What to Expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: S26 Release Date and Price

February 21, 2026 at 12:13 PM PST

In the lead-up to the launch of new phones, CNET’s mobile team fires up our one shared brain cell, dreaming of the features we want most in the new devices — indeed, here’s everything Andrew Lanxon wants in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But I’m here to cheer over the grave of a feature I’m glad has long been in the ground: the waterfall display.

Over a decade ago, phone-makers wanted to flex on the competition by extending their devices’ displays over the front, dripping over the sides with admitted panache. Years before the first foldable, phones had screens that curved, and in handsets like the 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, a bespoke column of buttons on the rounded display sides. As you might imagine (or remember), these were gimmicky at best, hard to use and — sin of sins — the screen’s edge jabbed out at a sharp angle, making the phones uncomfortable if not painful to hold.

I love innovation in phones, and miss the era of truly dynamic design when every new smartphone wasn’t just a glass rectangle (or in today’s case, a glass rectangle that bends in the middle). But some experiments fail, and I’m glad that the transition to today’s vogue of flat-edged phones brings perks like more internal space for extra battery capacity and a more durable design that makes devices easier to hold.

February 22, 2026 at 1:25 PM PST

Tech YouTuber Sahil Karoul already has the Galaxy S26 Ultra despite Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event still being days away. Karoul apparently bought the unreleased phone at Deira Market in Dubai. He demonstrates the phone’s new privacy display feature in a video on X (see below). It shows the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen with a new Settings option called Privacy display and a toggle button to turn it on or off. In the video, when Karoul turns it on, the phone’s screen goes dark. As he twists the phone, the screen becomes increasingly dark the more off-axis it is to the camera. When head-on, you can see the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen just fine, but the more off angle the camera is, the darker the screen gets until its completely black. It’s similar to a physical privacy screen protector that you can add to your phone’s screen. It’s hard to tell from the video if there are compromises to using Privacy display, like a reduction in resolution or brightness (even if you’re looking at it straight-on).

February 22, 2026 at 12:49 PM PST

Three days ahead of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event, someone has already has a Galaxy S26 Ultra. Self-described tech YouTuber Sahil Karoul bought his own S26 Ultra, as reported by the site Phone Arena. Karoul apparently purchased the phone in Dubai and shows off its new design comparing it to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra and Vivo X300 Pro in a video on X (see below). Notably, there’s a oval-shaped camera bump that houses three of the four rear cameras. Previously the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra, kept each of the lenses separated. The phone, model S9448B/DS, is in white and looks clean in that color. In the comments, Karoul confirms that the S26 Ultra’s S Pen, like the one in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, lacks Bluetooth functionality which had been on the S24 Ultra and older. 

February 21, 2026 at 12:23 PM PST

On Friday, the US Supreme Court struck down most of President Donald Trump’s tariffs, and he immediately imposed another 10% tariff on all goods entering the US. Even so, that could mean it costs companies less to import products into the US from certain countries. It will likely take a while to sort all this out, but certainly longer than the release of the Galaxy S26 series, which is only days away — it’s unlikely for Samsung to chop its expected prices.

That’s partially because most phone-makers absorbed the cost of tariffs when releasing devices in the last year. But more importantly, phones coming in 2026 will probably get price hikes for a completely different reason: the RAM shortage caused by the AI boom, which is making hardware more expensive across the board. Even as tariffs remain uncertain, the bigger culprit of pricier gadgets persists.

February 21, 2026 at 4:42 PM PST

A few years ago it seemed that Samsung and Apple would only release their Ultra and Pro phone models in metallic hues. Apple obviously went the opposite direction in 2025 by offering the iPhone 17 Pro and 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange (you either love it or hate it). Samsung might do the same with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, just not as bold.

The upcoming S26 Ultra will be available in black, cobalt violet, sky blue, and white and have two exclusive online colors, silver and pink gold, according to Weibo user Ilce Universe as reported by GSM Arena. The pink gold and sky blue might be ideally suited for the likely late-winter/early-spring launch. Samsung typically reserves its most unique colors as exclusives available directly through its website.

