Samsung showdown: Can a cheaper phone compare to a $2,000 flagship?

It's been a busy 2026 so far for Samsung, with the brand launching not only its flagship Galaxy S26 series but also this year's lower-priced, mid-range Galaxy A smartphone lineup. So if you're due for a phone upgrade and have Samsung on your shortlist, you've got five new devices to pick from.

However, prices for this year's new Galaxies begin at $599 (for the Samsung Galaxy A37 5G), and go up to $2,199-plus (for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra). Our research shows that Aussie phone buyers rate cost as the most important factor when buying a new phone — so how much do you really need to spend to get a great device?

I spent some time with both the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Samsung Galaxy A57 5G to see how these phones actually compare.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs Samsung Galaxy A57 5G: Key specifications compared

Design and display

While Samsung's Galaxy ranges are similar at first glance, only one model comes with the $2,000+ price tag. That's not because the Galaxy A57 5G looks cheap and nasty: the phone itself is slim, glossy and light, and our Awesome Lilac test model was a eye-catching pastel purple. However, the craftmanship of the S26 Ultra screams premium, thanks a a sleek matte finish, rounded corners, and lighter build than previous Ultra models.

If you're on the hunt for a big, bright phone display, both Samsung phones offer plenty of screen real estate. The Ultra is slightly bigger, measuring in at 6.9 inches, but the A57's 6.7-inch screen is also great for scrolling and streaming. The S26 Ultra, however, packs one new feature you won't find on any other Samsung device — the new Privacy Display.

Samsung has used pixel technology is create an on-device screen shield that prevent anyone sitting beside you from seeing your display. As it's built in, you can turn it on or off as needed, use it for parts of the screen only, or set it to automatically activate on specific apps (such as banking). After testing it at every possible angle, I can confirm it really does block prying eyes, although it also impacts the display resolution slightly when in use.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra also comes with an included S Pen stylus, which can be popped in and out with a click of the phone's bottom left corner. The S Pen integration is one of the Ultra's hero features, and is a great added extra for buyers wanting serious productivity for work, content creation or multi-tasking.

Rounding out key design features, both the S26 Ultra and A57 5G are IP68 certified against dust and water, so each can survive a swim in up to 1.5 metres of fresh water for up to 30 minutes.

Camera

If you want the best-of-the-best in Samsung cameras, the Ultra has you covered. It comes with a massive quadruple rear camera lineup, including 200-megapixel wide lens with a bigger aperture (designed to let in more light) and 50-megapixel ultra-wide, 50-megapixel telephoto and 10-megapixel telephoto lenses.

This camera package covers just about any type of photo you'd want to take: wide landscapes, portraits, close-up macro pics and crisp, detailed shots from a distance. The S26 Ultra actually offers up to 100x 'Space Zoom', enhanced by AI; there's obviously a loss of clarity in this level of zoom, but users can still expect strong, stable results in the 30x — 50x zoom range.

If you're not taking boat creepshots, you'll find the Ultra captures consistent and accurate colours and can really bring out the smaller details in your image subject, even in dim environments. Side-by-side with the same pictures taken by the A57 5G, and the difference is clear, especially for colour payoff.

In comparison, the Galaxy A57 5G comes with a triple rear camera setup, with 50-megapixel wide, 12-megapixel ultra-wide and 5-megapixel macro cameras. While this isn't as high-quality as the Ultra, it still offers great camera performance that's enhanced by Samsung's improved image processing and AI-based optimisation. You'll get plenty of photo and mode options to cover just about anything you'll want to capture, and camera and processing speed is, pardon the pun, nice and snappy.

To sum it up, the Galaxy A57 5G takes perfectly good photos that should tick all the boxes for your everyday or casual user. But it ultimately can't compete with the Ultra for night and low-light pics, long-distance and zoomed-in shots, and high-quality video.

Performance and battery

The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a custom Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, designed to support key phone functions like AI integration, gaming and image performance. Samsung promises its 'best ever' performance across the S26 series, and the time I spent with the Ultra makes it hard to refute this claim. It's a powerhouse phone that has no problem delivering fast AI responses, jumping between image-heavy apps and providing seamless mobile gaming with great graphics and gameplay. The bigger vapour chamber also keeps the device cool for longer game time.

In comparison, the Galaxy A57 5G includes the less-powerful, but still strong Exynos 1680. While this isn't on the same high-end level as the Ultra's processor, it offers a good performance for the price point, with no noticeable lag or issues when gaming. You won't get quite the same serious graphics processing or split-second Galaxy AI, and the A57 can run hot during longer periods of intensive use — but overall, the Exynos will carry you through average use with no problems.

On the subject of AI, each phone is integrated with Samsung's Galaxy AI suite, although the Ultra is the clear leader when it comes to generative tools. The A57 5G comes with a lighter 'Awesome Intelligence' range, featuring 'classic' functions like Circle to Search, AI photo editing, and note-taking/transcribing/translation capabilities. The Ultra can do all this and more, and includes the Creative Studio suite to create and transform images. Each phone can handle most of Samsung's go-to work and productivity AI features, but the A57 is less useful if you're looking to generate media.

Both phones include batteries with a generous 5,000mAh capacity, but the Ultra's high-end hardware works to make that battery life to go a little further. Samsung claims S26 Ultra users can expect over 30 hours of video playback on a single charge, while the A57 5G clocks in at around 29 hours.

My tests found each phone neck-and-neck for battery, with both using 9% to stream Jurassic Park in high-definition on Netflix for 120 minutes. Overall, how much you can wring out of a full charge will depend on how you're using your device, but both phones' batteries held up fine over a full day of use on 5G.

Which Samsung Galaxy phone should you buy?

After spending quality time with both devices, I'm confident in recommending either one — but the better option for you will depend on your budget and how you plan to use your phone.

If you can afford to go all-out, want a formidable device that can keep up with dynamic all-day use, and take your camera photography seriously, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best new phones on the market. But more budget-conscious buyers can still get great features and an all-round satisfying experience with the cheaper Galaxy A57 5G.

Both phones are slim, durable, and boast Android 16 out of the box, with long-term operating system and security updates: seven years/generations for the Ultra, and six for the A57 5G. Both have an array of camera lens and modes, although the Ultra's is undoubtedly superior. And each device has good battery life, AI capabilities and a reliable-to-excellent performance.

The improvements to 'mid-range' smartphones in the past few years have been extensive, and the new A57 5G is no exception — offering a near-flagship experience for a nowhere-near flagship price.

Samsung alternatives

If you have a little more to spend but still want to keep your purchase under $1,000, the Google Pixel 10a is a power-packed spin-off offering some of the best features of the Pixel 10, in a cheaper package.

You may also want to check out some of Motorola's latest mid-to-high range phones, including the brand new Motorola Edge 70 and Motorola Edge 70 Fusion.

Products used for review/testing were free samples provided by Samsung. Camera images have been compressed for web.