Samsung’s 60W Galaxy S26 Ultra finally charges fast, but only because it lags on battery size

One of the major improvements tucked away in the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is 60W fast wired USB-C charging. This is the most powerful USB-C charging implementation Samsung has ever put into a smartphone, finally bringing the handset closer to the capabilities its best Android rivals have offered for the better part of a decade. Unfortunately, the S26 Plus is limited to 45W, while the regular Galaxy S26 remains on a lowly 25W. But Samsung has to start somewhere.

Before we take a closer look at exactly what Samsung’s revamped charging specification means for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a little note on how it works and what you need to achieve it.

Samsung has long used the USB Power Delivery PPS specification for fast charging, and the move to 60W is essentially a more powerful version of this existing spec. To make the most of it, you’ll need a USB PD 3.1 charger with PPS and 20V/3A capabilities from a single port. While PPS is increasingly widespread in modern chargers, the 20V requirement is not so common.

If you’re unsure whether your current charger meets the requirements, your best bet is probably to pick up Samsung’s official 60W Power Adapter ($54.99 at Samsung). Third-party options are available, but it’s not always clear if they support Samsung’s required 20V mode of operation. Samsung supplies a 3A cable with the Ultra, which should be sufficient. A 5A cable won’t make the phone charge faster, but still not a bad upgrade to ensure plenty of thermal headroom and will come in handy for charging laptops with 100W requirements as well.

The most obvious benefit of more power is that the Galaxy S26 Ultra charges faster than its 45W predecessor. We clocked the phone taking just 42 minutes to full, compared to 54 minutes for the Galaxy S25 Ultra and 62 minutes for the S24 Ultra. A 20-minute improvement over two years is pretty good going. However, it should be noted that charging seems to stop at a higher power level than previous models, suggesting that Samsung is treating the 100% charge level a little differently this year.

Regardless, the S26 Ultra’s 60W power boost makes the phone faster for quicker top-ups too. The handset reaches 37% and 85% after 10 minutes and 30 minutes on the plug, respectively, compared to 32% and 78% in the same time for its predecessor. That’s not a huge improvement, since the Galaxy S26 Ultra only supports 60W for about 2 minutes before dropping power back to a similar level to previous models.

The true reason the Galaxy S26 Ultra charges up faster than last year’s model isn’t actually the 60W headline grabber; it’s because it sustains a power level of around 48W for a considerable time — about 16 minutes or close to 60% of the charge cycle. By comparison, the Galaxy S25 dropped down to around 38W after only eight minutes on the plug. There’s a downside here, however. The new model reaches a peak charging temperature of 39.6°C (°F), up from 35.3°C (°F) last year. That’s not worryingly hot, but it does raise eyebrows for long-term battery health compared to previous models that were more conservative.

But I shouldn’t complain too much here; faster charging always results in more heat, and it’s still an option we’d rather have. You can always use an older, slower charger at lower temperatures.

As fast as the fastest?

On paper, Samsung’s move to 60W charging appears far more competitive with the fastest charging phones on the market, and the core metrics back this up as well. It’ll top up to 100% as quickly as the OnePlus 15 and keeps up with the 90W Xiaomi 17 Ultra when it comes to reaching key 25% and 50% milestones when you’re in a hurry.

As shown in the graph below, Samsung’s peak power isn’t quite as high as our two rival handsets. The OnePlus 15 can sustain around 60W peak power for longer, while Xiaomi’s latest flagship holds around 70W for a few more minutes. Still, Samsung’s ability to sustain reasonably high power, like its rivals’, helps keep it competitive with these models that boast slightly higher raw power levels.

However, there’s a caveat to this seemingly very competitive display. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a smaller battery than these Chinese flagships that have quickly embraced the capacity benefits of Silicon-Carbon battery technology. The Galaxy S26 Ultra sports a decent 5,000mAh cell, but it’s eclipsed by Xiaomi’s 6,000mAh and OnePlus 15’s 7,300mAh batteries, both of which should offer longer multi-day battery life.

It’s a case of win some, lose some for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Undoubtedly, the adoption of 60W charging is a win for Samsung fans, greatly improving the phone’s charging times, making it a more dependable companion when there’s only time for a quick top-up. The minor temperature trade-offs are perfectly acceptable. However, while Samsung has moved on with charging power, its rival has pushed on further ahead with even larger battery capacities while still retaining highly competitive charge times. Viewed like that, Samsung’s 60W charging upgrade isn’t quite so impressive.

But perhaps the biggest drawback is that only the Ultra benefits from Samsung’s charging upgrade. I’m sure Galaxy S26 customers would really appreciate a boost to the phone’s lackluster charging capabilities even more than Ultra fans.