Galaxy Unpacked 2026 Live Updates: Samsung's S26 Reveal Is Here

Samsung just supercharged one of its most-used AI features on the new Galaxy S26 lineup, and it's even more impressive than before.

When Samsung introduced Circle to Search in partnership with Google two years ago, it felt like magic: Circle anything on your screen and get instant results powered by Google's AI. Now the company is building on the style finder and making it smarter. Instead of identifying a single item, it can recognize and surface an entire outfit.

I tried it at the Galaxy Unpacked demo area in San Francisco on Wednesday and was genuinely floored. Not only did it pull up strikingly similar shopping options for my blue blazer, but it also surfaced the exact retailer where I originally bought it. My leather pants are no longer sold, but the feature provided convincing look-alikes, and it did the same for my decade-old knee-high boots.

Impulse buyers, beware. The gap between liking someone's outfit and buying it yourself just got dangerously small. Read more here.

AT&T is also out front with Galaxy S26 deals now that Samsung has revealed its lineup. If you're an AT&T subscriber or considering a switch, here's what the company is offering.

• If you have an eligible trade-in, in any condition, you can get a Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 or Galaxy S26 Plus for $0. Often deals like this are designed to entice you to sign up for a company's most expensive plan, but that's not the case here. Credits for the purchases are applied over a 36-month period.

• Bundle a Galaxy Watch 8 and Galaxy Tab A11 plug 5G for $1 each per month.

• Speaking of watches, get up to $100 off qualifying Samsung watches when you upgrade an existing line and trade in any watch from an original manufacturer that has a trade-in value of at least $5.

• Get 50% off the price of Samsung accessories such as the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.

T-Mobile has several deals related to Samsung's announcements today in hopes of convincing you to switch from another carrier, add lines to an existing plan or change up your plans.

• When adding a line to an Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plan, or trading in an eligible device in any condition, get the Galaxy S26 Ultra for $0 (T-Mobile calls it "on us").

• Get a Galaxy S26 Plus on T-Mobile when trading in an eligible device that still works on an Experience More or Go5G Plus plan.

• Add a line to an Experience More or Go5G Plus line and get a Galaxy S26 on T-Mobile.

• When you preorder any Galaxy S26 phone online or in the T-Life app, get $40 off the new Galaxy Buds4 Pro.

• It's not just phone lines: get a Galaxy Tab A11 Plus on T-Mobile when adding a tablet line.

• When adding a watch line, get $400 off any Galaxy Smartwatch.

• If you bundle any three essential accessories – charging products, cases or screen protectors – get 25% off the purchase. This deal also applies for UScellular customers.

• When you sign up for T-Mobile's 5G Home Internet service, you can save $20 a month when you bundle a T-Mobile voice plan. That price will be locked in for five years.

• Also on the home front, new Home Internet customers can get up to $350 to spend at Samsung when they upgrade to a Galaxy S26 phone.

For more on T-Mobile's phone plans, see our Best T-Mobile plans, Best Phone Plans and a comparison of T-Mobile and Verizon plan features.

If you're looking at Verizon as a new phone provider, or thinking about switching up your existing subscription, the company has offers to entice you to consider Samsung's new phones:

• When you add a new smartphone line on Unlimited Ultimate or Unlimited Plus plans, you can get a Galaxy S26 Plus for $0 (calculated as a monthly bill credit over 36 months). If you're on the Unlimited Welcome plan, get the same phone for $10 a month.

• To move up to a Galaxy S26 Ultra (256GB model), or any new Galaxy S26, trade in an eligible smartphone in any condition when you add a new phone line on an Unlimited Ultimate plan.

• Verizon Business customers can get any Galaxy S26 series smartphone (256GB model) with a trade-in on select plans.

For more on Verizon's phone plans, check out our comparisons between AT&T and Verizon and T-Mobile and Verizon.

Samsung's newest batch of Galaxy Buds 4 earbuds is packed with impressive spec upgrades: a two-way speaker system, a wider woofer for deeper bass and adaptive noise control smart enough to block out sirens. But what made me stop in my tracks was the color -- a new pink gold.

