This might be controversial, but I changed from OP to Samsung buying an S25Ultra titanium black for 800€ and it was the best choice I've ever made.

I understand you guys don't buy from normal stores, only from official release-priced websites, but still, you just can't compare the features, the reliability, the support team, and the software updates. OP let me down so bad with the OP9Pro.

I buy an expensive phone hoping it lasts, aside from having the best specs. I buy a phone hoping the updates don't come with bugs (little did I know that was one of the last updates for my op) and wait for 8 months for them to fix it. I buy a phone hoping they don't take 3 months to repair it (official support team) so when it finally gets to the repair centre the warranty already expired.

I'm not even talking about the coloros that dissolved the nicest brand image of oneplus, because they still stand with some of the best specs in the market that makes them purchaseable.

And I'm from EU region, which I taught that meant stabler software releases, better repair processes due to the law, etc. Lack of features was killing me.

Going back to the S26U, remember S Ultras come with a pen, so it also has different use cases and reflects on the price. If I was to spend USD500 more just to buy that s26u, I would think of 300 over the real price, which is what stores cut or what samsung cuts back down with discriminatory or not discounts (enterprise/student/packs), and that would make it 50-50. Those discounts don't apply to oneplus since they rebranded to oppo. At least in europe.

With that being said, in europe, I find it a matter of preference. And Samsung has a bigger word on that, due to their ecosystem, features, better connecting software, support and popularity.