have features that make Samsung’s phones seem outdated in comparison.

Despite the yearning among many for Samsung to return to its history of innovation, that’s unlikely to happen anytime soon. And the key reason lies in its sales.

Earlier this year, Samsung launched its Galaxy S26 series with higher prices, a continued focus on AI, and minor hardware changes. The S26 Ultra brought a welcome increase in charging speeds and introduced new Privacy Display technology, but left many fans wishing Samsung had done more on the hardware front. For example, the S26 Ultra still carries a 5,000mAh battery, something that has been the standard since the first Ultra phone launched back in 2020.

Meanwhile, Chinese companies have used higher-capacity silicon-carbon batteries for years, to the point that HONOR’s budget X9d, launched in 2025, carries an 8,300mAh battery. This made Samsung’s reluctance to increase its battery capacity seem increasingly stubborn in comparison.

We eventually got the dawn of silicon-carbon batteries in Samsung phones with the launch of the company’s latest foldables. But even with this step forward, the Z Flip 8 didn’t see an increase in its battery capacity compared to the Flip 7.

The Z Fold 8 and Z Fold 8 Ultra did get a nice bump, from 4,400mAh on the Fold 7 to 4,800mAh on the Fold 8 and 5,000mAh on the Fold 8 Ultra. At the same time, the Z Fold 8 makes compromises that make it a no-go for me, like the lack of a telephoto camera. Samsung has also not achieved a dust-tight rating for its foldables, leaving these expensive devices much more vulnerable than I’d like.

Meanwhile, Chinese competitors outpace Samsung’s most expensive devices on multiple fronts. While the S26 Ultra offers 5x optical zoom on its 50MP lens, the OPPO Find X9 Ultra offers 10x optical zoom on its 50MP lens and 3x optical zoom on its 200MP lens. Flagships from OPPO, HONOR, and Xiaomi carry larger batteries with faster charging. When it comes to their foldables, you’ll usually find larger batteries, higher IP ratings, and more flexible camera setups.