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Compared to today's flagships, smartphones started out somewhat small. Early versions were meant to be primarily productivity extensions, allowing users to check email, browse the web, and play some music. As users demanded features like improved cameras, longer battery life, and larger displays, the average smartphone grew in size. While all relatively similar in size, current flagship series like the iPhone 17, Google Pixel 10, and Samsung Galaxy S26 are much larger than their original iterations.

But a portion of smartphone users want something even larger. The bigger the phone, the better the hardware that can fit into it, and most phone manufacturers now make a phone that fits into the premium or ultra-premium category. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung's ultra-premium flagship. It features a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, a built-in S Pen, and a multi-camera system. Samsung has even incorporated a range of AI capabilities with Galaxy AI. We found it to be a quality, well-refined phone in our Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra review.

With the base model S26 Ultra priced at $1,300, however, the phone also falls into the ultra-premium pricing category. We've sorted through the competition and have singled out some cheaper Android phones that are worth giving a try instead. A number of phone manufacturers make smartphones with similar features at much lower prices. Major players like Google and Motorola have their own premium flagship models, and brands like Nothing and OnePlus are influencing the market with their larger phone models.

Samsung is one of the most recognized names when it comes to Android phones. If ecosystem notoriety is something you want to keep on your smartphone checklist, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL is worth a look. It's a flagship offering from one of the few companies that can go toe-to-toe with Samsung in terms of recognition — after all, Google makes Android itself. The 256 GB model is priced at $949. Google provides 512 GB and 1 TB storage options, with the maxed-out version coming in at the same price as the base Galaxy S26 Ultra. It features a 6.8-inch Super Actua Display, which is nearly the same amount of screen real estate as the S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch AMOLED display.

Of course, even tech giants are imperfect, and phones in the Pixel 10 lineup have frustrated some users. But in our review of the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL, we make it known that we feel it's the big-screen Android phone to beat. It utilizes a custom-built Google Tensor G5 chip, is packed with video and photography features, and integrates Gemini AI in a number of creative ways. This is also a phone that's made to last, as Google has guaranteed at least seven years of new features and OS updates for the Pixel 10 Pro XL.

Motorola has been in the mobile phone business longer than anybody, and with the Motorola Moto G Stylus, the company presents a bit of a throwback alternative to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Priced at just $500, the Moto G Stylus is a fraction of the S26 Ultra's cost. Just like its name suggests, the Moto G Stylus comes with a stylus for use with the touchscreen. It's the only smartphone in its class that has a built-in stylus, but Motorola has doubled down on the old-school vibe by making the Moto G Stylus one of the few Android phones that still comes with a headphone jack.

The display of the Moto G Stylus is a bit smaller than the S26 Ultra's 6.9-inch display, but a little screen real estate may be worth giving up for all of the other features the phone includes at its $500 price point. It has a 50-megapixel camera system that can handle photos and 4K video in low-light situations. It meets water and dust resistance standards to ensure it holds up wherever you may go. It can even reach up to 44 hours of battery life between charges. The Moto G Stylus does have some AI integrations as well, including Google's Circle to Search functionality and AI-powered creative tools.

Another affordable alternative to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the Nothing Phone 4a Pro. It has a 6.83-inch AMOLED display, an all-day battery with 50 W fast-charging capabilities, a camera system with 3.5x optical zoom and 140x ultra zoom, and a base price of just $499. The $499 version of the phone comes with 8 GB of RAM and 128 GB of storage space, and while those specs don't match what you'll find in the base model Galaxy S26 Ultra, the Nothing Phone 4a Pro can be upgraded to 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space for only $100 more.

But where the Nothing Phone 4a Pro excels is when it comes to performance. It's among the affordable smartphones that are ridiculously overpowered, as it utilizes a Snapdragon 7 Gen 4 processor. This chip allows the Phone 4a Pro to multitask across a number of intensive tasks that include things like 4K video editing. Nothing hasn't integrated AI into this smartphone in the same ways that larger companies are starting to with their flagship phones, but the Phone 4a Pro has AI essentials to help with productivity and tasks throughout the day, as well as Nothing-designed AI-powered search functionalities that are meant to make finding things simple and convenient.

OnePlus has made a number of smartphones meant to compete with popular flagship phones. The OnePlus 15 is one of those, released initially as competition for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra and now available for those seeking a more affordable alternative to the S26 Ultra. The base model OnePlus 15 matches the base S26 Ultra with 12 GB of RAM and 256 GB of storage space. The OnePlus 15, however, starts at $900, which is $400 less than the S26 Ultra's starting point.

With this smartphone, you can expect a 6.78-inch AMOLED display that's similar to the Galaxy S26 Ultra's in size, as well as a massive battery that OnePlus rates for two days or more of life between charges and that supports 100 W fast charging. In fact, the OnePlus 15 is among several Android phones with better battery life than the Galaxy S26 Ultra. In our OnePlus 15 review, we note just how impressive its battery life is, but we also note that the camera system doesn't quite live up to its specs.

But the OnePlus 15 stacks up well next to the Galaxy S26 Ultra in a number of other ways. It utilizes a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and a dedicated Wi-Fi chip. Google Gemini is included for AI help with productivity, searching, and creativity. And OnePlus has even put a lot of focus on build quality, ensuring the OnePlus 15 meets numerous dust and water-resistance ratings and including Gorilla Glass on the phone's display.

While the Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung's newest large phone on the market, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra still holds up well alongside it. Some of Samsung's cheapest phones are outselling the S26 Ultra, and while the S25 Ultra doesn't necessarily retail for less than the S26 Ultra, it's been on the market longer and has started to see significant discounts since its successor hit the market. Like the S26 Ultra, the S25 Ultra has an MSRP of $1,300, but it's now often priced in the range of $1,000 to $1,200. And many key specs match its predecessor: 12 GB of RAM, 256 GB of storage space, a 6.9-inch AMOLED display, and a camera system that features multiple lenses and megapixel counts.

If you're looking at the MSRP, the Galaxy S25 Ultra may not seem like a phone worth trying in place of the S26 Ultra — but again, actual prices are often hundreds of dollars lower nowadays. We noted the phone's refinement over previous Galaxy S Ultra generations in our Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra review, though the S26 Ultra will likely remain favorable to those who want the latest features and an even more refined version of the smartphone. Nonetheless, the S25 Ultra has been sold for as low as $1,030 at Amazon. Samsung also sells certified renewed Galaxy S25 Ultra models for $979.

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A larger form factor and the hardware and features that it can accommodate are what differentiate the Galaxy S26 Ultra from other phones in Samsung's lineup. Certain features that stand out are its large display, long battery life, advanced camera system, and things like its built-in S Pen and premium build quality. 

Here, we've selected phones that compete well with the S26 Ultra in regard to such features. Because the goal was to provide more affordable alternatives, we used the base model S26 Ultra's $1,300 retail price as our ceiling. Every phone you find here is available at a lower price than the base model Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and comes with at least one flagship feature that stands out alongside it.