Samsung’s latest flagship non-foldable smartphone, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, brings several upgrades over its predecessor, the Galaxy S25 Ultra. During the Galaxy S26 press briefing, Samsung told us that one of those upgrades was a display with 10-bit color depth, replacing the one with 8-bit color depth used in the previous model.
However, that information appears to have been incorrect. A Samsung spokesperson has reached out to us to clarify that the Galaxy S26 Ultra actually features a display with an 8-bit color depth.
All three models feature 8-bit displays
We asked the brand whether the same applies to the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+, and it confirmed that it was indeed the case. This could disappoint customers who pre-ordered the device based on the earlier claim, as well as those considering a purchase.
A display with 10-bit color depth offers 1.07 billion colors, as opposed to a display with 8-bit color depth, which offers 16.7 million colors. This results in reduced banding and better color accuracy.
In our previous report on the matter, we discussed that a content creator showed that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's display has reduced banding compared to that on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Considering that the Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn't have a 10-bit panel, we assume that the brand is achieving reduced banding with the help of frame rate control (FRC). It simulates 10-bit color depth on an 8-bit color depth panel (widely known as 8-bit + FRC).
Since we’ve heard conflicting information from different Samsung representatives, the 10-bit vs 8-bit debate isn’t fully settled yet. We’ll update you if we learn more, but for now, it’s safest to assume that all three Galaxy S26 models use 8-bit displays, even if Samsung is using frame rate control (FRC) to reduce color banding compared to the Galaxy S25 series, offering some of the benefits of a native 10-bit panel.