Samsung has played it safe with mostly monochromatic neutrals, blacks, whites, silvers and maybe a pastel or two. So when I heard the Buds 4 Pro model would come in pink gold, I pictured something bold and glam like a flamingo pink with gold trim.

Instead, when I got to the demo room, I couldn't even find them. I kept scanning the table for that pop of color, but they were hiding in plain sight. The subdued, cream-colored buds I kept glossing over were, in fact, the "pink" I was looking for, though in reality they would be more accurately described as blush cream.

If you were hoping for a refreshing splash of personality, this isn't it. We'll have to wait another year for more bling and brightness from this tech giant. 

Finally seeing the Galaxy S26 Ultra at Unpacked 2026 didn't really change my mind about the rounded design (still not a fan), but it did clarify the tradeoff Samsung is making. The phone feels more cohesive with the rest of the S26 lineup, and it's undeniably more mainstream and easier to live with. In the process, though, the Ultra loses some of the visual authority it used to have, in my opinion. The previous Note-era boxy look gave it the sense that this was the phone for people who wanted the most phone, not just the nicest-looking one.

That said, the new Privacy Display is the kind of feature that made me stop complaining. Built directly into the display hardware, the feature limits side-angle visibility and can automatically hide sensitive notifications or kick in when you're using specific apps like banking services. As Katie Collins notes in her commentary, it's one of the rare phone features that actually feels new. Not flashy AI for its own sake, but a smart, invisible fix for a real everyday problem.

In general, most of the AI announcements didn't land as strongly for me. A lot of it still feels like table stakes at this point: summaries, photo editing tools, nudges, briefs, blah blah blah. I don't really care for more AI features unless they're doing something to save me time or reduce friction. And that's why AI call screening stood out. Spam calls are the bane of my existence (I get dozens a day), and anything that can intercept them, summarize what happened and let me decide if it's worth my attention is exactly how AI should be used.

So yes, I'm still mourning the sharp-cornered Ultra a little, but between the Privacy Display and a few genuinely practical AI touches, the S26 Ultra is at least making a case that it's evolving in ways that actually matter... to me.

CNET Director of Content Patrick Holland breaks down Samsung's just-announced Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, which both cost $100 more than the S25 and S25 Plus. From screen size to battery life, cameras, colors and AI features, it's all in this hands-on video.

Samsung has supported coral reef restoration by equipping researchers with Ocean Mode, a camera feature that captures true underwater color. Samsung is bringing Ocean Mode to everyday users through its Expert RAW app on the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung's Unpacked presentation has just wrapped, but we're just diving into all of the reveals. This includes a dive into how the $1,300 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra compares with Apple's $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max. We'll continue to add more analysis to this live blog as we further dive into all of Samsung's announcements.

Read more: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Apple iPhone 17 Pro Max: All Specs Compared

During the Galaxy Buds 4 presentation, a featurette featuring Min Yoongi, aka Suga from BTS, played. Cue screaming from my colleagues who love him and the band.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra gets a revamped cooling system, designed to keep performance steady when you're gaming, shooting high-quality videos or using any AI-heavy features. Less heat and less throttling so you can use your phone for longer.

Samsung also launched the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, its newest flagship wireless earbuds, bringing a refined stemmed "blade" design, upgraded dual drivers and a deeper feature set aimed squarely at premium competitors. The Buds 4 Pro launch at $250, matching last year's pricing, and add Bluetooth 6.1, improved adaptive noise canceling and enhanced call quality.

Our full Galaxy Buds 4 Pro review breaks down how they sound, how they fit and whether the updates are worth it, including how they compare to the Buds 3 Pro and rival earbuds from Apple, Sony and Bose.

Samsung has unveiled the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus, and the big takeaways are higher prices and a heavier push into Galaxy AI. The S26 now starts at $900, while the S26 Plus jumps to $1,100 -- a $100 increase across the board. The phones share a unified design, run on Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip and lean on AI features meant to streamline everyday tasks, including voice-triggered actions like ordering an Uber from the lock screen and support for Perplexity AI.

