Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026 LIVE: the reveal of the S26 Ultra is here

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Samsung has just unveiled the new Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra. All three give you access to a variety of new Galaxy AI features, while the Ultra gets a new built-in privacy screen.

AT&T is also leading with Galaxy S26 deals now that Samsung has revealed its lineup. If you subscribe to AT&T or consider a changehere is what the company offers.

• If you have a qualifying trade-in, under 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 into signing up for a company’s most expensive plan, but that’s not the case here. Credits for 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 eligible Samsung watches when you upgrade an existing lineup and trade in any original manufacturer watch with a trade-in value of at least $5.

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

T-Mobile is offering several deals related to Samsung’s announcements today in hopes of convincing you to switch carriers, add lines to an existing plan, or change your plans.

• When you add a line to an Experience Beyond or Go5G Next plan, or trade in an eligible device under any terms, get the Galaxy S26 Ultra for $0 (T-Mobile calls it “on us”).

• Get a Galaxy S26 Plus on T-Mobile by trading in an eligible device that still works with 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 pre-order a Galaxy S26 phone online or in the T-Life app, get $40 off the new Galaxy Buds4 Pro.

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

• When you add a watch line, get $400 off any Galaxy smartwatch.

• If you bundle three essential accessories – charging products, cases or screen protectors – get 25% off the purchase. This offer also applies to US cellular customers.

• When you sign up for T-Mobile’s 5G Home Internet service, you can save $20 per month by bundling a T-Mobile voice plan. This price will be blocked 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.

To learn more about T-Mobile’s phone plans, check out our best T-Mobile plans, best phone plans, and a feature comparison of T-Mobile and Verizon plans.

If you’re considering Verizon as a new phone provider or considering switching to an existing plan, the company has some deals to entice you to consider Samsung’s new phones:

• When you add a new smartphone line to the 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 per month.

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

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

To learn more about Verizon’s phone plans, check out our AT&T vs. Verizon and T-Mobile vs. Verizon comparisons.

Samsung’s latest batch of Galaxy Buds 4 earbuds is packed with impressive spec upgrades: a two-way speaker system, a larger 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 rose gold.

Samsung played it safe with mostly monochromatic neutrals, blacks, whites, silvers, and maybe a pastels or two. So when I heard that the Buds 4 Pro model would be available in rose gold, I imagined something bold and glamorous like 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 subtle cream-colored pimples that I kept glossing over were, in fact, the “pink” I was looking for, although in reality they would be more accurately described as cream blush.

If you were hoping for a refreshing touch of personality, this isn’t it. We’ll have to wait another year for more bling and shine 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 compromise Samsung is making. The phone feels more consistent with the rest of the S26 lineup, and it’s undeniably more mainstream and easier to live with. In doing so, however, the Ultra loses some of the visual authority it had, in my opinion. The boxy look of the previous Note era made it feel like it was the phone for people who wanted the most phone, not just the most beautiful.

That said, the new privacy view is the kind of feature that made me stop complaining. Built directly into the display hardware, the feature limits side visibility and can automatically hide sensitive notifications or activate when you use specific apps such as banking. As Katie Collins notes in her review, this is one of the few features of the phone that actually feels new. This is not a flashy AI per se, but a smart, invisible solution to a real everyday problem.

In general, most of the AI ​​announcements didn’t resonate with me that much. Much of this still feels like table stakes at this point: summaries, photo editing tools, nudges, briefs, blah blah blah. I don’t really care about additional AI features unless they do 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 of them a day), and anything that can intercept them, summarize what happened, and allow me to decide if it’s worth my attention is exactly how AI should be used.

So yeah, I’m still mourning the sharp-cornered Ultra a little, but between the privacy screen and some genuinely handy AI touches, the S26 Ultra at least makes the case that it’s evolving in ways that really matter… to me.

CNET Chief Content Officer Patrick Holland breaks down Samsung’s recently announced Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, both of which 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 colors. Samsung brings Ocean Mode to daily users through its Expert RAW app on the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung’s Unpacked presentation just ended, but we’re just diving into all the reveals. This includes an analysis of how the $1,300 Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra compares to Apple’s $1,199 iPhone 17 Pro Max. We’ll continue to add more analysis to this live blog as we dig deeper into all of Samsung’s announcements.

Learn 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 the screams of my colleagues who love him and the group.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra benefits from a revamped cooling system, designed to maintain stable performance when you s play games, shoot high-quality videos, or use AI-intensive features. Less heat and less slowdown so you can use your phone longer.

