Galaxy S26 Ultra criticized for large number of preinstalled apps

The new generation of Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphones has faced criticism over the large number of preinstalled applications, particularly the premium Galaxy S26 Ultra, which starts at $1300.

Journalists from Android Authority examined a retail unit of the flagship and found preinstalled apps from Meta and Microsoft, including M365 Copilot, OneDrive, LinkedIn, Outlook, Link to Windows, as well as Spotify.

All third-party apps were installed by default, and during the initial setup the system did not ask users for permission to download them. Samsung’s own services were also included, some of which could arguably be optional.

As a result, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with two digital assistants (Gemini and Bixby powered by Perplexity), two browsers (Samsung Browser and Chrome), two app stores (Play Store and Galaxy Store), and multiple clients for email (Gmail and Outlook) and cloud storage (Drive and OneDrive).

It turned out that third-party apps alone take up more than 17 GB of storage, while system files bring the total used space to 40 GB. This means that a user of the 512 GB version loses nearly 8% of storage before even starting to use the device.

According to Android Authority, each such preinstallation is the result of commercial agreements. Android manufacturers typically rely on these deals in the budget segment to offset costs and keep prices competitive. However, the presence of so much partner software on a premium device raises legitimate questions.