Hardware changes are a bit more restrained. The Galaxy S26 gets a slightly larger 6.3-inch display and a bigger 4,300-mAh battery, while the S26 Plus largely sticks with last year's formula, including the exact same camera hardware as the S25 Plus (why?). Samsung's real bet here is on software, with expanded Galaxy AI tools across photography, video and productivity. Whether those features justify the higher prices, especially for the Plus, remains to be seen. You can read CNET's full hands-on first take here.

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is making a number of changes over last year's S25 Ultra and, unlike the S26 and S26 Plus, will do it without increasing the phone's already-high price. The $1,300 phone's frame is made of aluminum instead of the S25's titanium, has rounded corners instead of the boxier look of prior models and gains a Privacy Display feature that can be configured to change your screen's visibility.

CNET Senior Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti got an early hands-on with the S26 Ultra.

I'm quite happy to see the Super Steady with Horizontal Lock feature, as it reminds me of one of my favorite Asus phone features. The Asus Zenfone and ROG phones had a gimbal-like feature that would help smooth out video to avoid movement and shakiness. Asus announced that it won't release a new phone in 2026, but hopefully, this Galaxy feature can replicate this for smoother videos.

Super Steady with Horizontal Lock helps you capture steady footage. The feature on the Galaxy S26 series automatically maintains a level horizon, so you don't have to keep your eye on the frame.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra's Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor should support ray tracing in games. According to Samsung, you'll see a difference in visually demanding moments, such as when light hits water and how shadows move.

YouTuber Miles Franklin is on stage demoing the Privacy Display feature on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, in which the phone's screen can chage how visible an app or notifications are. In particular, the display should look dim from the side when activated to help avoid onlookers.

Samsung is unveiling what it calls the world's first privacy display on a smartphone, debuting on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Unlike traditional displays that spread light widely for maximum viewing angles, this system uses a new "black matrix" and narrow pixel architecture to precisely limit how light reaches the viewer. 

When Privacy Display is on, narrow pixels act as the primary light source, making the screen readable head-on but difficult to see from the sides. The feature is customizable by app and notification, with an optional "maximum privacy" mode that further reduces side visibility by adjusting pixel contrast.

Samsung says Galaxy AI on the Galaxy S26 can now handle calls on your behalf, stepping in for calls you miss, or just don't want to answer, providing a clear, simple summary of who called and what they wanted. The idea is to make it easier to see what's worth responding to, and what can wait, without having to dig through voicemails later. Call screening is one of Samsung's more practical AI additions this year.

Samat says that the S26 will offer an early preview of agentic features from Gemini, which include allowing the AI assistant to order food, groceries or other services while you do other things. Specific partnerships weren't mentioned yet, but part of the presentation shows an example that features ordering from Grubhub.

Google's President of Android Sameer Samat is onstage at Samsung's event, teasing the next iteration of Gemini features that will likely get a spotlight on the Galaxy S26 series.

Google's Circle to Search tool lets you circle to look up items or translate text. You'll be able to Circle to Search multiple objects at once with the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung's Keep feature spotlights the security portion of the Galaxy AI presentation during Unpacked. The Keep feature is said to help safeguard personal data that's shared on the phone.

Samsung says the all-new Bixby on the Galaxy S26 is smarter and better at understanding natural language, making it easier to navigate the phone through simple, conversational requests. Users can ask Bixby to change settings or find features just by phrasing it naturally. For example, you can ask how to charge another device using your phone. Beyond device control, Samsung says Bixby can now pull in up-to-date information directly within the conversation, letting users get answers without jumping into another app.

The Now Nudge feature includes contextual links on the Samsung keyboard based on what you're doing. In this example, a chat about going out for dinner leads to a suggestion to check your calendar.

Samsung Product Manager Rachel Roberts is beginning to go over Galaxy AI features like Now Brief, which provides a personalized overview of your day, including your schedule, energy level and the weather.

Samsung's TM Roh is teasing the Galaxy S26 line by calling it an "agentic AI phone."

Samsung President and Head of Mobile Experience TM Roh has just taken the stage to kick off the presentation.

The event has begun with a featurette involving a child and their father.

