A new edition of the Mobile World Congress (MWC) in Barcelona has ended and, as is tradition, the GSMA – the organization that groups the world’s mobile operators and companies – presented its Global Mobile Awards (GLOMO).
In the most coveted category of the contest, that of “Best in Show”, the winner of this 2026 was the confirmation of a path traced: the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.Play Video
That the award goes to the Korean firm is a good indicator to understand what the industry is valuing at the moment. Far from the years where the award was taken by the device with the most extravagant feature, this year’s jury seems to have bet on the solidity and execution of a concept that Samsung has been refining for at least three generations.
The Arguments Behind the Award
Por qué el Galaxy S26 Ultra fue elegido el mejor teléfono del MWC 2026 Alejandro Jofré
According to the official information shared by the company after receiving the recognition, the GLOMO jury’s evaluation considered a mix of technical performance, practical innovation, and the device’s impact on the current market.
If we break down the reasons why the S26 Ultra prevailed over its Asian and Western competitors, three fundamental pillars stand out.
The maturity of Galaxy AI: in 2026, the integration of generative artificial intelligence in the phone’s ecosystem is silent, fluid, and native. The jury valued how these tools operate in the background to manage the battery, improve image capture in milliseconds, and facilitate productivity without the user having to give complex instructions.
Industrial refinement: the design of the S26 Ultra does not break the mold of what we saw in versions 24 or 25, but it perfects the formula. The use of materials such as titanium has been optimized to reduce the weight of the equipment without compromising thermal resistance, a key factor considering current processors.
Photographic consistency: in a market where several manufacturers are betting on bombastic collaborations with other brands, Samsung’s flagship was awarded for offering the most versatile and reliable optical experience in the pocket, especially in the treatment of video in high resolutions and the stabilization of its telephoto lenses.
Industry Reading
Por qué el Galaxy S26 Ultra fue elegido el mejor teléfono del MWC 2026
The “Best in Show” award in Barcelona works, in many ways, as an endorsement from peers. In a year where Chinese competition has strongly pushed the limits of hardware, and where the renewal cycles of phones by users are getting longer, the message of the MWC is clear.
The industry today is rewarding the manufacturer that manages to build the safest, fastest, and most reliable vehicle with it. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, with its conservative approach in design but aggressive in processing and software, achieved exactly that: convincing the experts that, as of today, it is the standard against which the rest of the high-end range should be measured.
“This year’s competition has been exceptionally strong,” commented Shaun Collins, chairman of the MWC Best in Show 2026 award jury. “We look for technology that is not only innovative and attractive, but that truly drives the industry forward. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra stood out for pushing the boundaries of mobile technology while offering a significant impact on real life. In particular, its innovation in privacy responds to one of the most important needs of today’s digital lifestyle: security, personal space, and trust,” he added.
The MWC Best in Show jury noted that, among more than 3,000 exhibitors, the Galaxy S26 Ultra stood out for making future-oriented innovation possible today. “While many of the technologies presented at the MWC point to tomorrow, this is a product that consumers can experience today,” said Collins.
“We are honored that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has been recognized as Best in Show at this year’s GLOMO Awards,” said Stephanie Choi, Executive Vice President and Head of Mobile Marketing Center of the Mobile eXperience (MX) business at Samsung Electronics. Then, she concluded: “The Galaxy S26 Ultra is an AI phone with capabilities that reflect Samsung’s ongoing commitment to driving the industry forward, and this distinction is especially significant given the extraordinary innovation presented at MWC.”
