Overview
- Preorders in the United States rose nearly 25% versus last year, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra accounting for about 80% of orders and carriers reporting more than a 70% increase.
- Global retail sales begin March 11 in markets including South Korea, the United States, Britain and India, with availability expanding to roughly 120 countries.
- The Ultra captured about 70% of global preorders, and in Europe its preorders increased 20% year over year with a higher share of the overall mix compared with 2025.
- Samsung has started rolling out the first S26 firmware update (S94xBXXS1AZC7) beyond Korea to regions such as India, adding the February 2026 security patch and a reported Inactivity Restart feature.
- Launch promotions significantly lowered effective prices, including high trade‑in credits on Samsung.com, U.S. carrier bill‑credit offers that can offset the device cost, and regional bundles like free Galaxy Watch deals during UK preorders.