It's time for Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event. Here a look at the fully assembled CNET team.

CNET Senior Technology Reporter Abrar Al-Heeti and Social Producer Faith Chihil are on site so far, ahead of the 10 a.m. PT start.

Samsung's next Galaxy phones will feature a major partnership with Perplexity, including the integration of the AI agent and a "Hey, Plex" wake word to summon it.

CNET Director of Content Patrick Holland spoke with Dmitry Shevelenko, Perplexity's chief business officer, about the partnership. This will include a revamp of Samsung's Bixby assistant, and will allow Perplexity to control many of Samsung's other apps, such as Calendar, Clock, Gallery, Notes and Reminders.

Read more: Turns Out Perplexity Might Be the Sleeper Feature on Samsung's Rumored Galaxy S26

In addition to CNET's live blog coverage of today's Samsung Unpacked, which will be running right here, our sibling websites in the CNET Group are also running their own live blogs covering these Galaxy reveals.

You can check out Galaxy Unpacked live blogs from PCMag, Mashable and ZDNET, and editors from throughout the group will be joining us for our Samsung Galaxy Unpacked watch party starting at 9 a.m. PT. Hosts Iyaz Akhtar and Bridget Carey will go over the final rumors and what we hope to see from Samsung, and then our watch party will move right into Samsung's press conference. Following the Galaxy reveals, our postshow will bring you instant reactions to all of the new products and announcements.

Like other S26 models, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip in the US and China. A rumor from PhoneArena suggests the phone will revert to an aluminum frame from its titanium predecessors, much like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. Other rumors about this phone so far coalesce on these specs:

• Storage: Up to 1TB
• Charging: Support for 60-watt wired and 25-watt wireless charging
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China, and 16GB of RAM
• Battery: 5,000-mAh battery

Samsung was said to be debating whether to outright replace its larger S26 Plus with the super-slim S26 Edge, but reportedly poorer sales of last year's Galaxy S25 Edge suggest the pendulum could swing the other way: We may just get an S26 Plus this year, as 9to5Google suggests. Rumors about this phone so far claim these specs:

• Screen: 6.7-inch display
• Cameras: Ultrawide camera could get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensor
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 12GB of RAM
• Design: It will be 7.35mm thick

Despite early rumors from Android Authority suggesting Samsung might ditch its baseline phone for a pricier, more powerful Pro model, the latest leaks suggest Samsung will keep its standard Galaxy S26 model. We don't expect too many changes to the model's design, though it could see a return of a raised camera bump after the Galaxy S25 kept them flush with the rear cover. Rumors we've seeen about this phone so far agree on these specs:

• Screen: 6.3-inch display (the Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch display)
• Cameras: Ultrawide camera could get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensor
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China, and 12GB of RAM
• Battery: 4,300-mAh battery

Today's Galaxy Unpacked event will be held at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The last time Samsung held an event at the Palace of Fine Arts was in February 2020, when it launched the original Galaxy Z Flip. A couple of weeks later, the US was locked down in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It's wild to think that was so long ago. 

In just a few hours, Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra at the company's Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. But don't expect any of those phones to be Samsung's top seller in 2026. That honor typically goes to some of the company's cheapest phones.

In 2025, the Galaxy A16 5G was Samsung's biggest seller, according to a Counterpoint Research report. And the year before that, it was the Galaxy A15 5G. But there's still hope for the S26 line. The Galaxy S25 Ultra still broke into the top-selling phones of the year. Will the same be true for the Galaxy S26 line?

Ahead of tomorrow's Galaxy Unpacked event, I felt nostalgic and pondered which of Samsung's Ultra phones is my favorite.

It's the Galaxy S21 Ultra, which looked like someone had melted a domino on the back of a phone, but cool. When Samsung launched the phone, it showed a nearly 3-minute video about how it developed the phantom black color. No other phone looked like it at the time or since. I know there are a lot of rumors about the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But it's hard to imagine it being half as cool as the S21 Ultra.

