Samsung has introduced its latest flagship smartphone range: the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. The lineup places a strong emphasis on on-device artificial intelligence and privacy-focused hardware.
Samsung calls the Galaxy S26 series its most intuitive and adaptive generation of Galaxy AI so far. It includes new tools for productivity, photography, and security built directly into the devices.
Lineup and Displays
Samsung is offering the Galaxy S26 series in three display sizes.
The Galaxy S26 features a 6.3‑inch OLED screen, the Galaxy S26+ moves up to a 6.7‑inch OLED panel, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra tops the range with a 6.9‑inch OLED display.
Every model uses OLED technology, but only the Galaxy S26 Ultra is compatible with the S Pen. That makes the Ultra the clear choice for users who prioritize note-taking, drawing, and other productivity or creative tasks on a larger canvas.
New Built-In Privacy Display on Galaxy S26 Ultra
A key hardware addition on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its integrated Privacy Display, which is designed to narrow viewing angles and shield on-screen content from people nearby.
When you look at the screen straight on, it appears normal. But from the side, the image is harder to see, making it less likely that someone next to you can read your phone.
Samsung says the feature works at the pixel level, controlling how individual pixels disperse light.
Users can switch on the Privacy Display only when needed. For example, they can enable it in banking apps or while entering a PIN.
They can also adjust the strength of the effect. Users can choose between lighter or full privacy to block side views.
Because the screen integrates this technology at a hardware level, it works differently from simple software dimming or overlays. Samsung clearly targets professionals and people who often use their phones in public places such as offices, trains, airports, or cafés.
Camera System and Imaging Features
The Galaxy S26 Ultra carries the most advanced camera hardware in the lineup. Its rear camera system includes:
- 200MP wide camera
- 50MP ultra-wide camera
- 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom
- 50MP telephoto lens offering 5x true optical zoom and 10x zoom that maintains optical-level clarity
Samsung has also introduced an upgraded Nightography mode for sharper, clearer video capture in low light, extending its focus on nighttime and indoor performance.
New AI-powered photo tools are a central part of the Galaxy S26 experience:
- Photo Assist allows users to describe edits in natural language, such as restoring missing parts of an image, removing unwanted objects, changing a daytime scene to night, or altering a subject’s clothing.
- Creative Studio can generate or modify visuals—including stickers, wallpapers, and invitations—using sketches, existing photos, or text prompts.
Performance, Cooling, and Battery
All three Galaxy S26 models run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset.
According to Samsung, compared with the previous Ultra generation, the new platform delivers:
- 19% faster CPU performance
- 24% faster GPU performance
- 39% improvement in neural processing for AI workloads
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also features an updated vapor chamber cooling system, with thermal material positioned around the processor to improve heat dissipation during intensive tasks. A new ProScaler function is designed to enhance image and video upscaling directly on the device.
Most configurations of the Galaxy S26 series ship with 12GB of RAM, while the 1TB version of the Galaxy S26 Ultra includes 16GB of RAM for heavier multitasking and AI processing.
Charging has been upgraded across the range. Samsung says the devices can reach up to 75% charge in around 30 minutes with wired fast charging. Wireless charging is supported at up to 25W.
Expanded Galaxy AI Features
AI Productivity and Privacy Tools
The Galaxy S26 series also adds new everyday AI tools beyond photography:
- Now Nudge: This feature pops up helpful suggestions based on what you’re doing, so you don’t lose focus. For instance, if someone asks you to share photos from a recent trip or event, your phone can automatically bring up the right images instead of making you dig through your gallery.
- Now Brief: A smarter daily summary that uses AI and your personal schedule to highlight what matters most, such as urgent reminders, upcoming appointments, and key tasks.
- Circle to Search: Improved visual search that can now recognize several different objects in a single picture, making it easier to look up information about multiple items at once.
- Call Screening: Can pick up calls from unknown numbers on your behalf, ask the caller why they’re phoning, and then show you a brief summary so you can decide whether to answer.
- Privacy Alerts: Uses on-device machine learning to spot when apps with admin-level access try to reach sensitive information they may not need and alerts you when that happens.
- Private Album: Lets you hide chosen photos and videos within your main gallery without moving them to a separate folder or signing in to a Samsung account.
- Bixby Enhancements: Bixby now works more like a conversational device assistant, able to tweak settings, carry out basic tasks, and walk you through simple troubleshooting steps.
- Third-Party AI Agents: You can also choose other AI assistants, such as Google Gemini or Perplexity, and launch them with a button press or a voice command.
Background Processing: The Galaxy S26 range can run complex, multi-step AI tasks in the background, so these processes continue while you carry on using the phone for other things.
Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro
Samsung is also expanding its audio lineup alongside the new phones, introducing the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro, designed to work seamlessly with the Galaxy S26 series.
- Galaxy Buds4 come with a redesigned, more comfortable fit and upgraded sound performance.
- Galaxy Buds4 Pro adds Active Noise Cancellation, a more advanced Adaptive EQ for balanced audio, and supports simple head gestures to answer or reject calls. They can also be used to activate AI agents on compatible Galaxy devices.
Pricing and Availability
Pre-orders for the Samsung Galaxy S26 series begin today, ahead of general availability on 11 March.
Official US pricing is as follows:
- Galaxy S26: starting at $899.99
- Galaxy S26+: starting at $1,099.99
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: starting at $1,299.99
The Galaxy Buds4 are also available to pre-order starting today, with the Galaxy Buds4 Pro joining the lineup as Samsung’s premium in-ear option for the S26 series.
