# Samsung Galaxy S series

70 Hacker News commenters recommended Samsung Galaxy S series and 51 criticized it, November 2025 to November 2026. It was recommended in 12 of 13 months; owners who said how long report a median of 3 years (13 owners).

**Verdict:** Recommended for its camera, laptop-style use and privacy screen, with preinstalled software, account requirements and removed update features as the most common complaints.

## Why people recommend it

- Strong camera quality (4 comments): "I stopped using my full frame too the day my S22 ultra phone came despite lower quality of photos" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47000711)) "Phones like the iPhone 17 Pro Max and Samsung S26 Ultra often outperform high-megapixel devices" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46171310)) "My iPhone friends literally grab my s24 ultra camera when we take pictures at cocktail bars" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46125257))
- Works as a laptop or Linux desktop (3 comments): "I have multiple times in past used Samsung phones as my primary computer while the laptop was installing updates" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47439290)) "One reason I got the Samsung S24 Ultra a couple of years ago is to run a full Linux desktop environment" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47375124)) "Ive been using my S24/S25 with lapdock for over 3 years now as a laptop, and it works flawlessly" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=48143226))
- Privacy screen with little downside (3 comments): "the screen can darken when looked from the side for privacy. That's pretty much it. Price increased though." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47181740)) "have no problem using the display with privacy screen on, and dont see that much difference in brightness" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47431214)) "you are still getting a privacy screen out of it so its not a loss with no benefits" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47431484))
- Among the best Android phones (3 comments): "only peak Google Pixel or Samsung Galaxy phones are the only two that can possibly challenge iPhones" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49437154)) "the S series is objectively considered a premium android phone by basically everyone" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=46816772)) "will absolutely demolish a Pixel 11 in practically every aspect except cameras" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=49540975))

## What people warn about

- Mandatory phone number and ads (3 comments): "I refused to create an account on their galaxy phone because of the mandatory phone number needed." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50231506)) "I refused to create an account on their galaxy phone because of the mandatory phone number needed" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50230772)) "they are sending Flash Messages for ads, even though I requested to be removed from their lists" ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=45985767))
- Updates remove existing features (2 comments): "Samsung OneUI updates for the past one year have been removing the unlock option even from the devices that supported it." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50222554)) "The functionality being removed is being able to install a proper OEM-signed OS update from a local file." ([source](https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=47203161))

## Alternatives hackers recommend

- [Google Pixel](https://hackerapproved.com/p/google-pixel.md): 388 recommend
- [OnePlus 15](https://hackerapproved.com/p/oneplus-15.md): 31 recommend
- [Motorola Moto G](https://hackerapproved.com/p/motorola-moto-g.md): 25 recommend
- [Google Pixel 10a](https://hackerapproved.com/p/pixel-10a.md): 20 recommend
- [Motorola G Stylus 2025](https://hackerapproved.com/p/motorola-g-stylus-2025.md): 11 recommend

## Where to get it

- [See price on Amazon](https://www.amazon.com/s?k=Samsung+Galaxy+S26+Ultra&tag=hackerapprove-20) (affiliate link)
- [Official site](https://www.samsung.com/us/)

## Cite as

Hacker Approved, "Samsung Galaxy S series", https://hackerapproved.com/p/samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra/ (counts from 1,795,640 Hacker News comments, November 2025 to November 2026).