Hours before Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, a new leak reveals that the batteries in the unreleased Galaxy S26 series could have a shorter lifespan. The blog YTeche got a look at EU battery and charging labels for the rumored Samsung phones, which show that the number of battery cycles will be lower than on the Galaxy S25 line, as reported by Mashable. The label shows that the battery health is good (80% capacity) up to 1,200 cycles for the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra. A cycle is when you use all of the battery's power, which isn't necessarily a single charge.

According to the European Product Registry for Energy Labelling, the Galaxy S25's battery was rated to retain 80% of its capacity for up to 2,000 cycles. We will likely learn more about the rumored Galaxy S26 series in just a few hours.

They day before a big tech event is a swirl of rumors, early leaks, wish projection and (informed) speculation. In Tech Today, Owen Poole runs down everything we might see (and a couple things that likely won't make an appearance).

I know what the Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to look like. I've seen the leaks, and it's clear Samsung is going with a softer, more rounded design this year, for all the sensible reasons: It's more comfortable in your hand and lines up visually with the rest of the S26 lineup. I get it. I really do. Rounded edges are safer, friendlier and probably easier to sell to more people.

But even knowing all that, I'm still annoyed. As a Galaxy Note-head, the boxy, sharp-cornered design felt intentional and a little industrial, like Samsung built a productivity tool. Now it's sanding everything down to blend in. That squareness made the S Pen feel like the point of the phone too, not just an extra feature, and gave the Ultra a personality that stood apart from this sea of glass slabs. If there's ever been a phone that deserves a little edge, it's the Ultra. 

Alas.

PhoneArena tipped us off to a first-impression video of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra from the YouTube channel SamZone, hailing from Bangladesh. Before the review even starts, we get a 7-minute action short: tactical gear, slow-mo, over-the-top violence -- the whole works. You almost forget you're watching a phone review.

Once the review does begin, it's a fairly standard first look, with hands-on footage of the phone, a walkthrough of the design and early impressions of the display, battery life, cameras and more. You can check it out above, but you'll need to understand Bengali if you want the full breakdown. Otherwise, you can just vibe to the visuals?

Every year, Qualcomm introduces its latest Snapdragon chip for mobile phones at the Snapdragon Summit in Hawaii. When I was in the audience at last September's event where the company revealed the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, I noticed a feature that would be awesome in the Galaxy S26 series: It can pull a single photo-quality frame from video footage. 

We've all been there at some point or another: You're recording a great video of something in motion -- maybe it's a performance. Maybe your kid or a relative, or a friend's kid is running around a youth sports match. Or maybe your favorite team is playing. But then the light hits just right and the subject twists just so, and… wouldn't that make a sublime still image? Too bad you're in the middle of shooting a video. Before you know it, the moment is lost. Everyone's seen a moment during a video that would've been incredible to immortalize in a single photo. Wouldn't it be great if you never missed that moment?

Will this make it into the Galaxy S26 phones? Possibly, but it's far from guaranteed. Qualcomm debuts new possibilities in its chips, but it's up to phone-makers like Samsung to integrate them into their phones. Moreover, not all Galaxy S26 phones sold will use a Qualcomm chip, as Samsung regularly splits regions by flagship phone configurations, shipping some with the latest Snapdragon chip and others with its Exynos chips. I just know that when I hear about fancy new chips, there are some features I give a polite golf clap for and some that I hoot and holler about.

Whenever I travel (like right now, as I head to Spain for Mobile World Congress), I have so many devices that I need to take turns charging them. There's a feature in most flagship smartphones that could probably help: reverse wireless charging. It lets me use my phone to wirelessly charge other devices. But it's so slow that I rarely use it, and I'm betting you don't either.

To wit, the Galaxy S25 has a reverse wireless charging rate of 5 watts (a feature Samsung calls Wireless PowerShare). That's abysmally glacial, and clearly nobody has the patience to let their products sit on the back of a phone (immobilizing both) for that long. If it were faster, perhaps at the phone's base wireless charging rate of 15 watts, I'd be able to harness the device to juice up my other gadgets while I slowly zap life back into my handset. As it is, 5 watts is nearly useless -- but improving it is one way Samsung could bring the Galaxy S26 further into the future.

