Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event 2026 Highlights: Galaxy S26 series debuts with new AI features, privacy display; Buds 4 promise ‘super clear’ calls

Samsung Galaxy Unpacked Event 2026 | Galaxy S26 Series, Galaxy Buds 4 Series Launch Today Highlights: The Galaxy S26 series comes in three variants: the S26 ($900), S26 Plus ($1100), and the S26 Ultra ($1300).

Galaxy S26 Series, Galaxy Buds 4 Series Launch Today Highlights: Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 phones, consisting of the S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra, debuted at the company’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, California, United States on Wednesday, February 25.

Highlighting reach, openness, and confidence as the three pillars of Galaxy AI, Samsung CEO TM Roh said that the Galaxy S26 lineup is the first “agentic AI phone”. “Imagine a phone that anticipates your needs before you even realize them. A phone that learns your habits and adapts in real-time. A phone that takes action on your behalf,” Roh said.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a new ‘Privacy Display’ technology, which blacks out specific screen elements for anyone but the phone’s owner. The Galaxy S26 series comes in three variants: the S26 ($900), S26 Plus ($1100), and the S26 Ultra ($1300). The company will start taking pre-orders for the S26 series on Wednesday, and the devices will go on sale from March 11. Both the S26 and S26 Plus are getting a $100 price hike.

You can re-watch the Galaxy Unpacked February 2026 presentation at the link below:

In addition to the familiar Galaxy S26 lineup, Samsung also launched two new pairs of earbuds – the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro – for easy pairing with your new phone.

While the Galaxy Unpacked February 2026 event is now over, check out our live blog below to recap the highlights from Samsung’s two-hour presentation. You can also check out all of our Samsung Unpacked coverage so far, including our first impressions with the new Galaxy S26 phones, by visiting the Technology page on indianexpress.com.

The following devices are available for Pre-Order on the official Samsung website

Galaxy S26 Ultra: Rs 1,39,999

Galaxy S26: Rs 87,999

Galaxy S25+: Rs 1,19,999

The Galaxy S26 Ultra may look just like its predecessor at first sight, but under the hood, it has a significantly faster Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. In case you are confused whether to go with Samsung’s year-old flagship or upgrade to the newly launched device, read this quick comparison between the two that will help you make the decision.

At first glance, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could be mistaken for the Galaxy S25 Ultra, as there are very few cosmetic changes. Yes, it feels lighter in the hand and has curvier corners, but it is still a large phone that requires two-handed use. The Indian Express' Anuj Bhatia went hands-on with the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra at Unpacked in San Francisco. Read here.

The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro will be available for $249 and the Galaxy Buds 4 for $179. Prices have been kept the same compared to the outgoing Galaxy Buds 3 series.

With the Galaxy Buds 4 series, you can just now talk to wake your AI agent completely hands-free. The moment you open the case for the first time, just press a button, pairing is instant. And for controls and settings, Buds panel is always within reach in the Quick Panel. You'll be able to easily locate them using SmartThings Find.

"We ran extensive wear simulations using hundreds of millions of ear data points from people around the world. The result is computational design so precise, you forget you're wearing them," says Samsung.

With an advanced deep neural network that learns noise patterns, the Galaxy Buds 4 series can reduce a wide range of background noise more consistently. When there's outside noise, the Galaxy Buds 4 Series generates opposing sound waves to cancel out what you don't want to hear, creating more immersive listening experience.

Advanced algorithms monitor sound leakage in real time and automatically adjust noise reduction for the best isolation. It also comes with a customizable equalizer.

Galaxy AI understands when you're trying to scan and helps you create a clean copy. It automatically smooths wrinkles and folded corners. Galaxy AI also makes prompt-based editing practical for everyday needs. You can tell Galaxy AI what you want to adjust like your outfits.

You can edit straight from your phone without downloading an app. And for transparency, all such content will be labelled as AI-generated content.

On the Galaxy S26 series, Super Steady with Horizontal Lock helps you capture what would otherwise fly by in steady footage.

