Weekend Phone Deals: Galaxy S26 Ultra Drops to $1,000, Galaxy Z Fold8 and Pixel 11 Series Also Discounted

Waiting a little longer before buying a flagship can really work in your favor – several premium phones that were stubbornly expensive just days ago have now slid down to far more attractive prices.

The headline deal this week is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. The 256GB variant was going for $1,105 just last week, and it has now fallen to $1,000. It did briefly dip to $950 in the past, so this isn't the absolute lowest price we've seen, but the $50 gap is hardly significant. If you need more room for files and photos, stepping up to 512GB costs an extra $150.

The Samsung Galaxy S26+ hasn't budged from last week's pricing – $810 gets you the 256GB model, while the 512GB version adds another $135 on top. When stacked against the S26 Ultra, the Plus model simply can't compete; its lower price is really the only argument in its favor.

However, instead of paying more for the S26+, why not consider last year's flagship? The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra actually costs less than the S26+ right now. The main compromise is the chipset – you get the Snapdragon 8 Elite instead of the newer Elite Gen 5 – but almost everything else is an upgrade. That includes the 200MP 1/1.3" main sensor (compared to 50MP 1/1.56"), a pair of telephoto cameras (10MP 3x/67mm and 50MP 5x/111mm versus only a single 10MP 3x/67mm), plus a 50MP 120° ultra-wide shooter (versus 12MP 120°).

Keep in mind the S25 Ultra is a touch wider (77.6mm vs. 75.8mm) and heavier (218g vs. 190g). Unless those dimensions bother you, a previous-generation Ultra beats a brand-new Plus in our book.

Meanwhile, the vanilla Samsung Galaxy S26 moved in the wrong direction – its price has climbed since last week. If the compact 6.3" model is what you're after, it might be wise to wait for a better offer.

Another option worth weighing against the S26+ is the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE – but only the 8/256GB configuration, since the discount on the 128GB base model is negligible. Be aware that you sacrifice 4GB of RAM, and the Exynos 2500 falls short of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in both raw speed and power efficiency.

Both phones sport 6.7" displays, yet the S26+ packs a sharper 1440p+ LTPO panel while the FE settles for 1080p+ LTPS technology. Credit where it's due – the Galaxy S26 FE is a meaningful step up from the S25 FE – but it struggles to justify itself next to the mainstream S-series, especially when the actual price gap is a mere $110 (compared to a $400 MSRP difference).

Foldable fans, take note: the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 was sitting at $1,700 for 256GB and $1,900 for 512GB last week. Both trims have now shed another $100. It's far from cheap, of course, but consider that even conventional slab flagships are creeping toward $1,600 these days.

There are valid arguments for stretching your budget to the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold8 Ultra instead – its larger footprint is one, and the upgraded camera hardware is another. Some buyers might even pick the Z Fold8 Ultra ahead of the S26 Ultra.

On the topic of foldables, the Google Pixel 11 Pro Fold deserves a mention too. Sadly, its chipset choice makes it difficult to endorse – a foldable lives and dies by heavy multitasking, and the Tensor G6 simply wasn't designed with that workload in mind.

As for the remaining Pixel 11 models, their prices haven't shifted since last week, so we'll keep things brief. For a thorough breakdown, check out our Pixel 11 Pro vs. Pixel 11 Pro XL head-to-head and our Pixel 11 vs. Pixel 11 Pro comparison.

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