Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra dominates pre-orders, making up 70% of S26-series units sold. The flagship model features a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in Europe and a Privacy Display globally, unlike competitors. Buyers get a free jump from 256GB to 512GB storage, but upgrading to 1TB costs extra.

The S26+ offers a better deal than the S25 Ultra, priced €350 lower at €1,130 for 512GB, while the vanilla S26 provides a free storage upgrade to 512GB. Samsung's older S25 Ultra and S25 FE lag behind with older chipsets and lower specs. The Vivo X300 Pro and X300 directly challenge the S26+ and Ultra, featuring Dimensity 9500 chipsets, 200MP cameras, and fast charging.

The Poco F8 Ultra, powered by Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, competes with the Ultra but has less capable cameras. The Apple iPhone 17e launches as a budget iPhone option.