Ahead of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s rumoured release, what do the public think of Samsung?

An eventful week for Samsung: rumours are swirling that an official unveiling for the company’s S26 Ultra smartphone is imminent, and stock prices jumped following news that it would be mass-producing AI chips. It’s a brand in very good health: it was the highest performing tech brand in YouGov’s recent Best Brand Rankings. It’s also the most considered brand in the computing section of our 2026 Consumer Electronics Rankings (and second-ranked in our smartphones list; hot on the heels of its major rival, Apple).

A deeper dive into brand tracking in the UK  reveals high performance for Samsung across several key metrics.

YouGov BrandIndex shows that Samsung outperforms other tech brands in terms of Index scores, a composite of several measures that paint a picture of overall brand health. These scores are at 34.8 compared to an average of 7.0 for the sector, and the underlying measures illuminate this further.

When it comes to Impression scores, which measure general likeability (40.1 vs. 8.7), and Reputation (34.7 vs. 8.1) scores, which measure whether the public would be proud or embarrassed to work for a particular firm, Samsung also overperforms. Customers are broadly happy: Satisfaction scores are at 34.3 compared to an average of 6.8, while Recommend scores (which track consumer advocacy) are at 34.6 vs. 5.9. Index scores, which average several measures to paint a picture of overall brand health, are at 34.8 compared to an average of 7.0 for the sector.

Moving beyond the headline numbers, qualitative insight from YouGov BrandIndex Voices (an AI-powered interview tool) explains the brand’s appeal with more specificity. One customer cited Samsung’s “robust” products while another praised the UI of its smartphones. More than one consumer spoke approvingly of the brand’s “flexibility”, and its decision not to tie consumers into a specific software ecosystem.  On the whole, the brand is looking healthy at this early stage of the year. Whether its 2026 product slate helps it build on this success or not remains to be seen.

This article originally appeared in City A.M.

Image: Getty