Samsung also launched the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro, its new flagship wireless earbuds, bringing a refined “blade” design, improved dual drivers and a deeper feature set aimed squarely at premium competitors. The Buds 4 Pro launch at $250, matching last year’s price, and add Bluetooth 6.1, improved adaptive noise cancellation, and improved call quality.

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

Samsung revealed the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus, and the main takeaways are higher prices and a stronger push towards Galaxy AI. The S26 now starts at $900, while the S26 Plus jumps to $1,100, an increase of $100 across the board. The phones share a unified design, run on Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip for Galaxy 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 little more restricted. The Galaxy S26 has a slightly larger 6.3-inch screen and a larger 4,300mAh battery, while the S26 Plus largely sticks to 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 for photography, video and productivity. Whether these features justify the higher prices, especially for the Plus, remains to be seen. You can read CNET’s first full hands-on take here.

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra brings a number of changes over last year’s S25 Ultra and, unlike the S26 and S26 Plus, will do so without increasing the phone’s already high price. The $1,300 phone’s frame is aluminum instead of the S25’s titanium, features rounded corners instead of the boxier look of previous models, and benefits from a privacy display feature that can be configured to change the visibility of your screen.

CNET senior reporter Abrar Al-Heeti learned about the S26 Ultra early on.

I’m quite happy to see the Super Steady feature with horizontal lock, as it reminds me of one of my favorite features of the Asus phone. The Asus Zenfone and ROG phones had a gimbal-like feature that would smooth video to prevent movement and shaking. Asus has announced that it won’t launch a new phone in 2026, but hopefully this Galaxy feature can replicate that for smoother videos.

Super Steady with horizontal lock helps you capture stable images. The Galaxy S26 series feature automatically maintains a horizontal horizon, so you don’t need to keep an eye on the frame.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 processor is expected to support ray tracing in games. According to Samsung, you’ll notice a difference in visually demanding moments, like when the light hits the water and how shadows move.

YouTuber Miles Franklin is on stage to demonstrate the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Privacy View feature, in which the phone’s screen can change the visibility of an app or notifications. In particular, the screen should appear dark from the side when activated to avoid onlookers.

Samsung unveils what it calls the world’s first privacy screen on a smartphone, debuting on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Unlike traditional displays that diffuse 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 the Privacy Display is enabled, the narrow pixels serve as the main light source, making the screen readable from the front 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 the 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 and 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 most practical AI additions this year.

Samat says the S26 will offer a preview of Gemini’s agent features, including the ability for the AI ​​assistant to order food, groceries, or other services while you do something else. Specific partnerships haven’t been mentioned yet, but part of the presentation shows an example order from Grubhub.

Google’s Android president Sameer Samat is on stage at Samsung’s event, teasing the next iteration of Gemini features that will likely bring attention to the Galaxy S26 series.

Google’s Circle to Search tool lets you circle to search for items or translate text. You will be able to circle to search for multiple objects at once with the Galaxy S26 series.

Samsung’s Keep feature highlights the security part of the Galaxy AI presentation at Unpacked. The Keep feature would help protect personal data shared on the phone.

Samsung says the all-new Bixby on the Galaxy S26 is smarter and understands natural language better, making it easier to navigate the phone through simple conversational queries. Users can ask Bixby to change settings or find features simply by saying them naturally. For example, you can ask how to charge another device using your phone. Beyond device control, Samsung says Bixby can now pull up-to-date information directly into the conversation, allowing users to get answers without going through another app.

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

Rachel Roberts, Samsung Product Manager, begins reviewing 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 teases the Galaxy S26 line by calling it an “AI agent phone.”

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

The event began with a report involving a child and his father.

It’s time for Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event. Here’s 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, before the 10 a.m. PT start.

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy phones will benefit from a major partnership with Perplexity, including AI agent integration and a “Hey, Plex” wake word to summon it.