And for creators who want a more professional workflow, Galaxy S26 Ultra unlocks advanced video recording with the APV codec, now available for the first time ever. You can record everything in up to 8K while retaining more detail through rounds of editing. You can also capture directly to external storage as you film.

Galaxy S26 cameras come with an advanced ProVisual engine. The front camera, is powered by an AI image signal processor, brings out more of the finer details, helping you capture the soft strands of hair and natural skin tones so your selfies look true to life. It comes with Nitography video when the sun goes down.

"The advanced AP understands the unique characteristics of each camera sensor, so grain is reduced even more effectively. Faces and details stay sharp, while the background looks cleaner and more defined," says Samsung.

The privacy display is customisable. You can set it to activate for specific apps, or for notifications that may pop up when you least expect them. "Privacy display sets a new standard in display innovation," says Samsung.

You can toggle on maximum privacy protection. It intensifies the privacy effects by adjusting the pixel contrast, bringing down the bright areas and lifting the darker ones so your screen looks far less readable from the side.

AI-enhanced ProScaler on the Galaxy S26 Ultra will make photos and videos appear richer and clearer at a glance, Samsung says.

On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a 39% more powerful NPU enables faster on-device AI. A 19% faster CPU keeps on-device AI feeling instant while your apps launch quickly. The 24% improved GPU handles heavy visuals effortlessly. And through Vulkan optimization, everything you see sees fluid and sharp, says Samsung.

With the 17% boost in ray tracing performance, you'll notice a significant difference in visually demanding moments, like when the light hits the water and how the shadows move with you, the company claims.

We've got some amazing things in the next release of Android, and I'm excited to share more about that in the coming months, says head of Android

On the Galaxy S26 series, we're excited to share an early preview of Gemini's next evolution that lets you get more done across your phone. Circle to Search brings the new ability to search multiple objects at once, he adds.

"We believe in working with the best agents available, building them onto our secure foundation, so you can choose the AI that best fits your life," says Samsung COO.

"We must evolve from a traditional operating system to an intelligent operating system, where AI is integrated into every layer. And we are working closely with Android to make this a reality," he adds.

Samsung Knox Vault is physically built into the phone and isolated from the rest of the system. It protects your most sensitive information, such as your passwords, your security keys, and your biometrics. Even if the main software is attacked, the vault remains locked.

KIT maintains the digital walls between your apps, ensuring your data is isolated, verified, and protected.

"Mass adoption will happen when AI turns the things you already do every day into something you can do better, faster, and with less friction. So how do we achieve that? We believe it requires platform-level innovation that is personal, adaptive, and agentic," says Samsung COO.

"Your phone is your most personal device, and it has the potential to help you in ways no other device can. An AI phone needs to offer suggestions that feel truly personal and relevant, like how Now Brief recalls information or Now Nudge provides suggestions at the right moment," he adds.

With the S26 series, you'll be able to circle to search multiple objects at once so you can easily find the look. Galaxy AI can also assist you right inside the chat with gentle nudges, reducing steps, says Samsung.

"We added a brand new capability that goes beyond device control. Now Bixby can bring you up-to-date information directly in the conversation, keeping you in your flow without having to open another app."

"Galaxy AI already helps you summarize, translate, and read highlights aloud. But now, starting with the Galaxy S26 series, the all-new Samsung browser is partnering with Perplexity. So you'll be able to research faster with Ask AI, a powerful AI tool to help you do more while browsing."

"When AI has wider reach, embraces openness, and is built on confidence, it becomes infrastructure. And from there, it evolves into agentic AI. Imagine a phone that anticipates your needs before you even realize them. A phone that learns your habits and adapts in real-time. A phone that takes action on your behalf," says TM Roh.

"We are building life-enhancing innovations that are dependable, broadly available, and foundational to everyday life. To achieve this, our priorities are clear: reach, openness, and confidence. We are expanding Galaxy AI across our entire ecosystem to reach everyone. For AI to truly matter, it needs to be effortless. True openness means offering the same quality of experience to everyone," says Samsung CEO TM Roh.

