Samsung Galaxy S26 prioritizes AI features over hardware upgrades in latest flagship lineup

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Phones Are Light On Hardware Upgrades, Heavy on AI

Right on schedule: Samsung has just announced its latest flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S26 series, at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. The Galaxy S26 series follows the same refresh pattern of past years: small tweaks to an established formula. That may make the new Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra, which are available for preorder today, Feb. 25, and at retail starting on Mar. 11, sound a bit tame, but that's just how these annual phone launches are now. That doesn't mean there's nothing to get excited about. Specifically, the Galaxy S26 Ultra has a new display feature called "Privacy Screen" that I want every other phone to copy. See at Samsung.com Let's skip right to the most notable changes first. Just like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pros, Samsung has ditched titanium for aluminum. Apple justified the metal frame downgrade as a way to improve the iPhone 17 Pro's thermals, allowing heat to disperse more evenly across the phone's backside with the aid of a new vapor chamber for better cooling, which in turn prevents performance throttling. In the S26 Ultra's case, the aluminum means a lighter device at 214g versus the S25 Ultra's 233g. I have not touched any of the Galaxy S26 phones in person -- I couldn't make it to Unpacked because of the blizzard that hit the U.S. Northeast just before the event -- but my colleague, Adriano Contreras, who took all of the photos in this article, did, and he told me they definitely feel lighter, though no less solid in the hand. The regular S26 and 26+ both stick with aluminum frames. This time around, the S26 Ultra also has the same rounded corner radii as the other S26 models. Altogether, Samsung says the less boxy design on the S26 Ultra gives the whole S26 lineup a more unified design. Beyond other small tweaks like an updated camera island that resembles the one found on the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and S25 Edge, the S26 series is just another touchscreen slab. If you're looking for a less traditional form factor, consider Samsung's foldables like the Z Fold 7 or the Z Flip 7. The biggest selling point the S26 Ultra has going for it is its new "Privacy Display." This is a pixel-level display technology that lets you darken the sides or top of the screen to prevent others from seeing your content. It's sort of like one of those privacy screen protectors that you can apply on top of your phone's screen, except it's built into the S26 Ultra. The Privacy Display feature is also more than just a built-in privacy screen protector. It can also obscure notifications, passwords, PIN codes, and pattern unlocks to safeguard them from potential peepers. Again, I have not seen or tried the Privacy Display feature for myself, but Adriano tells me that it's "impressive." In his own words: "When I saw it only blur a text notification bubble up top, that's when I said out loud, 'sold!'" Sounds really neat. The only downside is that the Privacy Display feature is exclusive to the S26 Ultra; the S26 and S26+ do not have it. As I said, the S26 series is mostly a minor hardware refresh. Almost everything is the same compared to the S25 series. The S26 Ultra has the same 6.9-inch screen; the S26+ has the same 6.7-inch display; the S26 screen is slightly larger at 6.3 inches versus the S25's 6.2 inches, though it retains the same previous resolution. All three S26 phones are powered by Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip. This is a customized version of the regular Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip that other phone makers have access to. Samsung says you can expect a CPU that's up to 19% faster, a GPU that's up to 24% faster, and an NPU (neural processing unit for AI and machine learning) that's up to 39% faster. Combined with a redesigned vapor chamber that Samsung claims dissipates more heat, the phones should throttle less, too. The battery capacities for all three S26 phones are identical to their predecessors: 4,300mAh on the S26, 4,900 on the S26+, and 5,000mAh on the S26 Ultra. The only difference is in charging speeds on the S26 Ultra, which can now fast wire charge at up to 60W and fast wireless charge at up to 25W. The regular S26 supports fast wired charging at up to 25W; the S26+ at up to 45W. For fast wireless charging, the S26 supports up to 15W and the S26+ up to 20W. To my disappointment, none of the S26 phones have built-in magnetic wireless charging at all. Even Google added magnetic wireless charging (Pixelsnap) to its Pixel 10 series (except the new Pixel 10a). Samsung's defense is that all of its official S26 cases come with built-in magnets and that adding them would have made the phones thicker. I still think that Samsung shouldn't have cheaped out here, especially on the S26 Ultra. As for the cameras on the