Samsung's rugged sports watch got a new paint job last summer alongside the Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic launch, but it could use a bigger overhaul to keep up with the competition. The most welcome upgrade would be to the battery life. At two days with the always-on display enabled (and up to three days without it), it's still the longest-lasting Galaxy Watch in the lineup. However, the Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic aren't that far behind, making the Ultra's appeal a little less obvious.

Another feature that's become almost standard on rugged watches, and which the Ultra still lacks, is satellite connectivity. This can be a lifeline for adventure seekers looking to stay connected when they're miles off the grid.

There's a lot more Samsung could do with the Ultra, but this would be a good start and launching it at this Unpacked event, rather than bundling it with its siblings during the summer launch, would also give it a bigger stage to shine.

Despite launching the S26 series later than in previous years, Samsung is still unveiling its new flagships ahead of most of the competition. The highest-profile phones launching around this time, the Google Pixel 10A and the rumored-to-be-upcoming iPhone 17E, are or are likely sub-$700 phones that aren't as high-specced as flagships, so the S26 line will almost certainly outshine them. 

But both Google and Apple's devices coming out at this time will surely be stiff competition for another phone likely coming later this year: the Galaxy S26 FE. Like earlier Samsung "fan edition" handsets, it will offer flagship features with a few compromises at a lower price. For example, the Galaxy S25 FE launched back in September with a lot of the camera hardware and a few advanced features (like Text Call) of the standard S25, but for $150 less.

The FE series is in a tricky spot. It can't get all the best new perks of its pricier flagship siblings without cannibalizing sales, but it also faces increasing competition in the under-$700 price range. In his review of the $650 Galaxy S25 FE, CNET Senior Editor Mike Sorrentino noted that the $550 Motorola Edge was a cheaper alternative at the time, as was the $499 Google Pixel 9A (superseded by the identically priced Google Pixel 10A) and $599 iPhone 16E (which is about to be replaced by the iPhone 17E). We'll have to see what the Galaxy S26 launches with, and what Samsung allows to trickle down to its cheaper alternative device to entice people.

As much as I dislike reducing a phone down to a single feature, the OnePlus 15 stands out among Android handsets with its gargantuan 7,300-mAh battery, which easily lasted through most of the second day in my review period. And it didn't take long to juice back up, thanks to its 80-watt charging rate (up to 100 watts with a specialty charger). That sets the bar for the Galaxy S26 -- especially since OnePlus beat Samsung to the punch, releasing a phone with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

While we don't know the Galaxy S26's specs yet, it's unlikely that it'll outdo the OnePlus 15 on either metric. Its predecessors, the Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus, had 4,000- and 4,900-mAh batteries with 25-watt wired charging. More capacity doesn't always mean longer battery life, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra could last longer with efficiency gains in hardware and software. But Samsung has capped its previous Ultra handsets at 45-watt peak charging for years, and it's high time the world's highest-selling phone-maker incorporated some long-overdue upgrades already present in other phones. 

Samsung dropped some more AI updates ahead of Unpacked. On Saturday, the company said it's expanding Galaxy AI by adding an AI agent from Perplexity to "upcoming flagship Galaxy devices." You can access Perplexity by saying "Hey, Plex" or by pressing and holding the phone's side button. The agent will be embedded across Samsung apps, including Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder, Calendar and some third-party apps.

"Perplexity's AI agent enables smoother, multi-step workflows, allowing users to move seamlessly between tasks without manually managing individual apps," Samsung said in a blog post. "This system-level approach offers Galaxy users a richer and more flexible AI experience across the device."

Samsung is seemingly pushing for a more intuitive AI experience with its upcoming devices, and adding another AI agent could help with that endeavor -- hopefully, without making things too confusing for phone owners. Motorola has similarly partnered with multiple AI companies, including Perplexity, Meta's Llama AI, Microsoft's Copilot and Google's Gemini for its Razr devices. That allows companies to divide and conquer by focusing on specific functions they do best, ideally leading to a better experience overall. We'll have to wait and see what this update means for Galaxy AI and whether the interface gets more seamless.