February 20, 2026 at 12:51 PM PST

Ahead of the Galaxy S26 launch at Galaxy Unpacked next week, Samsung released a beta version of OneUI 8.5, which has an upgraded version of Bixby. The Galaxy AI-powered virtual assistant now supports natural language, so you can talk, ask or give orders to Bixby just like you would with a person. The update also expands Bixby’s reach, allowing it to pull information from the open web. Given that it’s just in beta, it might change from its current version when officially released to the public. OneUI 8.5 beta is currently available on the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. It’s expected to launch on the Galaxy S26 series.

February 19, 2026 at 6:00 AM PST

Some of the best applications of generative AI have been in phone photo software, from touching up images to seamlessly altering them (like removing unwanted photobombers in your vacation pics). Samsung teasing more AI camera features in its official blog post doesn’t just make sense as proof-of-concept for generative AI, it also augments the cameras. That’s significant because the camera is one of the most important things people look for when buying a new phone. 

Camera features ranked fourth among the top things people look at when picking out a new phone, according to a CNET survey from last September. Price topped the list, with 62% of respondents noting its importance. Longer battery life (54%) and more storage (39%) came in after. Camera features were still important at 40%, and AI features dragged behind at 11%. 

But AI features improving images, before or after the shutter clicks, could entice folks who just want their phone to take better photos. It’s a good bet that Samsung has more AI photo features in store for the S26 series, beyond what it’s teasing in that official blog post — and it needs to, considering how quickly other phone-makers raise the bar. With rival flagship phones introducing more AI photo features, such as Auto Best Take and Camera Coach in the Pixel 10 Pro, the competition is fierce. 

February 18, 2026 at 6:06 AM PST

I know, I know — we just got the Galaxy Z TriFold, the most advanced foldable Americans have ever had the privilege to see on store shelves. But its $2,900 price is out of reach for most people. Later this year, we expect to see more foldables, likely the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, as more affordable cutting-edge devices. There’s a bit we can predict about the foldables once the Galaxy S26 series launches.

In previous years, foldables launched later in the year, in July or August. They’ve incorporated much of the same hardware and new features that debuted in the S series flagships. While the Galaxy Z Trifold launched with last year’s chips, the S26 is expected to include either the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Samsung’s own Exynos 2600 processors — and if the company follows this precedent, the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will get those, too. 

Rumors also suggest Samsung’s new flat flagships could get a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, up from 12 megapixels, which could roll into the foldables. Ditto for one of the more exciting rumored features for the S26 series: Privacy tech that makes it harder for onlookers to peek at what’s on your screen when viewed from an angle, which could be an even bigger help with the Z Fold 8’s larger internal display. And whatever new Galaxy AI features are bound to come to the foldables as well. Where the S-series goes, the Z-line follows.

February 17, 2026 at 3:30 PM PST

It looks like Samsung will incorporate Galaxy AI features directly into the camera app on the upcoming Galaxy S26 phones, which are set to be announced next week at Galaxy Unpacked. It’s unveiling a “new Galaxy camera experience” that unifies capture, editing and sharing into one system.

A set of teaser videos released on Tuesday shows generative AI being used to adjust existing photos. One makes a photo of a cow look like it’s about to be snatched by a flying saucer. Another restores a cupcake with a bite taken out of it to its former, uneaten state. A third starts with a photo of a fuzzy puppy that is then turned into a series of 2D cartoon stickers of the dog in various poses. In all of them, the term “Smartphone” becomes “AI phone.”

(To be honest, because generative AI can spit out anything, I was anxious at first that something terrible was going to happen to the dog. Don’t make me go John Wick on you, Samsung.)