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

Learn more: It turns out that puzzlement could be the dormant feature of Samsung’s Galaxy S26

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

You can check out Galaxy Unpacked live blogs on PCMag, Mashable, and ZDNET, and editors from across 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 latest rumors and what we hope to see from Samsung, then our watch party will move straight to Samsung’s press conference. Following the Galaxy reveals, our postshow will bring you instant reactions to all 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 that the phone will return to the aluminum frame of its titanium predecessors, much like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max. So far, other rumors about this phone converge on these specifications:

• Storage: Up to 1TB
• Loading: Supports 60 watt wired and 25 watt wireless charging
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the United States and China, and 16 GB of RAM
• Battery: 5,000 mAh battery

Samsung is reportedly considering whether it should outright replace its larger S26 Plus with the ultra-thin S26 Edge, but apparently weaker sales of last year’s Galaxy S25 Edge suggest the pendulum could swing the other way: We might just get an S26 Plus this year, as 9to5Google suggests. So far, rumors about this phone claim these specifications:

• Screen: 6.7 inch screen
• Cameras: Ultra-wide camera could benefit from an improved 50-megapixel sensor
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 12 GB of RAM
• Design: It will be 7.35 mm thick

Despite early rumors from Android Authority suggesting that Samsung could ditch its base phone for a more expensive and powerful Pro model, the latest leaks suggest that Samsung will stick with its standard Galaxy S26 model. We don’t expect many changes to the model’s design, although there could be a return of a raised camera bump after the Galaxy S25 kept them flush with the back cover. The rumors we’ve seen so far about this phone agree on these specs:

• Screen: 6.3-inch screen (Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch screen)
• Cameras: Ultra-wide camera could benefit from an improved 50-megapixel sensor
• Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the United States and China, and 12 GB of RAM
• Battery: 4,300 mAh battery

Today’s Galaxy Unpacked event will take place at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco. The last time Samsung held an event at the Palais des Beaux-Arts was in February 2020, when the original Galaxy Z Flip launched. A few weeks later, the United States went into lockdown in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s crazy to think it was so long ago.

Ahead of tomorrow’s Galaxy Unpacked event, I was feeling nostalgic and wondering which of Samsung’s Ultra phones was my favorite.

This is the Galaxy S21 Ultrawho looked like someone melted a domino on the back of a phone, but cool. When Samsung launched the phone, it showed a nearly 3-minute video explaining how it developed the phantom black color. No other phone looked like it then 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 of the unreleased model Galaxy S26 series could have a shorter lifespan. The YTeche blog looked at the European battery and charging labels for Samsung phones, which show that the number of battery cycles will be lower than that of the Galaxy S25 line, as reported by Mashable. The label says 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 energy, which is not necessarily a single charge.

According to the European Product Register for Energy Labeling, the Galaxy S25 battery has been rated to retain 80% of its capacity for up to 2,000 cycles. We’ll likely learn more about the rumored Galaxy S26 series in just a few hours.

The day before a big tech event, there’s a whirlwind of rumors, early leaks, wishful projections, and (informed) speculation. In Tech Today, Owen Poole breaks down everything we might see (and a few things that probably won’t make an appearance).

I know what the Galaxy S26 Ultra will look like. I’ve seen the leaks, and it’s clear that Samsung is going for a softer, more rounded design this year, for all reasonable reasons: it’s more comfortable in your hand and visually aligns with the rest of the S26 lineup. I understand. Really. Rounded edges are safer, more user-friendly, and probably easier to sell to more people.

But even knowing all this, I’m still annoyed. Inasmuch as Galaxy note-head, the boxy, sharp-cornered design seemed intentional and a bit industrial, as if Samsung had built a productivity tool. Now it’s a matter of sanding everything down to blend in. This square shape made the S Pen feel like it was also the focal point of the phone, not just an added feature, and gave the Ultra a personality that stood out from this sea of ​​glass slabs. If ever there was a phone that deserves a little edge, it’s the Ultra.

Alas.

PhoneArena informed us of a Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra first impression video from YouTube channel SamZone from Bangladesh. Before the review even begins, we’re treated to a 7-minute action short: tactical gear, slow motion, over-the-top violence – it all works. You almost forget you’re watching a phone review.

Once the review begins, it’s a pretty standard first look, with hands-on images of the phone, a walkthrough of the design, and first impressions of the screen, battery life, cameras, and more. You can check it out above, but you’ll need to understand Bengali if you want the full breakdown. Alternatively, you can just vibe to the visuals?

Every year, Qualcomm showcases 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 unveiled the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, I noticed a feature that would be cool in the Galaxy S26 series: it can extract a single photo-quality frame from video footage.

We’ve all been there at one time or another: you record a great video of something moving – maybe it’s a performance. Maybe your child, a parent, or a friend’s child is running around a youth sports game. Or maybe your favorite team is playing. But then the light hits it just right and the subject twists just like that, and… wouldn’t that make a sublime still image? Too bad you’re filming a video. Before you know it, the moment is lost. Everyone has seen a moment in a video that would have been incredible to capture in a single photo. Wouldn’t it be great if you never missed this moment?

