Samsung unveiled its Galaxy S26 series on February 26, 2026, positioning the new smartphones as the company’s most intuitive and AI-powered devices yet. The launch underscores the growing integration of artificial intelligence into everyday mobile experiences.
According to a company statement, the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra are designed to simplify common tasks – from scheduling and information gathering to content creation and refinement – by proactively handling complex processes in the background. This allows users to focus on results rather than the underlying technology.
The series combines Samsung’s latest advancements in performance, camera technology, and Galaxy AI, providing a foundation for a secure and reliable user experience. “We believe AI should be something people can depend on every day, it should be designed to operate consistently for everyone, without the need for expertise,” said TM Roh, CEO, President, and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI feel effortless, working quietly in the background so people can focus on what matters.”
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces a first-of-its-kind built-in Privacy Display, limiting visibility from side angles without compromising image quality for the user. This feature reinforces Samsung’s commitment to data privacy at the pixel level. The Ultra model also features a customized chipset and improved thermal management for faster and more powerful AI processing, all within a slimmer design.
Powerful Performance for Daily Use
Samsung engineered the Galaxy S26 series with its most powerful hardware to date, driven by a customized chipset optimized for AI performance, energy efficiency, and thermal management. The Galaxy S26 Ultra utilizes the Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, offering significant improvements in CPU, GPU, and NPU performance.
The processor delivers a reported 19% increase in CPU performance, enabling faster response times and intelligent handling of complex workloads. A 39% boost in NPU performance powers always-on Galaxy AI features, although a 24% GPU improvement provides richer graphics and smoother gaming experiences. A redesigned Vapor Chamber with improved thermal interface material efficiently distributes heat, maintaining device stability during demanding tasks.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra also supports Super Fast Charging 3.0, reaching up to 75% charge in approximately 30 minutes. Samsung’s proprietary technologies, ProScaler and the Digital Natural Image Engine (mDNIe), enhance visual performance by optimizing image scaling and color accuracy.
Industry-Leading Camera System
The Galaxy S26 series extends Samsung’s focus on intuitive user experiences to its camera system. The Galaxy S26 Ultra features wider camera apertures to capture more light and detail in low-light conditions, even with zoom. Nightography Video has been enhanced for clearer and more vibrant recordings in low light, with improved super stabilization and a horizontal lock option.
The device is the first Galaxy phone to support APV, a new professional-grade video codec designed for efficient compression in high-quality production workflows. Improvements to the AI ISP extend to the front-facing camera, capturing more natural skin tones and greater detail in mixed lighting. Photo Assist, an enhanced suite of AI-powered editing tools, allows users to make changes to photos using natural language descriptions, such as converting day to night or restoring missing parts of an image.
Creative Studio integrates creation and customization into a single space, enabling users to transform sketches, photos, or descriptions into shareable visuals. Document Scan automatically removes distortions and organizes multiple images into a single PDF.
The Most Intuitive Galaxy AI Experience Yet
The Galaxy S26 series aims to reduce the steps between intention and action through more proactive and contextual AI. Now Nudge offers timely suggestions based on the user’s situation, such as recommending recent photos when someone requests them or identifying calendar conflicts when receiving a meeting message. Now Brief provides personalized reminders about reservations, travel plans, and other important events.
Circle to Search with Google now recognizes multiple objects simultaneously within an image, enabling more in-depth searches. Bixby has evolved into a more natural conversational agent, allowing users to navigate and adjust settings using everyday language. The series also integrates agents like Gemini and Perplexity, capable of managing multi-step tasks, such as booking a taxi via voice command.
Layered Protection in the Age of AI
Samsung is prioritizing privacy with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s integrated Privacy Display and additional AI-powered protections, including unknown call identification, real-time privacy alerts, and options to hide content within the gallery. Samsung is expanding its innovation in post-quantum cryptography and reinforcing protection across the Galaxy ecosystem with Knox Matrix and end-to-end encryption.
Samsung Knox protects the device at the chip level, while technologies like Personal Data Engine (PDE), Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection (KEEP), and Knox Vault add layers of security for personal data. The Galaxy S26 series will receive seven years of security updates. The experience extends to the Galaxy Buds4, enabling voice activation of AI agents and call management through head gestures.
Private Album allows users to easily hide selected photos and videos directly within the Gallery app. Samsung is also expanding its post-quantum cryptography (PQC) innovation to critical system processes, including software verification and firmware protection.
These updates are supported by Samsung Knox, a multi-layered security platform. The Galaxy S26 series will be available for pre-order starting February 25, 2026, with a promotion doubling the storage capacity – allowing users to access 512GB devices at the price of 256GB.
