Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. yesterday announced the Galaxy S26 series, powered by the most intuitive, proactive and adaptive Galaxy AI experiences yet, designed to simplify the tasks people perform on their phones every day. From managing plans and finding information to capturing and refining content, Galaxy S26 reduces the effort and number of steps required to get things done. As Samsung’s third-generation AI phones, Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra handle complex tasks in the background, allowing users to focus on results rather than how the technology works.
The Galaxy S26 series is engineered with Samsung’s most advanced capabilities working together as one: powerful performance, an industry-leading camera system and Galaxy AI. This provides a strong foundation, giving Galaxy S26 users the confidence to depend on their phone throughout the day without compromising security or privacy.
Building on decades of display innovation, Samsung introduces a built-in Privacy Display, available exclusively on Galaxy S26 Ultra, unlocking a new class of display experiences and reinforcing Samsung’s commitment to privacy at pixel level. Galaxy S26 Ultra also features a customised chipset and upgraded thermal management that enable faster and more powerful AI, all within the slimmest Ultra design yet.
Together, these enhancements deliver the most powerful Galaxy experience to date.
“We believe AI should be something people can depend on every day, designed to work consistently for everyone without requiring expertise,” said TM Roh, Chief Executive Officer, President and Head of Device eXperience Division at Samsung Electronics. “With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI feel effortless, working quietly in the background so people can focus on what matters.”
Powerful Performance Designed Around Everyday Use
Engineered for all-day reliability, the Galaxy S26 series is built on the most powerful hardware ever introduced in a Galaxy S series, powered by a customised chipset. Across the line-up, the Galaxy S26 series is optimised for AI performance, power efficiency and thermal management, ensuring demanding tasks run smoothly and consistently.
On Galaxy S26 Ultra, the customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy delivers significant gains across CPU, GPU and NPU performance to support faster and smoother experiences.
Up to a 19% CPU performance increase enables quicker responsiveness and improved handling of complex workloads. A 39% improvement in NPU performance powers always-on Galaxy AI features, while a 24% boost in GPU performance enhances visuals and gaming fluidity.
To sustain peak performance, Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces a redesigned Vapour Chamber with thermal interface material positioned along the processor sides, improving heat dissipation across a larger surface area. Super-Fast Charging 3.0 supports up to 75% charge in approximately 30 minutes.
Embedded proprietary technologies further enhance visuals. ProScaler improves image scaling by sharpening text and fine details while smoothing textures. Samsung’s mobile Digital Natural Image engine delivers more lifelike colours with four times the precision compared to the previous generation.
Galaxy’s Industry-Leading Camera System
The Galaxy S26 series integrates capture, editing and sharing into a seamless workflow.
On Galaxy S26 Ultra, wider camera apertures allow more light to reach the sensor, improving low-light performance. Enhanced Nightography Video keeps footage clearer and more vibrant in dim conditions. Upgraded Super Steady introduces a horizontal lock option for improved stability during movement.
Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first Galaxy device to support APV, a professional video standard and codec designed for efficient compression and high-quality production workflows.
The AI ISP enhancements extend to the selfie camera, delivering more natural skin tones and finer detail.
The upgraded Photo Assist suite enables natural-language editing, allowing users to describe desired changes. Creative Studio centralises design tools for quick creation of visuals such as stickers, invitations and wallpapers.
AI-powered Document Scan removes distortions and distractions, automatically organising multiple images into a single PDF.
The Most Intuitive Galaxy AI Experience Yet
Galaxy S26 reduces friction between intent and action.
Now Nudge surfaces timely suggestions without distraction. Galaxy S26 can suggest relevant photos when prompted or identify calendar conflicts within messages.
Now Brief provides proactive reminders based on context, from reservations to travel updates.
Circle to Search with Google features enhanced multi-object recognition, enabling deeper exploration within images.
The upgraded Bixby functions as a conversational device agent, allowing natural language navigation and settings adjustments.
Users can also choose additional agents including Gemini and Perplexity. Multi-step tasks can be completed with a single button press or voice prompt.
Layers Of Protection In The Age Of AI
Galaxy S26 integrates security across hardware and software layers.
Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces Privacy Display, designed to limit side-angle visibility while preserving viewing quality for the user. Users can customise activation, privacy levels and partial screen protection.
AI-powered Call Screening summarises unknown callers’ intent. Privacy Alerts notify users if apps with device admin privileges attempt to access sensitive data unnecessarily.
Private Album allows selected photos and videos to be hidden directly within Gallery.
Galaxy S26 extends post-quantum cryptography protection to software verification and firmware processes. Knox Matrix adds PQC-enabled end-to-end encryption for additional services.
Samsung Knox protects devices from chipset level upwards. Personal Data Engine enables personalised AI experiences, secured by Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection and Knox Vault.
Seven years of security updates support long-term protection.
The new Galaxy Buds4 series complements Galaxy S26, enabling voice activation of AI agents and Head Gesture controls.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will be available for pre-order from 26 February 2026.