S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra -- they're basically the same as before, too. The S26 and S26+ have a triple-lens camera system made up of a 50-megapixel f/1.8 wide, a 12-megapixel f/2.2 ultrawide, and a 10-megapixel f/2.4 3x optical telephoto zoom. The S26 Ultra has a quad-lens camera system comprised of a 200-megapixel f/1.4 wide, 50-megapixel f/1.9 ultrawide, 10-megapixel f/2.4 3x optical telephoto zoom, and a 50-megapixel f/2.9 5x optical telephoto zoom (with 10x optical-quality zoom). Eagle-eyed tech nerds will notice that the apertures on all four of the S26 Ultra cameras are larger (smaller f-stop number). Samsung says the 200-megapixel shooter is 40% brighter and the 50-megapixel tele is 37% brighter, which means low-light shots should look a little better. The company is also highlighting improvements to its "Nightography" video recording. All of the S26 phones have a 12-megapixel f/2.2 selfie camera. Samsung says it's made improvements to exposing skin tones. No square-shaped image sensor to let you hold the S26 phones in portrait mode to shoot horizontal selfies like you can with the Center Stage camera on the iPhone 17 series and iPhone Air. I expected Samsung to add more Galaxy AI features, but I think it may have gone too far this time. Unlike previous years, when Samsung sprinkled a few new AI features into its phones to get users familiar with what's possible with the technology, the S26 phones feel like they have too many Galaxy AI features -- so many that it might be hard to remember them all. Samsung truly stuffed the S26 phones with AI everywhere. "Now Nudge" works like the Pixel 10's "Magic Cue" feature, proactively looking at your data and suggesting tasks like adding event details to a calendar, setting reminders, or sharing images from a specific day if you mention it in a text message. The "Now Brief" hub can now surface more timely reminders and events, pulling from incoming notifications. An "Automated app action" feature can let you enter a prompt like "call me an Uber to Seoul Station," and the AI will launch the app and tap through the various buttons, and then ask for your final payment confirmation. This is Samsung's take on agentic computing, where an AI does everything for you; it's also limited to Uber at launch. AI can now sort your screenshots into eight categories (social media, coupons, boarding passes, events, locations, barcodes, QR codes, and chats) to make it easier to find stuff later. "Circle to Search" can now identify multiple pieces of clothing in images of an outfit, which.... Samsung says will make it easier to shop for those pieces. There's an improved Photo Assist feature that lets you describe changes you want to make to a photo; it's similar to the Pixel's "Help me edit" feature that uses Gemini to make photo edits. A "Creative Studio" lets you use a prompt to create images for wallpapers and stickers -- I admit, creating stickers seems kind of fun. "Document Scan" is a beefed-up document scanner with settings to automatically remove fingers, creases, or page folds, and then compile the scanned pages into a single PDF. The "Audio Eraser" feature that uses AI to erase background noise from videos now works in select third-party apps like YouTube and Instagram. Samsung is also including "Call Screening," which uses Galaxy AI to answer calls from unknown numbers and then transcribe them, and "Scam Detection," which uses AI to identify potential scam callers. And if you thought Bixby was dead -- it's not. It's been rebooted as an "Intelligent Device Agent" that can better understand natural language when it comes to stuff like getting help with your device settings. Samsung also says it's integrated Perplexity to aid with expanded prompts when you might need an answer for a prompt that requires wider knowledge from the internet. Altogether, it's a lot of AI to take in. How useful any of these features will be will come down to the individual. Tech companies are telling us how useful AI this and that will be in automating time-consuming tasks, but on phones, I've yet to fully trust them. Even on the Pixel 10 Pro, which I'm still dailying, I still find myself ignoring most of the Gemini features. All three S26 phones will be available in four colors: Cobalt Violet, sky blue, black, and white. There will be two online-exclusive colors: Silver Shadow and Pink Gold. But the thing that likely won't sit well with consumers is the $100 price hike for the Galaxy S26 and S26+, which now start at $899.99 and $1,099.99, respectively, for 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. The S26 Ultra starts at the same as $1,299.99 as the S25 Ultra did for the same 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage. Samsung didn't provide any specific reason for the price hike, but if I were to guess, it probably has to do with the RAM and storage shortage caused by AI data center hoarding, which has led to the skyrocketing of almost all consumer electronics that use the components. Or, maybe it's tariffs. Whatever the reason for the price increase, it sucks.