Availability
Galaxy S26 Ultra 512GB: $6,999.000
Galaxy S26Plus 512GB: $6,049.000
Galaxy S26 512GB: $5,079.000
The series features a unified design across all models, with color options including Cobalt Violet, White, Black, and Sky Blue.
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | |
| Display | 6.9 inches* QHD+
Dynamic AMOLED 2X 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120 Hz) Vision Booster |
| *Measured diagonally, the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen size is 6.9 inches in the full rectangle, and 6.7 inches counting the rounded corners. actual viewable area is less due to rounded corners and camera hole. | |
| Dimensions and weight | 78.1 x 163.6 x 7.9 mm, 214 g
*Weight may vary depending on country or region. |
| Camera | 50 MP Ultra Wide F1.9 200 MP Wide 50 MP Telephoto 10 MP Telephoto 12 MP Front Camera *Optical Quality Zoom is enabled by the Adaptive Pixel sensor. 3x and 5x distances correspond to optical zoom. 2x and 10x distances correspond to Optical Quality Zoom. |
| AP | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy |
| Memory and storage | 16GB + 1TB
12 + 512GB 12 + 256GB |
| *Storage options and availability may vary by carrier, country or region. Actual available storage capacity is subject to pre-installed software.
*Memory option may vary by market. |
|
| Battery | 5,000 mAh |
| *Typical value tested under laboratory conditions. Typical value is the estimated average considering the deviation in battery capacity under the IEC 61960 standard. The nominal (minimum) capacity is 4,855 mAh. Actual duration may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors.
**Actual battery life varies depending on network environment, features and apps used, call and message frequency, number of charge cycles and other factors. |
|
| Charging* | Wired charging: up to 75% in approximately 30 minutes with 60W adapter**
Super Fast Wireless Charging Wireless PowerShare |
| *Compatible with QC2.0 and AFCPD. | |
| **Adapter sold separately. Use only Samsung approved chargers and cables. | |
| ***Wireless charging compatible with WPC | |
| ****Compatible with Samsung or other brand smartphones with Qi wireless charging and certain Galaxy wearables. May not work if the battery is below 30%. May affect call or data reception depending on the network environment.
TriFold, S25 FE, Z Fold7, Z Flip7, S25 series, S24 FE, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, S24 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, S23 series, Z Fold4, Z Flip4, S22 series, Z Fold3 5G, Z Flip3 5G, S21 FE 5G, S21 series, Z Fold2, Note20 series, S20 series, Z Flip, Note10, Note10+, S10e, S10, S10+, Fold, S9, S9+, S8, S8+, S8 Active, S7, S7 edge, S7 Active, S6, S6 edge, S6 Active, S6 edge+, Note9, Note8, Note FE and Note5. Only available with certain Samsung Galaxy wearables such as Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Buds3, Buds2 Pro, Buds2, Buds Pro, Buds Live, Watch8 Classic, Watch8, Watch Ultra, Watch7, Watch6, Watch6 Classic, Watch5, Watch 5 Pro, Watch4, Watch4 Classic, Watch3, Watch Active2, Watch Active, Gear Sport, Gear S3, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds. If battery power is lower than 30% Wireless PowerShare may not function. May not work with certain accessories, covers, other brand devices or some Samsung wearables. During PowerShare, it may affect call reception or data services, depending on your network environment. |
|
| OS | Android 16
One UI 8.5 |
| Network and connectivity | 5G*, LTE**, Wi-Fi 7***, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® v 6.0 |
| *Requires optimal 5G network, available in select markets. Speeds may vary.
**LTE availability varies by market and carrier. ***Wi-Fi 7 requires a compatible router. |
|
| Water resistance | IP68 |
| *Based on laboratory test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. Complete protection against dust. Resistance may decrease over time. | |
| Galaxy S26 | Galaxy S26+ | ||||
| Display | 6.3-inch FHD+* | 6.7-inch QHD+ * | |||
| Dynamic AMOLED 2X Display
120Hz adaptive refresh rate (1~120Hz) Vision booster |
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| *Measured diagonally, the Galaxy S26 screen size is 6.3 inches in the full rectangle and 6.1 inches counting the rounded corners; the Galaxy S26+ screen size is 6.7 inches in the full rectangle and 6.5 inches counting the rounded corners. Actual viewable area is less due to rounded corners and camera hole. | |||||
| Dimensions and weight | 71.7 x 149.6 x 7.2mm, 167g (Sub6) | 75.8 x 158.4 x 7.3mm, 190g (mmWave/Sub6) | |||
| * *Weight may vary depending on country or region. | |||||
| AP | Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, Exynos 2600[정4]
*May vary by market. |
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| Camera ] | 12MP Ultra-Wide Camera
● F2.2
50 MP Wide Camera ● 2x Optical Quality Zoom[정6] , F1.8
10MP Telephoto Camera ● 3x Optical Zoom, F2.4
12MP Front Camera ● F2.2
*Optical Quality Zoom is enabled by the Adaptive Pixel sensor. The 3x distance corresponds to optical zoom. The 2x distance corresponds to Optical Quality Zoom. |
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| Memory and storage | 12 + 512GB
12 + 256GB |
12 + 512GB
12 + 256GB |
|||
| *Storage options and availability may vary by carrier, country or region. Actual available storage capacity is subject to pre-installed software.