"That brings us to our final pillar, confidence. People have every right to ask, where is my information being shared? How is it being used? So, we built Galaxy AI with advanced security and privacy at its core," he adds.

As we get closer to the official launch of the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, it might interest you to know that the South Korean giant's top-seller last year was not the Galaxy S25 but the cheaper Galaxy A16 5G, according to a Counterpoint Research report. In 2024, the Galaxy A15 5G was Samsung's biggest seller. However, the S25 Ultra did make it to the list of top-selling phones of 2025. All eyes are now on the S26 lineup.

This year's Galaxy Unpacked event is being held in-person at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, California. Samsung last held an event here in February 2020, when it launched the Galaxy Z Flip, as per CNET.

(Image credits: Samsung)

It appears that Samsung is likely to replace the super-slim S26 Edge with the larger S26 Plus this year. The purported move comes after last year's Galaxy S25 Edge reportedly saw poorer sales. Rumoured specs of the S26 Plus include a 6.7-inch display, upgraded 50-megapixel sensor, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 12GB of RAM.

We're T-minus 45 minutes away from the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 keynote to begin.

Amid the highly anticipated unveiling of the all-new Galaxy S26 lineup, one of the questions on almost everyone’s minds is how the global memory chip crisis will affect the pricing of the soon-to-be-launched devices. Leaks and reports suggest that the top-of-the-line 1TB variant of the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be priced significantly higher than its predecessor.

How significant? Reportedly a steep 20 per cent price hike due to skyrocketing memory chip prices. However, this is still a major unknown until the official prices are revealed.

While global pricing will be unveiled during the event, India prices are likely to be announced sometime next week.

Alongside the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, the highlight of Unpacked 2026 is most likely to be the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G. The S26 Ultra will compete directly with other flagship devices like the iPhone 17 Pro and the Pixel 10 Pro. It is rumoured to come with a new design that will be more in line with the other S26 models.

Under the hood, the device is expected to arrive with Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. However, other variants of the S26 may arrive with Samsung’s Exynos 2600 processor.

The new line of flagship devices from Samsung is expected to feature a slew of AI advancements that are designed to enhance creativity and productivity. Users may likely see more personalisation and features that will enhance their smartphone experience. Along with AI enhancements, the S26 lineup is likely to be backed by powerful performance, a win for casual users and gamers.

Depending on the region, the Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus are rumoured to feature either the 2nm-based Exynos 2600 chipset or Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. While Samsung has not confirmed anything yet, leaked benchmark scores suggest that the Exynos 2600 could deliver performance nearly on par with its Snapdragon counterpart. If that turns out to be true, users in regions that traditionally receive the Exynos variant may no longer have to worry about getting a less powerful version of the phone.

The upcoming Galaxy S26 series devices will most likely come with One UI 8.5 based on Android 16 out of the box. Like last year, Samsung is expected to offer seven years of OS updates and security patches. On the software front, the latest version of Samsung's Android skin features more extensive quick settings customisation, enhanced security, including a "Theft Mode", smoother animations and an improved camera app.

One of the rumours swirling around the Galaxy S26 Ultra, ahead of its launch, is that the premium smartphone will come with a new Privacy Display that automatically adjusts the viewing angle of the screen so that it is not visible to the person next to it. The technology developed by Samsung Display was first unveiled in 2024, and it reportedly works by scattering light through gates when voltage is applied to parts of the panel. However, this exciting new feature has not been officially confirmed so take it with a grain of salt.

Samsung’s annual Unpacked is one of the most anticipated product launch events in the consumer tech space. Insiders don’t expect the new Galaxy S26 lineup to look cosmetically different from last year’s models, but AI–based features may be the biggest differentiator from competitors’ devices. Every major smartphone company is betting on AI to make their phones significantly better.

However, Samsung is taking a slightly different approach by looking to integrate several AI agents with Galaxy AI in order to let users choose based on their individual needs, preferences, and routines.