How will this work in practice? We’ll have to see at the event, but the implication is that a single app will handle photo capture and AI editing in one place. Photography is one area where I’ve found AI tools to be genuinely helpful — such as what Adobe has done with masking and repair tools in Lightroom and Photoshop — so I’m curious how photographers might use the new “camera experience,” and whether it will be exclusive to the Galaxy S26 phones or also be made available for Galaxy S25 and earlier models, too.

February 17, 2026 at 8:00 AM PST

At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked in January 2025, the Galaxy S25 made its debut as expected. And then there was a last tease: the Galaxy S25 Edge. It had a thin design that Samsung showcased, but wouldn’t allow anyone to touch or use. The S25 Edge shipped in May, and was the first major shot across the bow for Apple, which introduced the iPhone Air a few months later in September.

With so many leaks these days and a fairly predictable release schedule for flagship phones, is there room for Samsung to surprise us with something completely new? The Galaxy Z TriFold made its international debut then started shipping this month. (We got it just before it quickly sold out — and we have the nearly $3,000 receipt to prove it!)

Big reveal events like Galaxy Unpacked are only partially about announcing products — they’re about generating attention and getting people talking. Not just those who are looking forward to the next product, but folks who don’t follow tech as closely but are thinking maybe this is the year to get a new phone.

February 17, 2026 at 6:05 AM PST

The last Samsung flagship we saw release in February was the Galaxy S20 way back in 2020 — and among the many changes that followed, the phone-maker shifted its announcements to January for the next several S series releases, which were often around or right after CES. So what does the company get for choosing to unveil the Galaxy S26 in February?

For starters, it gives more breathing room to the Galaxy Z Trifold, allowing people to decide whether they want to buy a $2,900 foldable. But it also gives the S26 a bit more space from other premium phones released at the tail end of 2025. The OnePlus 15, for instance, was revealed in November — and that flagship packed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which will power the top Android phones this year, which is expected to include some configurations of the S26 series. 

But practically speaking, it also gives Samsung a little more time to figure out any complications with its release plans. While the Galaxy S25 launched before US tariffs landed in April 2025, complicating product launches, this year’s Galaxy S26 line is arriving amid a RAM shortage that experts suggest will make phones more expensive. Combined with everything else, it would make sense for Samsung to pause the release of its newest phones until February.

February 13, 2026 at 8:06 AM PST

Samsung, like many other phone-makers, sure loves its AI. This year, the slew of AI features the company has developed or partnered with Google on will likely dominate the keynote again. 

Samsung has teased that an “agentic AI experience” is coming to the Galaxy S26 series, but it’s not clear what exactly that’ll entail. Agentic AI is often described as the next frontier. Rather than feeding a chatbot a string of prompts, agentic AI can take initiative and make decisions independently. For instance, it can book your trip or schedule your meetings. In essence, it can act as a true assistant.

“That’s what the consumers are looking for: Make my life easy, and do a task for me based on one prompt,” said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC. 

It’s interesting to see Samsung continue to push forward on the AI front as competitor Apple grapples with its own fledgling AI efforts. Then again, with Apple now also working alongside Google to bolster its AI efforts, that gap could narrow soon(ish).

February 13, 2026 at 6:01 AM PST

The prices for Samsung’s flagship devices have remained consistent over the years, with the baseline model starting at $800, the Plus starting at $1,000 and the Ultra ringing up at $1,300. But that could all change this year with a RAM shortage that could raise prices across the board.

Still, even if Samsung were to increase the price of its phones by around $100, loyal customers looking for a premium device likely won’t be deterred — especially if they’re tapping into trade-in and financing options anyway, says Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC.

Samsung also reaps higher margins with its flagship phones than its lower-end Android counterparts, which have no choice but to raise prices due to the RAM shortage.

“Of course, [Samsung] will also bear the increased cost in memory and challenges in securing supply,” Popal said. “But they’re in a significantly better position than the rest of the Android market because of their size, scale and leverage over the supply chain.”

We’ll soon know how Samsung is responding to this memory shortage, and how, in turn, consumers will respond to any potential price hikes.