*Memory option may vary by market. |
|||||
| Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,900 mAh | |||
| *Typical value tested under laboratory conditions. Typical value corresponds to the estimated average considering the deviation in battery capacity among samples evaluated under the IEC 61960 standard. Nominal capacity is 4,175 mAh for Galaxy S26 and 4,755 mAh for Galaxy S26+. Actual battery life may vary depending on network environment, usage patterns and other factors. | |||||
| Charging | Wired charging*: Up to 55% charge in approximately 30 minutes with 25W adapter** and 3A USB-C cable***
Fast Wireless Charging 2.0**** Wireless PowerShare***** |
Wired charging*: Up to 69% charge in approximately 30 minutes with 45W adapter**
Super Fast Wireless Charging*** Wireless PowerShare****
|
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| *Wired charging is compatible with QC2.0 and AFCPD. | |||||
| **Adapter sold separately. Use only Samsung approved chargers and cables. | |||||
| ***Results obtained from internal Samsung laboratory tests, conducted with a 25W travel adapter connected to a preliminary version of the Galaxy S26 and a 45W travel adapter connected to a preliminary version of the Galaxy S26+, when the device had 0% battery, with all services, features and screen turned off. Actual charging speed may vary depending on usage, charging conditions and other factors. | |||||
| ***Wireless charging is compatible with WPC. | |||||
| ****Limited to Samsung or other brand smartphones with Qi wireless charging, such as Galaxy Z TriFold, S25 FE, Z Fold7, Z Flip7, S25 series, S24 FE, Z Fold6, Z Flip6, S24 series, S23 FE, Z Fold5, Z Flip5, S23 series, Z Fold4, Z Flip4, S22 series, Z Fold3 5G, Z Flip3 5G, S21 FE 5G, S21 series, Z Fold2, Note20 series, S20 series, Z Flip, Note10, Note10+, S10e, S10, S10+, Fold, S9, S9+, S8, S8+, S8 Active, S7, S7 edge, S7 Active, S6, S6 edge, S6 Active, S6 edge+, Note9, Note8, Note FE and Note5. Only available with certain Samsung Galaxy wearables such as Galaxy Buds3 Pro, Buds3, Buds2 Pro, Buds2, Buds Pro, Buds Live, Watch8 Classic, Watch8, Watch Ultra, Watch7, Watch6, Watch6 Classic, Watch5, Watch 5 Pro, Watch4, Watch4 Classic, Watch3, Watch Active2, Watch Active, Gear Sport, Gear S3, Galaxy Watch and Galaxy Buds. If battery power is lower than 30% Wireless PowerShare may not function. May not work with certain accessories, covers, other brand devices or some Samsung wearables. During PowerShare, it may affect call reception or data services, depending on your network environment. | |||||
| OS | Android 16
One UI 8.5 |
||||
| Network and Connectivity | 5G*, LTE**, Wi-Fi 7***, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® v 5.4 | 5G*, LTE**, Wi-Fi 7***, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth® v 6.0 | |||
| *5G services are only supported in 5G network enabled locations. Requires optimal 5G connection. Actual speed may vary depending on market, carrier, and user environment.
**Availability of LTE varies by market and carrier. ***Wi-Fi 7 requires a compatible router. |
|||||
| Water Resistance | IP68 | ||||
| *Based on lab test conditions for submersion in up to 1.5 meters of freshwater for up to 30 minutes. No ingress of dust; complete protection against contact (dust-tight). Water and dust resistance of device is not permanent and may diminish over time because of normal wear and tear. | |||||
*Specifications may vary by market.
*All functionality, features, specifications and other product information provided in this document including, but not limited to, the benefits, design, pricing, components, performance, availability, and capabilities of the product are subject to change without notice.
[1] May require logging in to a Samsung Account to use certain AI features. Samsung does not offer promises, guarantees or assure the accuracy, completeness or reliability of results provided by AI features. Availability of Galaxy AI features may vary by region or country, OS version or One UI version, device model and mobile carrier.