Samsung is cloning Pixel features for the Galaxy AI suite on S26

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series might not add a ton of new functions and features, but there are a few software functions and features being lifted right from Pixel phones. Yes, it feels like a first for the Pixel to influence the best Galaxy phones, but the Galaxy AI suite is flat out lifting functions first seen on Google's hardware and integrating right into One UI. The Samsung Gallery app is gaining its own built-in version of Pixel Screenshots feature that will auto-categorize based on screen context. Instead of requiring another app, you can go to the screenshots folder, and tags will appear for all the common categories, such as receipts, coupons, tickets, directions, and much more. This does feel like an improvement on the siloed experience on Pixel phones, as it doesn't fracture the experience. Google Photos' "Locked Folder" is also coming to the Samsung Gallery app as "Private Album." This lets you hide certain content without creating separate folders or an active Samsung Account. Creative Studio is a Gemini-powered take on the popular Pixel Studio application. Like that app, it allows you to describe what you'd like the AI to generate, or draw using the S Pen and then have Creative Studio turn into an image based on various criteria, themes, and styles. Magic Cue is "Now Nudge" on the new handsets. It'll work in much the same way, by surfacing relevant information like GPS locations, a telephone number, or even photos from a recent trip if someone asks using a messaging application. While Magic Cue is limited to Google's first-party apps, this will work with services like WhatsApp on the Samsung Galaxy S26, which might make it even more useful for many people. Call Screening has been a staple feature on Pixel phones for a number of years, but it is also making its bow on the Samsung Galaxy S26 series for the first time. Again, this works in much the same way it does on Pixel phones, allowing you to screen unknown callers with a live text feed of the ongoing conversation. It's often Samsung that debuts Google features ahead of integration into other Android devices, but it's interesting to see the Pixel leading the way and having Galaxy phones follow when it comes to AI functionality. The Galaxy S26 starts at $899, the Galaxy S26 Plus starts at $1,099, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,299. All three devices are available for pre-order, and getting them straight from Samsung has its benefits. Those who pre-order the Galaxy S26 series devices can get a discounted pair of Galaxy Buds 4. Samsung generally ends that offer when pre-orders are up.

Samsung announces S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra AI smartphones

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is Samsung's new flagship AI smartphone. Credit: Chris Taylor / Mashable Finally, after weeks of waiting, the full Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup is here: The Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra are all available for pre-order now and scheduled to launch on March 11. The Korean phone maker announced its latest series of Android flagships during a Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on Wednesday. The S26 Ultra is Samsung's slimmest Ultra series phone yet, and it introduces the world's first-ever built-in Privacy Display. All three phones arrive with various improvements and new AI features, but the S26 and S26 Plus also bring a $100 price increase over the S25 models. In a hands-on demo, we found that the phones are slightly less boxy and lighter than the S25, and we'll be sharing a full review in the weeks ahead. Mashable is providing live updates from Galaxy Unpacked, so let's dive into everything we learned about the new S26 lineup. The new Galaxy S26 line delivers some key upgrades over Samsung's previous-gen phones. The phones feature a custom chipset, the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy. The Galaxy S26 goes for $899, the S26+ for $1,099, and the S26 Ultra for $1,299. The S26 no longer offers a 128GB option, which is why the starting price is now $100 higher. However, the S26 memory and RAM options remain unchanged, yet the price is still $100 higher than last year. A global memory shortage, not to mention tariffs, has been putting upward pressure on phone prices. The new Samsung phones are available in six colors: Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, White, Silver Shadow, and Pink Gold. Those last two colors are online exclusives, as is normal for Samsung. Here are some of the other basic specs: As for cameras, the S26 Ultra is clearly the choice for pro-level photographers. Here are the cameras included with each handset this year: There isn't a lot in terms of super exciting new flagship features, but the two most worth talking about are Creative Studio and Privacy Display. The former is a new, unified home for all your AI image and video editing needs. Rather than putting all of those things into separate apps, Samsung has grouped them all together in one place. Privacy Display, on the other hand, is an industry-first. The display technology will make the screen dark for people who aren't looking at it head-on, hopefully giving users more peace of mind when using their phones in public. Other highlights include: For those interested in using AI assistants, S26 users will be able to choose between Google Gemini, Samsung Bixby, and Perplexity. In all, this looks to be a fairly incremental upgrade cycle for Samsung. Stay tuned for our reviews of these devices. If you're ready to pre-order, head to Samsung to see the latest launch offers.