Will this be part of the Galaxy S26 phones? It’s possible, but it’s far from guaranteed. Qualcomm is launching new possibilities in its chips, but it’s up to phone makers like Samsung to integrate them into their phones. Additionally, not every Galaxy S26 phone sold will use a Qualcomm chip, as Samsung regularly divides 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 that I give a polite golf clap for and others that I hoot and scream for.

Every time I travel (like right now, as I head to Spain for the Mobile World Congress), I have so many devices that I have to charge them in turns. There is a feature in most flagship smartphones This could probably help: reverse wireless charging. This allows me to use my phone to charge other devices wirelessly. But it’s so slow that I rarely use it, and I bet you don’t either.

Namely, the Galaxy S25 has a 5-watt reverse wireless charging rate (a feature Samsung calls Wireless PowerShare). It’s horribly cold, and clearly no one 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 leverage the device to charge my other gadgets while I slowly bring my handset back to life. As it stands, 5 watts is almost useless – but improving it is one way Samsung is bringing the Galaxy S26 further into the future.

Samsung’s rugged sports watch received a new paint job last summer alongside the Galaxy Watch 8 and 8 Classic launch, but it might need a bigger overhaul to keep up with the competition. The most welcome improvement would be in battery life. At two days with the always-on display enabled (and up to three days without), 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 has become almost standard on rugged watches, and which the Ultra still lacks, is satellite connectivity. This can be a lifesaver for adventurers looking to stay connected when miles off the grid.

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

Despite the launch of S26 series later than in previous years, Samsung always unveils its new flagship products before most of its competitors. The most hyped phones launched around this time, the GooglePixel 10A and the rumor to come iPhone17Eare or likely are sub-$700 phones that aren’t as premium as the flagships, so the S26 line will almost certainly eclipse them.

But Google and Apple devices releasing at that time will surely be stiff competition for another phone likely releasing later this year: the Galaxy S26 FE. Like previous Samsung “fan edition” handsets, it will offer flagship features with a few compromises at a lower price. For example, the Galaxy S25 FE launched in September with much of the camera hardware and some advanced features (like Text Call) of the standard S25, but for $150 less.

The FE series finds itself in a difficult situation. It can’t get all the new goodies of its more expensive flagship siblings without cannibalizing sales, but it also faces growing competition in the sub-$700 price bracket. In his review of the $650 Galaxy S25 FE, CNET editor-in-chief Mike Sorrentino noted that the $550 Motorola Edge was a cheaper alternative at the time, as was $499 GooglePixel 9A (replaced by the identically priced Google Pixel 10A) and the $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 will allow to pass on to its cheaper alternative device to attract people.

Although I don’t like to reduce a phone to just one feature, the OnePlus 15 stands out among Android handsets with its gargantuan 7,300 mAh battery, which easily lasted most of the second day of my review period. And it didn’t take long to back up, thanks to its 80-watt charging rate (up to 100 watts with a specialized charger). This sets the bar for the Galaxy S26 – especially since OnePlus beat Samsung head-on by launching a phone with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

While we don’t know the Galaxy S26’s specs yet, it’s unlikely that it will outperform the OnePlus 15 in any of these metrics. His predecessors, the Galaxy S25 and the Galaxy S25 Plus had 4,000 and 4,900 mAh batteries with 25 watts of wired charging. More capacity doesn’t always mean longer battery life, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra could last longer thanks to hardware and software efficiency gains. But Samsung has limited its previous Ultra handsets to a maximum charge of 45 watts for years, and it’s high time the world’s best-selling phone maker incorporated some long-awaited upgrades already present in other phones.

Samsung released other AI updates before Unpacked. On Saturday, the company announced that it was expanding Galaxy AI by adding an AI agent from Perplexity to “upcoming Galaxy flagship devices.” You can access Perplexity by saying “Hey, Plex” or by long-pressing the side button on the phone. The agent will be integrated with 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 easily switch between tasks without manually managing individual applications,” Samsung said in a blog post. “This system-level approach gives Galaxy users a richer, more flexible AI experience across the entire device.”

Samsung appears to be promoting a more intuitive AI experience with its upcoming devices, and adding another AI agent could help with that effort – without making things too confusing for phone owners. Motorola has also partnered with several AI companies, including Perplexity, Meta’s Llama AI, Microsoft’s Copilot, and Google’s Gemini for its Razr devices. This allows businesses to divide and conquer by focusing on the specific functions they do best, ideally leading to a better overall experience. We’ll have to wait and see what this update means for Galaxy AI and if the interface becomes more seamless.

