Galaxy S26 Series: Do More, Faster and With Less Effort

Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. today announced the Galaxy S26 series, powered by the most proactive and adaptive Galaxy AI experiences yet, and designed to simplify the everyday tasks users perform on their smartphones. Whether organizing plans, finding information, capturing content or editing it, Galaxy S26 reduces the effort and steps required to get things done. As Samsung’s third generation of AI smartphones, Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra handle complex tasks seamlessly in the background, allowing users to focus on results rather than technology.

The Galaxy S26 series brings together Samsung’s most advanced capabilities into one cohesive experience: outstanding performance, an intuitive camera system and Galaxy AI. This strong foundation enables users to rely on Galaxy S26 throughout the day without compromising on security or privacy.

Building on decades of Samsung display innovation, Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces the industry’s first integrated Privacy Display on a smartphone, pioneering a new category of viewing experiences and reinforcing Samsung’s commitment to privacy down to the pixel level. Galaxy S26 Ultra also features a custom chip and enhanced thermal management system, delivering faster, more powerful AI performance within the slimmest Ultra design yet.

Together, these advancements make Galaxy S26 the most powerful Galaxy experience to date.

“We believe AI should be technology people can rely on every day, designed to work seamlessly for everyone without requiring expertise,” said TM Roh, Chief Executive Officer, President and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI more fluid by designing it to naturally get things done, quietly operating in the background so users can concentrate on what matters most.”

Powerful Performance Built for Everyday Use

Engineered for all-day performance, the Galaxy S26 series is powered by the most advanced hardware ever integrated into a Galaxy S device, driven by a custom chip. Across the lineup, Galaxy S26 is optimized for AI performance, energy efficiency and thermal control, ensuring smooth and stable execution of demanding tasks so users can depend on their device when it matters most.

On Galaxy S26 Ultra, the customized Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy delivers best-in-class performance, with significant improvements across CPU, GPU and NPU for faster, smoother experiences that keep pace with the day.

Up to 19% CPU performance gains enable Galaxy S26 Ultra to respond more quickly and intelligently manage complex workloads, even during multitasking. A 39% improvement in NPU performance powers always-on Galaxy AI features seamlessly, allowing users to switch between tasks without slowdowns. Meanwhile, a 24% GPU boost enhances visual richness and gaming fluidity.

To sustain this level of performance, Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces a redesigned vapor chamber with a thermal interface material positioned along the processor’s sides to distribute heat more efficiently across a wider surface area. This upgrade improves heat dissipation and keeps the device cooler and more consistent, even during intensive use such as gaming, multitasking or video capture. For uninterrupted daily use, Galaxy S26 Ultra also features Super-Fast Charging 3.0, delivering up to 75% charge in just 30 minutes.

Integrated into the processor, Samsung’s proprietary technologies further enhance visual performance. ProScaler optimizes image upscaling for sharper, richer photos and videos at first glance by enhancing text and fine details while smoothing textures. The mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) delivers subtler and more natural colors with image processing precision four times greater than the previous generation.

Together, these innovations provide reliable all-day performance, enabling a more intuitive and effortless experience with every action.

The Most Advanced Galaxy Camera System Yet

The Galaxy S26 series extends its intuitive philosophy to creativity and productivity with the most advanced Galaxy camera system ever designed. By bringing capture, editing and sharing into one seamless workflow, creativity becomes more natural and accessible, even without professional tools or technical expertise.

On Galaxy S26 Ultra, larger lens apertures allow more light to reach the sensor, resulting in sharper and more detailed photos in low-light conditions, even when zoomed in. Enhanced Nightography Video captures clearer, more vibrant footage in dim environments, from indoor concerts to post-sunset gatherings. Video recording is further elevated by improved Super Steady with horizontal lock, delivering greater stability and consistent framing even on uneven terrain or during dynamic activities.

AI ISP enhancements now extend to the selfie camera, delivering more natural skin tones and finer detail in mixed lighting. Galaxy S26 Ultra is also the first Galaxy device to support APV, a new professional video codec designed for efficient compression in high-quality production workflows. For creators, this means visually lossless video quality that remains true even after multiple editing stages.

Photo and video editing are equally streamlined, with AI-powered tools integrated into familiar workflows for faster content refinement and enhanced creative freedom.

With the enhanced Photo Assist suite, users can describe in words what they want to modify. Transforming a daytime scene into night is as simple as making a request. The tool can also enrich images and restore missing parts of objects, such as a bite taken from a cake. Personal details, like stains on clothing, can be corrected using Galaxy AI’s new outfit editing capabilities. Edits can now be made continuously, reviewed step by step and adjusted or undone at any time for a more fluid creative process.

Creative Studio expands this simplicity by unifying creation and customization within one integrated space. From sketches, photos or prompts, users can quickly transform ideas into finished visuals, from stickers and invitations to custom wallpapers, then refine or share them without switching tools or interrupting their creative flow.

