Samsung has revealed the latest Galaxy S26 lineup, showcasing subtle hardware upgrades and expanded artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, with a renewed emphasis on screen privacy in its premium model.
The new Samsung Galaxy S26 series maintains a sleek design similar to its predecessor, with a unified camera setup for the standard S26 and a variety of color options including Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, black, and white, as well as exclusive online finishes.
The base S26 now boasts a slightly larger 6.3-inch display, while the S26+ retains its 6.7-inch quad HD screen, matching the Ultra model’s resolution. The standout feature of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is its Privacy Display, enhancing side-angle visibility protection, a first-party inclusion previously achieved via external accessories. Additionally, the standard S26’s battery capacity has been upgraded to 4,300mAh. All models are equipped with the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor.
Camera specs remain consistent with the previous year’s models, featuring a 50-megapixel main sensor on the S26 and S26+, and a 200-megapixel main camera on the Ultra model, along with enhanced low-light video performance and image stabilization. The Ultra variant now supports the APV video codec for professional users.
The S26 series introduces support for a specialized version of Google Gemini and new features like Now Nudge for tailored prompts, updated Now Brief for reminders, and Circle to Search with Google for object identification within images. The devices also offer enhanced call scam detection and AI-powered screening of unknown numbers.
In terms of software, Samsung has revamped its voice assistant Bixby within One UI 8.5, enabling more natural language interactions and cross-application commands.
The pricing for the S26 and S26+ has been increased to $899 and $1,999 respectively, while the S26 Ultra maintains its $1,299 price point. Storage options now start at 256GB for the base model, eliminating the previous 128GB configuration.
Samsung also launched the Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro alongside the smartphones, featuring a redesigned look with shorter stems and support for 24-bit audio on compatible Samsung devices.