In the distant past of 2019, I remember getting my hands on the Galaxy S10E and I feel like I’m holding a perfect phone. The smallest of the litter, the S10E, is the result of Samsung’s efforts to add an option more economical to its range, reducing features and size to save on costs. But its 5.8-inch screen, tiny compared to the high-end model Galaxy S10 5Gthe 6.7-inch screen was a secret asset: it was the last Samsung phone I could actually use it with one hand.

Less small phones come out every year, and part of that is because smaller phones don’t seem to sell well – rumors suggest that’s why Apple hasn’t followed through on the iPhone 13 Mini with another small format handset. Phone makers have good reason to move toward larger phones, which allow them to have more battery capacity, because battery life is consistently the most important hardware feature for phone buyers, according to a CNET survey. Unfortunately, these battery issues are well-founded, as CNET editor Mike Sorrentino found when he I upgraded to a used iPhone 13 Mini several months ago.

Small phones have been disappearing for a while and probably won’t come back. Asus’ exit from the smartphone market means we won’t see another small Zenfone. Apple’s replacement of the economical iPhone SE range, the iPhone16Ehas a 6.1 inch screen and its new successor, the iPhone17Ewill probably have the same thing. Even regular phones are getting bigger: last year’s Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch screen, compared to 6.1 inches on the Galaxy S23. But don’t worry, little phone fans. I’ll keep the torch burning so that one day we’ll have another phone that fits in my hand like the S10E. A day.

A lot happened in August 2020, but without our knowledge smart phone fans, another change was happening: Samsung revealed the Galaxy Note20 And Note 20 Ultrawhich we would later find out would be the last phones in the Note line of stylus-equipped productivity devices. Samsung has moved S Pen compatibility to its other high-end phone lines with the Galaxy S21 Ultra And Galaxy Z Fold 3.

But Samsung has once again moved away from its stylus, dropping support for the S Pen last year. Z-fold 7 and omitting it completely in the new Galaxy Z tri-fold. This means that the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra will be the last Samsung phone to retain the Note’s legacy, assuming it retains compatibility. Removing it would mean more internal space for hardware or a larger battery, and it looks like Samsung has disinvested in the stylus anyway. THE S25 UltraThe S Pen ditched the neat Bluetooth connectivity that let you, for example, use the stylus as a remote trigger.

Time will tell if the last piece of the Galaxy Note is already gone.

Tune in to watch our coverage of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on February 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 analysis of Samsung’s annual event.

Rumors suggest that Samsung may not release a second version of the Edge S25 this year, but if it’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 tri-fold. But it would be a welcome change for, say, the base or Plus devices – or, ideally, the Ultra – to also become a little sleeker. A key point here would be that battery life should not suffer; the 3,900 mAh battery of the S25 Edge is not great. But if Samsung could increase camera and battery life while reducing bulk, that would be a pretty good deal.

While we wait for the Galaxy S26 UltraI would like to come back to two features that really stood out to me in my Galaxy S25 Ultra review last year: the screen and the cameras. The screen remains the best phone screen I have ever used. And this is largely due to its anti-reflective coating, which is a plus for taking photos outdoors on a sunny day. The S25 Ultra has the most versatile camera system you can buy. It’s not about competing with Xiaomi’s largest 1-inch type sensors or with Oppo’s detectable zoom lens. It simply gives you a wide range of framing, from macro shots to close framing. -photos of the moon.

And the good news is that rumors show that Samsung is building on these features for the S26 Ultra by adding a privacy screen (presumably to prevent onlookers from seeing what you’re doing) and improving one of the two Ultra telephoto lenses. In fact, a tech YouTuber just got his hands on a Galaxy S26 Ultra and showed off the new Privacy View feature (see my previous article).

In anticipation of the launch of new phonesCNET’s mobile team activates our shared brain cell, dreaming of the features we want most in new devices — indeed, here comes whatever Andrew Lanxon wants in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. But I’m here to applaud the burial of something I’m glad has been in the ground for a long time: the waterfall.

More than a decade ago, phone makers wanted to compete by extending the screens of their devices across the front, dripping down the sides with self-confessed panache. Years before the first foldablethe phones had curved screens and, in handsets like the 2014 Samsung Galaxy Note Edge, a custom-made column of buttons on the rounded sides of the screen. As you might imagine (or remember), they were gimmicky at best, difficult to use, and – sin of sins – the edge of the screen stuck out at an acute angle, making the phones uncomfortable or even painful to hold.