Samsung's New Galaxy S26 Smartphones Look Very Familiar

Samsung's annual winter Unpacked event revealed the latest trio of flagship Galaxy S26 smartphones. The new devices largely preserve the familiar design language of recent years, continuing the company's emphasis on software-driven upgrades rather than any dramatic makeover. This goes for all three, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra headlining on top of the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+. There is no radical change here, just another iterative approach bent on fine-tuning the One UI ecosystem with AI-driven features and unique screen technology. I had a chance to spend time with the new phones ahead of the official announcement, garnering some early impressions. Compared to last year's Galaxy S25 family, the changes are subtle to the point of being almost academic. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is fractionally taller and wider, slightly thinner, and marginally lighter, while the S26 and S26+ grow just a touch in both size and weight. You're probably not going to notice these differences in day-to-day use, underscoring Samsung's conservative industrial design this time. Where the S26 series does move the needle is in a handful of spec-level upgrades. Base storage now starts at 256GB across all three models, eliminating the lower-capacity entry points of previous years. Charging speeds also start to diverge within the lineup: the standard Galaxy S26 sticks to 25W wired charging, the S26+ steps up to 45W, and the Ultra pushes further to 60W. Still no charger in the box. Battery capacity ticks up slightly for the S26 and S26+ at 4,300mAh and 4,900mAh, respectively, though the Ultra holds steady at 5,000mAh. Perhaps unsurprisingly, Samsung isn't going with silicon-carbon batteries for these phones to increase capacity in the same physical space, which puts it further behind some rival Android devices that have since made the move. All three models are powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, Qualcomm's most powerful mobile chipset to date. Apart from the general performance, some Galaxy AI features run directly on the device rather than relying solely on the cloud. While not exactly an AI feature, the Galaxy S26 Ultra exclusively offers a feature called Privacy Display. It works by manipulating pixels to reduce screen visibility when viewed from the side, effectively dimming the display at off-angles while keeping it clear head-on. Users have the option to enable it across the whole system, limit it to specific apps, or even apply it to certain notifications when they come in. The effect is purely lateral, as tilting the phone up or down doesn't do the same thing, so someone hovering over one's shoulder could still catch a peek. The feature isn't available on the S26 and S26+, though the phones otherwise share many other software enhancements. Screen sizes across all the devices also don't radically change. The Galaxy S26 gets a nudge up to a 6.3-inch FHD+ (2340 x 1080) Dynamic AMOLED 2x, whereas the other two use the same Dynamic AMOLED 2x panels, so a 6.7-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) for the S26+ and 6.9-inch QHD+ (3120 x 1440) for the S26 Ultra. Yet again, Samsung chose to leave camera hardware largely untouched across the lineup. Samsung is using the same cameras as before, with one notable exception being that the Ultra's 200-megapixel main camera now features a faster f/1.4 aperture. That's the fastest currently available on a smartphone. The 50-megapixel periscope telephoto (111mm equivalent) also gets a brighter f/2.9 aperture. The company says it will lead to better low-light performance and improved night photography, though it's unclear whether any processing gains will yield significant image-quality improvements. The Galaxy S26 and S26+ use the exact same hardware as their S25 predecessors, so there are no physical changes there. On the video side, all three models gain a Super Steady Mode with Horizontal Lock, designed to prevent unwanted rotation while filming. When enabled, the phone maintains a level horizon even if you tilt the device while recording, preserving landscape orientation in situations where your grip isn't perfectly steady. One catch is that it only works with the main and ultra-wide cameras, not with the telephoto lens. Samsung keeps moving ahead with Galaxy AI-powered photo editing, blending voice and visual input in a way that basically builds off Samsung's existing software suite. From the Gallery app, users can tap the Create function and either type or speak instructions to alter an image. That could include simple environmental changes, like turning an overcast sky into a sunny one, or removing an object from an image. All AI-generated results include a labeled watermark in the lower left corner, also noted in the metadata. More complex edits enable users to circle a specific area of a photo and ask the AI to insert a new object, or even extract a person or item from another image and place it inside. It's hard to gauge how effective this will be without proper testing, but the AI is supposed to deliver a result that blends the added element in with the primary image by adjusting lighting and context. Taken together, the Galaxy S26 lineup feels like a year of consolidation for Samsung. Minimal hardware changes, familiar design traits, leaving the more interesting developments in software features and subtle display and camera refinements. Samsung seems to be betting that incremental improvements and deeper AI integration will be enough to carry its flagship phones forward this cycle. All three phones are available for pre-order starting today, with general availability beginning on March 11. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,299.99, while the Galaxy S26+ starts at $1,099.99 and the Galaxy S26 starts at $899.99.