February 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM PST

It was two years ago when Samsung first teased the Galaxy Ring at its 2024 Galaxy Unpacked event. The announcement was done as a “one more thing” addition at the end of the keynote. And while the original ring has been in stores since July 2024, we might not see its follow-up (presumably the Galaxy Ring 2) at the Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25. And it’s all because of litigation.

Oura, the Finnish company behind the Oura Ring, is suing Samsung for illegally using its patents, according to a post on the company’s website. 

Samsung isn’t the only company named in Oura’s lawsuit. There’s also Zepp Health (Amazfit Ring), Reebok (Reebok Smart Ring) and Nexxbase (Luna Ring).

Samsung tried to preemptively sue Oura, as reported by the site IP Fray, but the claim was rejected, further heightening tensions in the litigation between the companies.

So even if Samsung has a new Galaxy Ring in the works, it makes sense that, until the company settles matters with Oura, we probably won’t see it announced.

February 12, 2026 at 8:24 AM PST

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is currently Samsung’s biggest and best phone, but it comes at a high price. If you look at the used market, however, you can pick up the S24 Ultra — just one generation old — for half the price of the current model. It’s a huge saving, yet you’re still getting a high-performance handset with a camera setup that easily rivals the current model. 

When the S26 Ultra is unveiled, I expect these prices to shift, making the S25 Ultra much cheaper on the used market versus the brand-new model. It may be that the S26 Ultra is such a wild overhaul that it’s worth spending that extra cash, but current rumours suggest we’ll see a more modest upgrade. It could be a more economical purchase to go for the previous model, especially since its long software support period means it’ll still be safe to use into 2031.

February 12, 2026 at 6:02 AM PST

The Galaxy S25 Ultra might be a powerhouse, but at 6.9 inches, it’s also immense. And despite being 6 foot, 2 inches tall, I have quite small hands, so I’ve always preferred smaller phones. I use the iPhone 17 Pro, not the 17 Pro Max, as I much prefer the 6.3-inch screen over the gargantuan 6.9 inches on the Max. But unlike Apple, Samsung has only ever offered its best technology in just one size, forcing you to choose between pocketability and performance.

I’d love to see Samsung take a cue from Apple here: Take the processor and camera skills that define the Ultra series, and deliver them in a more manageable size. I’d even be happy to see the S Pen go, if that could facilitate this. I never use it anyway.

February 11, 2026 at 12:50 PM PST

While I would pick Samsung’s Galaxy AI over Apple Intelligence for its overall AI feature set, the iPhone 17 series has one AI-enabled function that is a significant quality-of-life improvement.

Apple introduced a new 18-megapixel Center Stage camera, which houses a square sensor (nearly all phone camera sensors are rectangular). It allows you to hold the phone vertically and take a horizontal selfie. It can also use AI to automatically expand the framing in selfies when multiple people are in the shot. This might seem like a minor upgrade, but it’s one of those rare AI features that works reliably well for me. This new sensor also helps stabilize the image when recording videos or making a FaceTime call.

Being able to capture landscape group selfies without fiddling with the phone orientation or on-screen toggles is a godsend because the moment can be lost by the time you turn the phone to snap a photo. The iPhone 17’s Auto Zoom and Auto Rotate features are intuitive and kick in 9 times out of 10 without issue, in my experience.

I hope Samsung adds a square sensor to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s front-facing camera, as it would make everything more convenient and accessible (if done right).

Read more: For the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung Needs to Embrace These 3 iPhone 17 Pro Features

February 11, 2026 at 10:52 AM PST

Samsung’s Ultra phones have always been up there with the best when it comes to taking photos. But the camera hardware hasn’t changed much over the last few generations of Ultra phones, and it feels like it’s time to go big.

