Samsung has officially pulled the curtain back on its first major smartphone lineup of 2026. Unveiled at the Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, the highly anticipated Samsung Galaxy S26 series comprising the standard S26, S26+, and the powerhouse Galaxy S26 Ultra is here.
Rather than just calling them smartphones, Samsung is leaning heavily into the “AI phone” moniker. By blending industry-leading hardware with what the company calls its most proactive, adaptive, and intuitive Galaxy AI yet, the Galaxy S26 series is designed to handle complex background tasks so users can focus on the results rather than the technology.
Here is everything you need to know about Samsung’s newest flagship lineup.
🧠 The Smartest, Most “Agentic” Galaxy AI
Samsung’s third-generation AI phones take a massive leap forward in making artificial intelligence feel invisible yet incredibly helpful. The Galaxy S26 series is built to reduce the number of steps between a user’s intent and action.
Upgraded Bixby & Multi-Agent Support: Bixby has been completely overhauled into a conversational device agent. Users can now control settings using natural language without needing to memorize exact commands. Furthermore, Samsung has integrated a choice of AI agents, allowing users to set Google Gemini or Perplexity as their default assistants to handle multi-step tasks in the background.
Now Nudge: A brand-new proactive feature called Now Nudge offers timely, context-aware suggestions. For example, if a friend messages you about evening plans, Galaxy AI will silently check your calendar for conflicts and display a tailored pop-up to help you reply without ever leaving the messaging app.
👁️ S26 Ultra: The World’s First Built-In Privacy Display
Building on decades of display innovation, the standout hardware feature this year belongs to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung has introduced the world’s first built-in Privacy Display for mobile phones.
This revolutionary tech limits side-angle viewing right out of the box, meaning you no longer need to buy clunky, third-party privacy screen protectors to keep wandering eyes away from your sensitive data. This hardware addition reinforces Samsung’s commitment to pixel-level privacy.
⚡ Peak Performance and Upgraded Thermals
Engineered for demanding AI workflows and all-day use, the Galaxy S26 series delivers major under-the-hood upgrades:
Customized Chipsets: Powered by the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (and Exynos 2600 in certain global markets), the S26 series handles heavy multitasking and gaming with ease.
Redesigned Vapor Chamber: To keep the phone cool during processor-heavy tasks, the S26 Ultra features a redesigned Vapor Chamber that positions thermal interface material along the sides of the processor, massively improving heat dissipation.
Super Fast Charging 3.0: Downtime is a thing of the past. The S26 Ultra can now reach up to a 75% charge in just 30 minutes.
📸 Pro-Level Camera & Unified Design
Samsung continues to push the boundaries of mobile photography and videography. The S26 Ultra is the first Galaxy device to support the APV professional-grade video codec, designed to deliver efficient compression for high-quality, visually lossless production workflows. Meanwhile, the AI Image Signal Processor (ISP) now extends to the selfie camera, capturing far more natural skin tones and finer details in mixed lighting.
Aesthetically, the lineup features a unified, smoothed-out design language. The S26 Ultra has finally ditched its famously sharp corners, adopting the cleaner, rounded shapes of its siblings. It is also the slimmest Ultra to date—0.3mm thinner than its predecessor and weighing in at 214 grams.
The phones will be available in four standard colors: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, White, and Black. (Pink Gold and Silver Shadow will be available exclusively via Samsung.com).
💰 Pricing and Availability
With base storage now bumped up to 256GB for all models, the pricing structure has seen a slight adjustment:
Galaxy S26: Starts at $899
Galaxy S26+: Starts at $1,099
Galaxy S26 Ultra: Starts at $1,299
Pre-orders are officially open starting February 25, with general retail availability beginning on March 11, 2026.
