Overview
- Samsung introduced the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra, opened preorders and set U.S. prices at $899, $1,099 and $1,299, with general availability on March 11.
- The S26 Ultra’s hardware-level Privacy Display narrows side viewing angles and can be toggled or set to activate for specific apps, credentials and notifications.
- Agentic AI takes center stage with Now Nudge and Now Brief, upgraded Photo Assist, Call Screening, and support for choosing Gemini or Perplexity as the default assistant alongside Bixby.
- All U.S. models use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, while many international S26 and S26+ units ship with Samsung’s Exynos 2600.
- Ultra upgrades include wider-aperture 200MP main and 50MP 5x telephoto cameras, Enhanced Nightography Video with Horizontal Lock, a 5,000mAh battery with up to 60W wired/25W wireless charging, a redesigned vapor chamber, and no built-in Qi2 magnets; Samsung promises seven years of Android and security updates.