Built around a 6.7-inch OLED display, the Galaxy A26 features relatively big bezels but is not excessively big on the hand if you are used to big phones. The build quality feels nice for the price category, with the same overall design as the more expensive options in Samsung's lineup.
The phone is relatively thin at 7.7 mm and weighs 200 grams (around 7 oz). Besides the glass back, the front is covered by Gorilla Glass Victus+. Water and dust protection is rated at IP67, for the first time in the A20 line, matching the more expensive models.
Around the sides, the volume rocker and power button are placed on the right, with the latter integrating the fingerprint reader, which performed well-and better than most under-display optical sensors. The top houses only a microphone hole, while the left side has the hybrid SIM tray, which supports a microSD card instead of a second SIM. There is no eSIM support. Finally, at the bottom, we find the USB-C (USB 2.0) and mono speaker.
The display is a traditional Samsung Display Super AMOLED panel at a FullHD+ resolution (2320 x 1080), with a maximum refresh rate of 120 Hz. As expected for the price category, the display can only switch between 60 and 120 Hz for those who prioritize battery life or smooth animations, respectively.
The brightness is good enough, with our measurements around the 700 nits mark. The Galaxy A26 is usable outdoors, but direct sunlight makes the screen difficult to read. On the other side of the spectrum, the display can go very dark when using the phone at night. As expected from an OLED panel, colors are vibrant, and contrast levels are top-notch.