“We’ve been committed to building an open and inclusive integrated AI ecosystem that gives users more choice, flexibility and control to get complex tasks done quickly and easily. Galaxy AI acts as an orchestrator, bringing together different forms of AI into a single, natural, cohesive experience," said Won-Joon Choi, President, Chief Operating Officer (COO) and Head of the R&D Office, Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics.

As part of its partnership with Perplexity, Samsung has announced a native integration of an AI agent on the soon-to-be-launched Galaxy S26 smartphone models. The ‘Hey Plex’ agent is believed to be powered by Perplexity’s Sonar API and is expected to be triggered through a dedicated wake word and side button. The AI agent will be able to take actions across a range of pre-installed apps such as Notes, Calendar, Gallery, Clock, Reminders, and more.

It's the first time a third-party AI company has achieved that kind of parity with platform holders on a major mobile OS, the company said. “We built Perplexity into the Galaxy S26 from the ground up with Samsung's team, and our Sonar API powers the AI experience across the device, including Bixby. This is what an open AI ecosystem actually looks like,” Dmitry Shevelenko, chief business officer, Perplexity said in a statement.

The announcement is considered to be Samsung’s response to Apple’s tie-ups with leading AI model providers such as OpenAI and most recently, Google.

In its official invite for Galaxy Unpacked 2026 released on February 10, Samsung said that this year's launch marks "a new phase in the era of AI as intelligence becomes truly personal and adaptive." The new Galaxy S series is "built to simplify everyday interactions, inspire confidence and make Galaxy AI feel seamlessly integrated from the moment it’s in hand," the South Korean tech giant added.

For Samsung, the debut of the Galaxy S26 series comes at a time when consumers are expecting more from their smartphones, especially as prices continue to rise amid financial strain and global uncertainties such as tariffs constraining supply chains. Consumers want a top-of-the-line experience, and while the Galaxy S lineup is known for offering some of the best Android smartphones, the release of the iPhone 17 and Pixel 10 has raised the bar.

Additionally, it comes amid soaring prices of memory chips are likely to add to stress for big companies building out data centres and infrastructure to power AI models. This also threatens to increase the costs of other products like smartphones and computers in which memory chips are also used.

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event is happening in San Francisco, California. But for those who are not able to attend in-person, the keynote will be livestreamed on Samsung's official YouTube page as well as its official websites such as Samsung.com and Samsung Newsroom. The event kicks off at 11:30pm India time on Wednesday, February 25.

In addition to a familiar Galaxy S26 lineup, Samsung is expected to launch two new earbud pairs as part of the all-new Galaxy Buds 4 series. Following Apple’s lead, the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are rumoured to come with head-tracking support that allows nodding and shaking gestures to answer yes-or-no questions, answer or dismiss calls, interrupt notifications as they’re read, and more.

The Buds 4 Pro stems might also allow you to automatically take a photo or video through a pinch-and-hold gesture. It could also come with a Find My Phone feature. None of this is confirmed yet and we'll have to wait for the Galaxy Unpacked keynote today to know for sure.

At this year’s Unpacked event, Samsung is set to unveil its refreshed lineup of the Galaxy S smartphones, which will comprise the familiar trio of models, namely: the standard Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra 5G. Samsung may not release the Galaxy S26 Edge.

- Design: Unlike the S25 series, which had four individual camera sensors aligned vertically, the Galaxy S26 series is rumoured to have the sensors enclosed within an elliptical-shaped module. Apart from this, the Galaxy S26 series will mostly look like its predecessor.

- Performance:While the non-Ultra variants are said to feature Samsung’s new in-house developed Exynos 2600 chip, the S26 Ultra is most likely to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. This isn’t confirmed yet and might depend on the region.

- Battery: With the Galaxy S26 series, Samsung is reportedly sticking to the Lithium-ion battery technology instead of adopting the Silicon-Carbon batteries on new phones from Chinese manufacturers like Oppo and Realme. This means we might see a slight or no increase in battery capacity.