Galaxy S26 also simplifies common visual tasks with AI tools like Document Scanner, which instantly removes distortions and distractions such as folds or fingers to produce clean scans. Multiple images can be automatically compiled into a single PDF, making it easier to digitize receipts, forms or notes.

Everyday Simplicity with Proactive and Adaptive Galaxy AI

Galaxy S26 is designed to make frequently used experiences simpler and more intuitive, with Galaxy AI reducing the steps between intention and action. It acts more proactively and contextually, delivering the right level of assistance at the right moment while automating tasks with minimal manual input. As technology fades into the background, users can focus on outcomes.

With Now Nudge, timely and relevant suggestions help users stay in their flow without distraction. If a friend requests photos from a recent trip, Galaxy S26 can automatically suggest images from the Gallery, eliminating manual searching. When receiving a message about a meeting, Galaxy S26 can recognize related Calendar entries and check for scheduling conflicts.

Now Brief becomes even more proactive and personalized on the Galaxy S26 series, recommending workout playlists and surfacing helpful reminders for important events based on personal context.

Information discovery is also more seamless. Circle to Search with Google on Galaxy S26 features enhanced multi-object recognition, enabling users to explore multiple elements within an image simultaneously. If a user spots a look they like, the feature can identify the entire outfit, from jacket to shoes, in a single search.

Galaxy S26 offers a choice of agents, including Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity. Once configured, tasks can be executed via a button press or voice command. An enhanced version of Bixby functions as a conversational on-device agent for easier interaction across Galaxy devices. The device can also handle multi-step tasks in the background. For example, with Gemini, booking a ride becomes as simple as requesting it, reviewing details and confirming with a gesture. These assistants support natural interactions for search, cross-app coordination and device settings control.

Together, these proactive, personalized and adaptive experiences lay the foundation for more agentic AI experiences, positioning Galaxy devices as trusted companions capable of understanding and anticipating user needs.

Protection at Every Layer in the AI Era

As AI-driven experiences become more personalized, protecting user privacy is more critical than ever. Samsung embeds protection at every layer of Galaxy S26, securing personal data while providing transparency and control.

Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces pixel-level privacy with the industry’s first integrated Privacy Display on a smartphone. Designed for everyday scenarios such as public transport or shared spaces, it combines hardware and software to protect privacy without compromising visual quality.

By controlling how pixels emit light, the display remains clear and vibrant for the user while limiting side visibility for others when activated. Unlike adhesive privacy films, Galaxy’s integrated solution preserves full display quality when turned off and dynamically reduces lateral visibility when turned on, including during orientation changes.

Users can customize when Privacy Display activates, such as during PIN entry or when opening selected apps, and adjust the level of privacy. Partial Screen Privacy limits notification pop-up visibility, while Maximum Privacy Protection further reduces side viewing with minimal battery impact.

Additional intelligent software protections operate discreetly in the background. AI-powered Call Screening identifies unknown callers and summarizes intent. Privacy Alerts use machine learning to proactively notify users when administrative-level apps attempt unnecessary access to sensitive data, enabling clearer permission management.

Private Album, built into Gallery, allows users to hide selected photos and videos without creating separate folders or logging into a Samsung account. Galaxy S26 also expands Samsung’s post-quantum cryptography innovation to critical system processes, strengthening long-term device integrity.

Knox Matrix updates further enhance protection across connected Galaxy devices, adding PQC-compatible end-to-end encryption for direct transfers such as eSIM migration and improved firmware update visibility via Security Status of Your Devices.

These experiences are powered by Samsung Knox, the multilayer security platform protecting Galaxy devices from chip to cloud. For on-device Galaxy AI, the Personal Data Engine (PDE) enables personalized, context-aware experiences. Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection encrypts app-level data, while Knox Vault adds a dedicated hardware security layer. Combined with user-controlled AI settings, Galaxy S26 delivers comprehensive system-level data protection.

With seven years of security updates, Galaxy S26 ensures long-term protection and peace of mind.

Availability

Galaxy S26 Ultra, S26+ and S26 will be available starting February 25. The Galaxy S26 series features a unified design language across models and shared color options including Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue.

Pre-Order Offer:

• Galaxy S26 series: Double storage upgrade.
• Galaxy Buds4 | Buds4 Pro: Complimentary Galaxy SmartTag2.

Tags: #GalaxyUnpacked #GalaxyS26series

About Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.

Samsung inspires the world and shapes the future through transformative ideas and technologies. The company is redefining the worlds of televisions, digital displays, smartphones, wearables, tablets, home appliances and network systems, as well as memory, system LSI and foundry. Samsung is also advancing medical imaging technologies, HVAC solutions and robotics, while delivering innovative automotive and audio products through Harman.

With its SmartThings ecosystem, open collaboration with partners and the integration of AI across its entire portfolio, Samsung provides a seamless and intelligent connected experience.

For the latest news, please visit the Samsung Newsroom at news.samsung.com.