Samsung executives are casually dropping Guinness World Records references as Galaxy S26 preorders approach 1.5 million units in South Korea alone, a 15 percent jump over last year's launch. The company's confidence comes from early numbers showing the premium S26 Ultra model accounting for a staggering 70 percent of all reservations, according to data shared by Samsung Electronics Korea executive vice president Im Sung-taek at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona.
"This may well be a Guinness," Im told SK Telecom president Jeong Jae-heon during meetings at the trade show.
Simple arithmetic puts current preorder figures around 1.5 million units, with South Korean preorders projected to reach that mark before the window closes on March 5, up from the Galaxy S25 series' record-setting 1.3 million preorders last year. The Ultra variant's dominance suggests consumers are prioritizing cutting-edge features over price sensitivity.
Those features include an industry-first built-in privacy display that adjusts visibility based on who's looking at the screen, effectively creating a hardware-integrated anti-peeping solution. Samsung recently showcased this technology alongside Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, which delivers a 39 percent improvement in neural processing unit performance compared to its predecessor.
The timing matches Samsung's MWC victory lap, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has just won "Best in Show" at Mobile World Congress 2026 for what judges called its "smooth blend" of advanced hardware and software.
"The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra stood out for pushing the boundaries of mobile technology while delivering meaningful, real-world impact," said Shaun Collins of The Global Mobile Communications Association.
Global availability begins March 11 across most markets, with presales continuing through March 10 in many regions. Trade-in promotions offer up to $900 in instant credit toward purchases, though those incentives haven't slowed demand for the premium Ultra configuration.