[2] Snapdragon brand products are products of Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. And/or its subsidiaries. Snapdragon is a trademark or registered trademark of Qualcomm Incorporated.
[3] AP performance improvements shown compared to Galaxy S25 Ultra. Actual performance will depend on user environment, conditions and pre-installed software and applications.
[4] Vapor chamber performance improvements shown compared to Galaxy S25 Ultra. Actual performance will depend on user environment, conditions and pre-installed software and applications.
[5] Typical value tested under laboratory conditions. Typical value corresponds to the estimated average considering the deviation in battery capacity among samples evaluated under the IEC 61960 standard. Nominal capacity is 4,855 mAh for Galaxy S26 Ultra.
[6] The ProScaler function is compatible with the Galaxy S26+ and S26 Ultra models. Image quality may be improved up to QHD+, depending on the device’s screen resolution settings.
[7] 47% more light in the 200MP Wide camera and 37% more light in the 50MP Telephoto camera (5x optical zoom) of the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Brightness improvements are shown compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
[8] Results may vary depending on lighting conditions and/or shooting conditions, including multiple subjects, out-of-focus subjects or moving subjects.
[9] Super Steady results may vary depending on editing method and/or shooting conditions.
[10] Results may vary depending on lighting conditions and/or shooting conditions, including multiple subjects, out-of-focus subjects or moving subjects.
[11] Photo Assist may require a network connection and Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language or device model. Photo Assist may generate a resized photo. A visible watermark is superimposed when saving the image to indicate that it was generated by AI. The accuracy or reliability of the generated result is not guaranteed.
[12] The Creative Studio function requires a network connection and Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language or device model. The accuracy or reliability of the generated result is not guaranteed. Sticker packs are only compatible with Samsung Keyboard and can only be shared via Quick Share with other Galaxy devices running One UI 5.0 or later and version 13.8.50.x or later of the Quick Share app.
[13] The Now Nudge function requires a Samsung Account login. Available functions may vary by country, region and language. Text message suggestions are available with certain third-party messaging apps, including Samsung Messages, Google Messages, Google Chat, WhatsApp, WhatsApp Business, KakaoTalk, LINE, Signal, Instagram (DM), Tango, NTT Docomo Messages and KDDI Messages. Photo sharing in Now Nudge operates by analyzing the content of available images. The accuracy of the results is not guaranteed.
[14] The Now Brief function requires a Samsung Account login. Service availability may vary by country, language, device model or applications. Some functions may require a network connection. Descriptions of photos provided by Moments may not match the user’s intention. Notifications must be enabled to use remembered data. Remembered data is available from notifications of compatible apps, Messages, Gmail and Samsung Wallet. Data collected from Gmail only applies if the user grants read permission to Personal Data Intelligent. Remembered data about reservation details is only available from confirmation of reservation messages.
[15] Compared to previous models.
[16] Circle to Search is a trademark of Google LLC. Results are for illustrative purposes only. Available on select devices and requires an internet connection. Works on compatible apps and surfaces. Results may vary depending on visual matches. It is recommended to verify the accuracy of the responses.
[17] The availability of the Bixby service requires a Samsung Account login and data connection. Available functions may vary by country, region and language. Bixby recognizes certain accents and dialects of English (UK), English (US), English (India), French (France), German (Germany), Italian (Italy), Japanese (Japan), Korean (South Korea), Mandarin Chinese (China), Portuguese (Brazil), Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Latin America). Other languages may be added in the future. Not all accents, dialects or expressions may be recognized and actual performance may vary depending on pronunciation, voice volume and environment. The use of Bixby may be limited in certain situations such as during media recording (video/game/voice), calls, Max Power Saving Mode, Emergency Mode and Samsung Kids. Service availability may vary by country, carrier, language, device model or OS version. Bixby controls selected applications; other applications will be incorporated progressively. To control SmartThings-enabled devices with Bixby, they must first be connected to the SmartThings app. For more information, visit www.samsung.com/smartthings
[18] Availability may vary by country, region, language, device model or OS/One UI version.
[19] The Privacy Display function controls the viewing angle of the screen to limit side visibility. Some changes in image quality may occur outside the viewing angle. When activated, certain information may still be visible to others depending on the environment, such as the angle or brightness. Caution is recommended when displaying sensitive information.
[20] The Call Screening function for Call Assist may vary by country, region and language. May require manual activation in some regions.
[21] AI functions require a compatible Samsung Galaxy phone.
[22] The default option is disabled. The user can activate Head Gestures through the Galaxy Wearable app.