Samsung Galaxy S26 stuffs more power in a charmingly small and familiar package

The Galaxy S26 officially launches with next-gen AI tools, upgraded performance, and minor refinements across the board. Samsung has officially launched the Galaxy S26, the latest addition to its flagship smartphone lineup. The new device builds on the foundation of last year's model, bringing a series of updates across AI, performance, and software, though not much has changed in terms of looks and core hardware chops. What's new? Like the previous two years, Samsung's main focus is on adding and improving AI features. It starts with the new SoC. Samsung Galaxy S26 will be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. The new chipset delivers significant performance gains, with the CPU, NPU, and GPU improving by 19%, 39%, and 24%, respectively. That said, like previous years, Exynos 2600 will power the S26 in some markets, while the rest get a Qualcomm chip. Samsung has said that its Exynos silicon is no slouch and brings significant performance improvements. Recommended Videos The CPU is 39% faster, while a new built-in NPU should result in 113% faster AI performance. On the other hand, the included Xclipse 960 GPU delivers twice the performance compared to last year's Xclipse 950, and 50% better ray-tracing performance. Aside from the SoC upgrade, the phone is not so different from the outgoing Galaxy S25. The display sees a modest increase in size and now measures 6.3 inches, while battery capacity has increased by a mere 300mAh. The cameras remain unchanged from previous years, so any improvements will stem from the new image engine and AI processing. Below is the full specifications list: A generous dose of AI features Samsung is calling the S26 the third generation of AI phones. This year, the company is focusing on features that make everyday tasks quicker and easier. Photo Assist lets you edit images by describing what you want in plain language, while Creative Studio can turn your sketches or text prompts into polished visuals. There's an improved Bixby that should provide better multi-step performance. But if you don't like it, you can always switch to Gemini or Perplexity thanks to their native integration. The Samsung Galaxy S26 will be available to pre-order today and will be up for grabs in Cobalt, Violet, White, Black, and Sky Blue, alongside the Samsung-exclusive Pink Gold and Silver Shadow colors.

Samsung Just Announced the Galaxy S26 Series

The S26 Ultra has a new f/1.4 aperture, and the new Privacy Display feature. The newest Galaxy series is officially here. Samsung announced its latest batch of flagship phones During its big Unpacked 2026 event. The company had announced as much ahead of the presentation but was silent on the name, though few will be surprised to learn this year's phones are the Galaxy S26 series -- specifically, the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra. While the new devices look similar to last year's models, there are some new features and changes (including ones exclusive to the S26 Ultra) that may make them worth upgrading. Since Samsung is all-in on AI, it's only fitting there are a couple of new Galaxy AI features making their debut on the Galaxy S26 series. First is the "Now Nudge," Samsung's answer to the Pixel 10's Magic Cue feature. Now Nudge uses AI to understand the context of what's currently on your screen and prompts users with helpful information, such relevant photos, calendar availability and more. The Galaxy S26 series supports switching between three AI assistants at once. You can access Google Gemini and Bixby, of course, but users will now be able to use Perplexity as well. This includes hands-free voice commands (e.g. "Hey Plex.") Galaxy S26 users can utilize Perplexity to get info, manage tasks, or even navigate through their device using natural voice or text prompts. Samsung is also upgrading Circle to Search with version 3.0. Now, users can circle multiple items within an image, such as a whole outfit, and Galaxy AI can identify and itemize each item at once. Then, there's Notification Intelligence, where the AI will prioritize your most important messages and notifications, such as conversations with humans, above promotional or subscription notifications. The higher priority notifications will appear higher in your incoming notifications list. One of the S26 Ultra's exclusive features is Privacy Display, which allows users to make their screen only visible when viewing straight on, as if you're using a privacy screen protectors. Privacy Display can be enabled all the time or during certain conditions, like using certain apps or when entering a passcode or password. All models in the Galaxy S26 series are powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip, a slightly overclocked version of the SoC exclusive to Samsung phones. Compared to last year's Snapdragon 8 Elite chip, the 8 Elite Gen 5 brings a 20% performance boost and 35% CPU power efficiency, thanks to the 3 nanometer manufacturing process. The new Adreno GPU in the 8 Elite Gen 5 should also improve graphics performance by 23%. Like the Galaxy S25 series, all three Galaxy S26 models feature a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display, which supports an adaptive refresh rate of 1-120Hz. Storage options include 256GB and 512GB on the S26 and S26+, while the S26 Ultra comes in an optional 1TB variant as well. All three come with 12GB of RAM, but the 1TB S26 Ultra comes with 16GB of RAM. Screen sizes have stayed relatively the same apart from the base S26, which has gone up to 6.3 inches: The base model S26 comes with a 4,300 mAh battery, up from the 4,000 mAh battery on the S25, while the S26+ stays with a 4,900 mAh battery and the S26 Ultra continues with a 5,000 mAh battery. The S26 supports 25W wired and 15W wireless charging, while the S26+ supports 45W wired and 20W wireless charging. The S26 Ultra, however, has the fastest speeds of all, with 60W wired and 25W wireless charging. Despite those speeds, the Galaxy S26 series does not support Qi2 with the built-in magnetic array like Pixelsnap on the Pixel 10 series. That being said, Samsung will happily sell you their official cases with magnets built-in and will offer a magnetic charging puck and magnet battery pack. As far as the cameras go, Samsung isn't changing much with the Galaxy S26 series. The S26 and S26+ have the same 12MP ultra-wide, 50MP wide, and 10MP telephoto lenses as the S25 and S25+. The Galaxy S26 Ultra gets a slight upgrade, at least to the 200MP wide lens, which now comes with a new f/1.4 aperture. It carries over the 50MP ultra-wide and two telephoto lenses, 10MP (3x) and 50MP (5x), of the S25 Ultra. The 12MP selfie camera on all three models also hasn't changed from the S25 series. Thanks to the wider aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, you can shoot what Samsung calls Nightography Video. It allows users to capture more detail in low light environments, to complement Samsung's Nightography photo mode. The Galaxy S26 series is available for pre-order starting today. The phones will be available in a number of colors including, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue and Black.