In the distant past of 2019, I remember getting my hands on the Galaxy S10E and feeling like I held a perfect phone. The runt of the litter, the S10E was Samsung's effort to add a more budget-friendly option in its lineup, trimming features and size to save on costs. But its 5.8-inch screen, diminutive compared to the top-tier Galaxy S10 5G's 6.7-inch display, was a secret asset -- it was the last Samsung phone I could truly use one-handed.

Fewer small phones come out every year, and part of it is because smaller phones don't seem to sell well -- rumors suggested that's why Apple didn't follow up the iPhone 13 Mini with another small-format handset. Phone-makers have good reason to move toward bigger phones, which allow them to cram in more battery capacity, since battery life is regularly the most important hardware feature to phone buyers, according to a CNET survey. Unfortunately, those battery concerns are well-founded, as CNET Senior Editor Mike Sorrentino found when he switched to a used iPhone 13 Mini several months ago.

Small phones have been going away for a while, and probably aren't coming back. Asus's exit from the smartphone market means we won't see another small Zenfone. Apple's replacement for the budget iPhone SE line, the iPhone 16E, has a 6.1-inch display and its incoming successor, the iPhone 17E, will likely have the same. Even regular phones are getting bigger: last year's Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch screen, up from the 6.1-inch display on the Galaxy S23. But don't worry, small phone fans. I'll keep the torch lit that someday we'll get another phone that fits in my hand like the S10E. Someday.

A lot was happening in August 2020, but unbeknownst to all of us smartphone fans, another shift was occurring: Samsung revealed the Galaxy Note 20 and Note 20 Ultra, which we'd later discover would be the last phones in the Note line of stylus-packing productivity devices. Samsung transferred S Pen compatibility to its other premium phone lines with the Galaxy S21 Ultra and Galaxy Z Fold 3.

But Samsung has once again moved away from its stylus, dropping S Pen support in last year's Z Fold 7 and omitting it altogether in the new Galaxy Z TriFold. That means the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra will be the last Samsung phone holding on to the Note's legacy, assuming it retains compatibility. Dropping it would mean more internal space for hardware or a larger battery, and it seems that Samsung has been disinvesting from the stylus anyway. The S25 Ultra's S Pen dropped the neat Bluetooth connectivity that let you, for instance, use the pen as a remote shutter button.

Time will tell if the last bit of the Galaxy Note has already slipped away.

Tune in to watch our coverage of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25 hosted by PCMag's Iyaz Akhtar and CNET's Bridget Carey, joined by tech editors from PCMag, Mashable and Lifehacker. Live coverage begins at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET). Stick around for our post-show breakdown of Samsung's annual event. 

Rumors suggest Samsung may not release a second version of the S25 Edge this year, but whether that's true, I'm curious if the company will bring sleeker designs to its flagship devices. So far, we've seen Samsung roll out slim foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z TriFold. But it would be a welcome change for, say, the baseline or Plus devices -- or, ideally, the Ultra -- to also get a little sleeker. A critical element here would be that battery life shouldn't suffer; the S25 Edge's 3,900-mAh battery isn't stellar. But if Samsung could boost the cameras and battery life while stripping some bulk, it'd be a pretty sweet deal.

As we wait for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I want to revisit two features that really stood out to me in my Galaxy S25 Ultra review last year: the display and the cameras. The screen is still the best phone display I've ever used. And a lot of that is because of its antireflective coating, which is aces for taking photos outdoors on a sunny day. The S25 Ultra has the most versatile camera system you can buy. It's not trying to compete with Xiaomi's larger 1-inch-type sensors or with Oppo's detectable zoom lens. It just gives you a wide range for framing, from macro snaps to framing close-up shots of the moon.

And the good news is that rumors point to Samsung building on these features for the S26 Ultra by adding a privacy display (presumably to keep onlookers from seeing what you're doing) and improving one of the two Ultra telephoto cameras. In fact, a tech YouTuber just got his hands on a Galaxy S26 Ultra and showed off the new privacy display feature (see my earlier post).

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.

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).

Three days ahead of Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked launch event, someone 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. 

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

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.

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.

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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.