At its first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026, Samsung officially introduced the Galaxy S26 series. The new flagship lineup from the Korean tech giant delivers significant improvements in software and AI features, while hardware upgrades remain relatively modest. From the debut of the Privacy Display and the unveiling of Galaxy S26 Ultra to more powerful Galaxy AI capabilities and price hikes, here are key highlights from the event.
Galaxy S26 Ultra With Wider Apertures
Samsung's top-tier flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, has arrived. It comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, incorporates the new Privacy Display feature, and features a redesigned pill-shaped rear camera module. A key highlight of the camera set on the Ultra is wider apertures, with the 200MP main sensor getting an f/1.4 aperture, paired with a 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto, and 50MP periscope telephoto (f/2.9 aperture), along with a 12MP front-facing shooter.
Privacy Display
The Galaxy S26 series introduces an innovative solution to shoulder surfing through its new Privacy Display feature in the Ultra. When activated, the screen stays fully clear and readable for the primary user looking straight at it, but it fades, dims, or turns black for anyone viewing from the side, over the shoulder, or at any non-direct angle. Users can choose to apply privacy protection to specific areas of the screen, while keeping the rest of the display normal.
Multi-Agent AI With Perplexity And New Galaxy AI Capabilities
Samsung has added Perplexity as a secondary AI assistant on the Galaxy S26 series. It can be used with the wake-word “Hey Plex” or through shortcuts. Perplexity is integrated into core apps including Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder, Calendar, and certain third-party applications. On the camera side, Galaxy AI now enables powerful editing features: users can convert daytime photos into nighttime scenes, restore missing parts in images, merge photos, and carry out edits simply by describing in words.
Galaxy Buds 4, Buds 4 Pro Launched
Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 4 series, consisting of the premium Galaxy Buds 4 Pro and the standard Galaxy Buds 4. The lineup introduces redesigned earbuds and a refreshed charging case design. Key upgrades include support for head gesture controls, improved two-way speakers for better audio performance, and an advanced six-microphone array for enhanced call quality and voice pickup.
Major Price Hikes For Galaxy S26 Series
The Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus each received a $100 price increase in the U.S., while the Galaxy S26 Ultra maintains its starting price of $1,299. In India, the situation differs slightly. The Galaxy S26 Ultra now starts at Rs 1,39,999, reflecting a Rs 10,000 hike compared to the S25 Ultra. The standard S26 begins at Rs 87,999 — approximately Rs 7,000 more expensive than its predecessor — while the S26 Plus is priced from Rs 1,19,999, marking an increase of around Rs 20,000 over the previous generation.
Bigger Display, Battery For Galaxy S26
The Galaxy S26 features a modestly larger display: 6.3 inches (compared to 6.2 inches on the previous model). The vanilla model also gets a battery capacity increase, moving up to 4,300mAh from the 4,000mAh cell found in its predecessor.
Snapdragon-Exynos Split
The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor across all regions worldwide — no exceptions. In North America, Japan, and China, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus too feature the same chip. However, in Europe and most other global markets, the S26 and S26 Plus are powered by Samsung's in-house Exynos 2600 chipset instead.
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