Galaxy S26 Series Made Official, Starts at $899

We may earn a commission when you click links to retailers and purchase goods. More info. Samsung's Galaxy S26 lineup is now official, and for those who have been following Galaxy news for the past few months, the lineup differs from what was initially expected. It was reported that Samsung would introduce massive changes to the lineup, but following months of rumors and various reports, Samsung stayed consistent and has delivered the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy 26 Ultra. Reintroducing an aluminum frame, the newest Galaxy devices are slim and light, moving away from last year's titanium material. While the weight numbers for the Galaxy S26 Ultra don't look like much on paper (218g last year, 214g this year), the in-hand feel is certainly lighter from our initial testing. What's New: As for "what's new," Samsung is looking to advance the onboard AI throughout its software system. If you were looking for major hardware changes, 2026 and the Galaxy S26 lineup is not the place to look. However, if you value year-over-year spec bumps and AI software advancements, then Samsung has certainly delivered that. The most user-facing AI changes include an upgraded Bixby, which now features a more conversational agent vibe. For example, you can ask Bixby, "My eyes are tired, what setting can I use to help with that?" Bixby will then deliver a helpful answer which will include a system toggle for a blue light filter. The goal is to make Bixby your go-to for any software/hardware issues, allowing users to skip getting lost in the massive Settings menu. The other AI feature that users will be shown often, so long as they use the Samsung Keyboard, is Now Nudge. This one should remind everybody that everything you do on your phone is being watched, so long as it's enabled. With it, let's say a friend texts you and asks for photos from a trip you took to Alaska. The system will recognize this all by itself and prompt you that it can group together your photos from Alaska and share them with your friend, letting you skip the entire process. Exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung's biggest hardware innovation is its Privacy Display. When enabled, certain pixels are shut off, making viewing the display from an angle not possible. You have to be looking directly at the screen to see anything on it. This can be enabled across the system, for certain apps, or even inside of Bixby Routines so it's only enabled when you're at a certain location. From our brief hands-on time, this is our favorite new feature on the S26 Ultra. Also in the privacy/security section, Samsung is including new AI-powered features like Call Screening and Privacy Alerts that utilize machine learning. Call Screening is similar to what we have on Pixel phones, with an AI capable of answering the phone for you and literally screening the call. Privacy Alerts proactively notify users in real time when apps with device admin privileges unnecessarily attempt to access sensitive data, such as precise location, call logs, or contacts. Samsung Gallery app users will also appreciate the new Private Album feature. Powering the lineup is the Qualcomm-made Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. On paper, users can look forward to bumps of 19% in CPU performance, 39% in NPU performance, and a 24% increase in GPU performance. While you'll notice these performance boosts when utilizing AI, let's not forget that people still game on these devices, which should also benefit from a redesigned Vapor Chamber on the S26 Ultra. For the full spec rundown of the Galaxy S26 series, look below. Pricing and Availability: All Galaxy S26 models are now up for pre-order, starting at $899 for the Galaxy S26, $1099 for the Galaxy S26+, and $1299 for Galaxy S26 Ultra. General availability begins March 11.