I want to see Samsung create a camera that’s truly tailored to pro photographers like myself. A bigger sensor, like the large 1-inch type chip seen on Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra, would help the S26 Ultra compete with the best camera phones and help the Ultra line distinguish itself from the S25 Edge and Z Fold 7. I’d even like to see Samsung adopt LOFIC HDR sensors, that can capture superior image quality no matter the lighting conditions. The Xiaomi’s upcoming 17 Ultra is expected to have this new type of image sensor which could well be the next big thing in phone camera technology.

February 11, 2026 at 8:00 AM PST

Looking at Samsung’s teaser video for its Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25, one thing is clear: We’re going to see AI. Specifically, the teaser “spells out” Galaxy AI, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series two years ago. When I reviewed the Galaxy S24, it was a Gallery-based Galaxy AI feature that removed reflections from photos. 

While the feature wasn’t something I used frequently, it did come in handy for photos like this unedited one (below), where light is reflected on the pastry case’s glass. When I used Galaxy AI on the image (above), it removed most of the reflections and glare.

The difference isn’t dramatic, and not every bit of the reflection was removed. But Galaxy AI reduced most of the reflections, resulting in a cleaner-looking image. I’m curious to see how Samsung improved Galaxy AI and what features and tools it adds. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long.

February 11, 2026 at 6:02 AM PST

I’m embarrassed to admit that, on more than one occasion, I’ve placed my Galaxy S25 Ultra against an inclined MagSafe charger and watched it slide off because the phone doesn’t have magnets to hold it in place. I feel like a returned astronaut who forgets that he can’t just leave objects hanging midair as he could in zero-gravity space.

The S25 Ultra does have Qi wireless charging, but in 2026 that’s not enough, especially for a premium flagship phone. Whether Samsung calls it by the name of the charging standard, Qi2, adopts MagSafe (Apple’s term), PixelSnap (Google’s) or comes up with its own clever term (GalaxyMag? SamSnap?), a magnetic attachment is now long overdue. I expect any phone to snap onto a charger, a car mount, a tripod mount or hold a portable external charger or wallet.

February 10, 2026 at 4:54 PM PST

As has been the tradition with recent Galaxy device launches, you can reserve Samsung’s next phones before they are even announced. While the company didn’t say specifically which devices are being unpacked at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25, we expect it will be the rumored Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Reservations are now open for the latest Galaxy devices. If you reserve one, you get a $30 credit (it was $50 for the S25 series in 2025) to use when preorders go live and be entered to win a $5,000 Samsung gift card to use on Samsung’s website. You can also receive up to $900 off in additional savings when you trade in a device or a $150 credit without trade-in. Don’t want to make a reservation through Samsung, well, head over to AT&T or Best Buy and do it there. 

February 10, 2026 at 4:16 PM PST

Samsung announced on Tuesday that it will hold an event on Feb. 25 in San Francisco. While the company didn’t say for sure what will be announced, we assume it will be the rumored Galaxy S26 line of phones, including a Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung did put out a nifty animated video that might offer up clues and easter eggs about what we can expect.

The invite video starts with a white square that “comes to life” and transforms into a frosted translucent cube with a sparkle emoji, which has become the default symbol for AI. The cube starts hopping around, then rolls across the word Galaxy, and as it reaches the end of the word, the letters AI appear behind the cube. This sends the cube airborne, where it splits open and releases the AI sparkle emoji.

Next, the AI emoji sparkle levitates and self-enlarges, rising above the cube’s remains. (If you’re watching the video version, you’ll hear Samsung’s signature Over the Horizon ringtone melody play.) Then it cuts to a black screen with the text “Galaxy Unpacked,” the date, and a note that it will be live on Samsung’s website.

Obviously, we are likely to see a revamp or new additions to Galaxy AI, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. The frosted cube, though, is confounding. Could this be a new look for the AI interface on Galaxy phones? Is Samsung adopting Apple’s Liquid Glass? Or might Samsung announce a Humane AI Pin-like device shaped like a cube? Also, there weren’t any hints about a phone in the invite and that bums me out.