Samsung unveiled its latest Galaxy S26 smartphone lineup and redesigned Galaxy Buds 4 earbuds at an Unpacked event in San Francisco, positioning the new devices for immediate pre-orders and a March 11 general availability date.
The Galaxy S26 lineup includes the base Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26+, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The standard S26 and S26+ are priced $100 higher than their predecessors, starting at $900 and $1,100 respectively for 256GB variants. Samsung cited a RAM shortage as a contributing factor to the price increase. The Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,300, maintaining the same price point as the S25 Ultra.
Design changes for the S26 and S26+ include rounded corners to align with the S26 Ultra’s aesthetic. The base S26 features a slightly larger 6.3-inch display compared to the previous generation, while the S26+ retains a 6.7-inch screen with a higher resolution than the base model. The S26 also receives a battery upgrade, moving to a 4,300mAh capacity. All three models feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in North America, China, and Japan.
Samsung did not upgrade the camera hardware resolution for the S26 series, keeping the sensors identical to the previous year. However, the company introduced software and hardware enhancements, including ProScaler image upscaling and an improved MDNIe chip for better color precision. A new horizon-leveling video stabilization feature aims to keep shots steady while following moving subjects. An Object Aware Engine is designed to improve the rendering of skin tones and hair textures in selfies.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces a “Privacy Display,” which Samsung claims is the first of its kind on a smartphone. The technology prevents viewing from acute angles and can be customized to activate automatically for passwords, PINs, specific notifications, or selected apps. The Ultra model features a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution (3120 x 1440) and a 120Hz refresh rate. It houses a 5,000mAh battery with Super Fast Charging 3.0 support, though it lacks built-in Qi2 charging magnets.
Camera specifications on the S26 Ultra include a 200MP wide lens, a 50MP ultrawide lens, dual 10MP 3x telephoto sensors, and a 50MP 5x telephoto sensor. While the resolution matches the S25 Ultra, the main 200MP and 5x telephoto sensors now feature wider apertures to capture more light. The device is available with 12GB or 16GB of RAM and storage options of 256GB, 512GB, or 1TB.
Color options for the S26 and S26+ include purple, blue, black, and white, with silver and rose gold available as online exclusives. The S26 Ultra shares the same color palette. All phones are available for pre-order immediately.
Samsung completely redesigned the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. The new design removes the angular stems and stem lights found on previous models, offering a more refined shape. The standard Buds 4 use an open-fit design, while the Buds 4 Pro utilize a canal-fit design. Samsung claims the earbuds have smaller heads for a more secure fit and reduced fatigue during extended wear.
The Buds 4 Pro feature a wide woofer that increases the effective speaker area by nearly 20 percent compared to the previous generation. They support 24-bit/96kHz audio and include a siren detection feature that allows ambient sound through when alarms or emergency vehicle warnings are detected. Both models support active noise cancellation (ANC), ambient sound mode, adaptive EQ, and adaptive ANC.
When paired with Galaxy devices, both Buds models support hands-free voice controls for Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. The Buds 4 Pro also support head gesture controls for managing calls and Bixby interactions. The Galaxy Buds 4 are priced at $180, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are priced at $250. Both are available in white and black, with an online-exclusive pink option for the Buds 4 Pro.
Samsung confirmed the integration of Perplexity as an AI agent option within Galaxy AI on the S26 series. The devices respond to the “Hey Plex” wake phrase, and Perplexity features are embedded into the Samsung Browser. Google announced that the Gemini app will soon offer a beta feature on the S26 and Pixel 10 devices to offload multi-step agentic tasks, such as booking rides or ordering groceries.
Circle to Search is gaining the ability to identify multiple objects simultaneously. Additionally, Gemini-powered on-device Scam Detection for phone calls will be available for S26 devices in English within the US.
