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Getting your hands on a new Galaxy S26 Ultra is always exciting. Out of the box, it’s already pretty great, but Samsung sets it up for the masses, not for you specifically. With just ten minutes poking around in the settings, you can squeeze out better battery life, tidy up your display, boost your privacy, and cut down on those little daily annoyances.
Here are 25 settings tweaks I think are worth making on day one, grouped by what they actually do for you. I’ve included the exact steps for each one, so you won’t get lost. Don’t feel like you have to do them all, just jump to the bits that matter most to you. If you do nothing else, the battery and privacy tips are the ones I’d recommend to everyone.
Quick heads up: sometimes menu names look a little different depending on where you are or which software version you’ve got. If something doesn’t match up exactly, just use the search bar at the top of Settings, it’ll find what you need.
If you’re setting up your phone for the very first time, I’d suggest doing your data transfer first, then popping back here for the fun stuff. Want the whole picture? Check out the Complete Owner’s Guide when you’re ready.
Better Battery Life (do these first)
This is the group that makes the biggest difference. These tweaks take almost no effort, but can give you hours of extra battery life.
1. Turn on adaptive/optimised battery
Settings → Battery → Background usage limits → turn on “Put unused apps to sleep.”
Lets the phone automatically stop apps you rarely open from draining power in the background—the biggest single battery win.
2. Add heavy apps to Deep Sleep
Settings → Battery → Background usage limits → Deep sleeping apps → add the apps you check only occasionally.
Stops them running entirely until you open them. (Skip messaging or work apps you need instant alerts from.)
3. Drop to a standard refresh rate when you want endurance
Settings → Display → Motion smoothness → Standard.
120Hz feels super smooth, but 60Hz will help your battery last longer. I usually leave it on adaptive, but if I know I’ll be out all day without a charger, I switch to Standard.
4. Turn on Dark mode
Settings → Display → Dark.
On the Ultra’s AMOLED screen, dark pixels actually use less power. Plus, it’s way easier on your eyes at night.
5. Tame the Always On Display
Settings → Lock screen and AOD → Always On Display → set to “Tap to show.”
Having the clock always on looks cool, but it does sip power all day. Setting it to “Tap to show” means you still get the feature, just without the constant battery drain.
6. Set up Battery Protection
Settings → Battery → Battery protection → choose Adaptive or Maximum.
Caps charging to protect long-term battery health — worth it if you charge overnight. Details in the charging guide.
For the deeper dive, see the full battery life guide.
A Better Display
7. Fine-tune screen resolution
Settings → Display → Screen resolution → QHD+ or FHD+.
Not every phone ships with QHD+ turned on. If you want the sharpest image, go for QHD+. If you’d rather save battery, FHD+ is the way to go.
8. Enable Eye comfort shield
Settings → Display → Eye comfort shield → Adaptive.
This one warms up your screen in the evening, which can help reduce eye strain and make it easier to wind down before bed.
9. Adjust screen timeout
Settings → Display → Screen timeout.
The default screen timeout can be a bit annoying, either too short and your screen keeps turning off, or too long and it wastes battery. I find 30 seconds to 1 minute works well for most folks.
10. Turn on Extra brightness
Settings → Display → Extara brightness.
Unlocks the panel’s full outdoor brightness for sunny days – leave off to save power indoors.
Stronger Privacy and Security
Everyone should do these — they take two minutes and protect your data.
11. Set up the Privacy Display
Settings → Display → Privacy Display.
This is one of the Ultra’s coolest new features. It narrows the viewing angles so people sitting next to you can’t sneak a peek at your screen. You can set it up for the whole display or just for sensitive stuff.
12. Lock sensitive apps behind biometrics
Settings → Security and privacy → set up Secure Folder or app lock.
This keeps your banking, photos, or any private apps locked behind your fingerprint—even if your phone itself is unlocked.
13. Review app permissions
Settings → Security and privacy → Permission manager.
Take a look at which apps have access to your location, camera, and microphone. If something doesn’t really need it, feel free to take that permission away.
14. Turn off ad personalisation
Settings → Security and privacy → More privacy settings → Ads → opt out.
This stops Samsung and advertisers from building up a profile based on how you use your phone.
15. Enable Enhanced/Advanced protection
Settings → Security and privacy → check for the latest protection features.
This adds an extra layer of protection by scanning for risky apps and links before they can cause trouble.
16. Set up Find My Mobile
Settings → Security and privacy → Find My Mobile → turn on.
If your phone ever goes missing, this feature lets you find it, lock it, or even wipe it remotely. Definitely set this up before you ever need it.
A Better Camera
The 200MP camera system is packed with power, but a lot of it is tucked away in the settings. Here are the essentials to get you started. If you want to go deeper, check out my Best Camera Settings guide.
17. Turn on quick launch and advanced options
Camera → Settings → enable advanced options + quick launch (double-press power).
So you never miss a shot fumbling to open the camera.
18. Set photo format to maximise quality
Camera → Settings → Advanced picture options → HEIF or highest-quality.
Balance storage against image quality based on how much you shoot.
19. Enable gridlines and a level
Camera → Settings → Gridlines / Guidelines on.
This is a quick, free way to instantly improve how you frame your photos.
20. Turn on palm/voice shutter
Camera → Settings → Shooting methods → Palm gesture or voice control.
Perfect for hands-free selfies or group shots when you don’t want to run back and forth to the phone.
Fewer Annoyances (quality-of-life)
21. Clean up the notification panel
Settings → Notifications → turn off alerts from apps you don’t need.
This helps cut down on the noise so you only see notifications that actually matter to you.
22. Switch to gesture navigation
Settings → Display → Navigation bar → Swipe gestures.
Switching to gestures gives you more screen space and feels a lot more modern than the old three-button bar. I’d say it’s worth trying for a day or two to see if you like it.
23. Set up the S Pen quick actions
Settings → Advanced features → S Pen → Air actions.
Map the pen button to shortcuts (camera shutter, app launch) so the stylus does more than write.
24. Enable one-handed mode
Settings → Advanced features → One-handed mode.
On a phone this big, reaching the top of the screen can be a stretch. One-handed mode actually makes a real difference here.
25. Customise the side/power button
Settings → Advanced features → Side button → press-and-hold to Power menu.
This way, holding the side button actually powers off your phone instead of launching an assistant you never asked for.
The Bottom Line
You definitely don’t have to change all 25 settings. If you only do a few, I’d start with the battery group (1–6) and the privacy group (11–16)—they’re quick, and you’ll notice the difference right away. The rest you can tweak whenever you feel like it.
Once you’re all set up, you might want to check out my Tips, Tricks & Hidden Features guide to get even more out of your phone, or dive into the best camera settings to really unlock that 200MP system. Everything else you might need is in the Complete Owner’s Guide.