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

Tech YouTuber Sahil Karoul already has the Galaxy S26 Ultra although Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event is still a few days away. Karoul apparently purchased the unreleased phone at Deira Market in Dubai. He demonstrates the phone’s new Privacy View feature in a video on X (see below). It shows the Galaxy S26 Ultra screen with a new Settings option called P.rivalry display and a toggle button to turn it on or off. In the video, when Karoul turns it on, the phone screen goes dark. As he turns the phone, the screen gets darker and darker the more off-axis it is from the camera. From the front, you can see the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s screen just fine, but the farther away the camera angle is, the darker the screen becomes until it’s 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 any trade-offs in using the Privacy View, such as a reduction in resolution or brightness (even if you look at it directly).

Three days before the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked, someone already has a Galaxy S26 Ultra. Self-proclaimed YouTuber Sahil Karoul has purchased his own S26 Ultra, as reported by the website Phone Arena. Karoul apparently bought the phone in Dubai and shows off its new design by comparing it to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, Galaxy S25 Ultra And VivoX300 Pro in a video on X (see below). Notably, there is an oval-shaped camera bump that houses three of the four rear cameras. Previously, the S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra each kept separate lenses. The phone, model S9448B/DS, comes in white and looks sleek in this color. In the comments, Karoul confirms that the S Pen on the S26 Ultra, like that on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, does not have the Bluetooth functionality that existed on the S24 Ultra and earlier.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Friday struck down most of the tariffs imposed by President Donald Trump, who immediately imposed additional 10% tariffs on all goods entering the United States. Still, this could mean it costs less for companies to import products into the United States from certain countries. It will probably take some time to sort all this out, but certainly longer than the release of the Galaxy S26 serieswhich is only a few days away — it’s unlikely that Samsung to reduce its expected prices.

This is partly because most phone makers have absorbed the cost of tariffs when bringing devices to market over the last year. But more importantly, phones arriving in 2026 will likely lead to 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 though prices remain uncertain, the main culprit for the most expensive gadgets persists.

A few years ago it seemed that Samsung And Apple would only release its Ultra and Pro phone models in metallic shades. Apple obviously took the opposite path in 2025 by offering the iPhone 17 Pro And 17 Pro Max in Cosmic Orange (you either love it or hate it). Samsung could do the same thing with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but not as bold.

The upcoming S26 Ultra will be available in black, cobalt purple, sky blue and white and will have two online exclusive colors, silver and rose gold, according to Weibo user Ilce Universe as reported by GSM Arena. Rose gold and sky blue could be a perfect fit for the likely launch in late winter and early spring. Samsung usually reserves its most unique colors exclusively, available directly on its website.

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

Some of the best applications of generative AI are in phone photo software, from editing images to seamlessly editing them (like removing unwanted photobombers from your vacation photos). Samsung showcasing more AI camera features in its official blog post not only makes sense as a proof of concept for generative AI, it also augments the cameras. This is important because the camera is one of the most important things people look for when buying a new phone.

Camera features rank fourth among the things most considered when choosing a new phone, according to a CNET survey from last September. Price tops the list, with 62% of respondents highlighting its importance. Longer battery life (54%) and more storage (39%) came next. Camera features were still important at 40%, and AI features lagged behind at 11%.

But AI features enhancing images, before or after the shutter clicks, could attract people who just want their phone to take better photos. It’s a safe bet that Samsung is offering more AI photo features for the S26 series beyond what it’s announcing in this official blog post – and it should, considering how quickly other phone makers are raising the bar. With competing 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 received the Galaxy Z TriFold, the most advanced foldable Americans have ever had the privilege of seeing on store shelves. But it is Price of $2,900 is out of reach for most people. Later this year, we expect to see more foldable devices, likely the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8, as more affordable cutting-edge devices. There’s a little we can predict about foldables once the Galaxy S26 series spear.

In previous years, foldables launched later in the year, in July or August. They 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 should include either the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Samsung’s Exynos 2600 processors – and if the company follows this precedent, the Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8 will get them too.

Rumors also suggest that Samsung’s new flat flagships could feature a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, up from 12-megapixel, which could be integrated into foldable devices. Ditto for one of the S26 series’ coolest features: privacy technology that makes it harder for viewers to peek at what’s on your screen when viewed at an angle, which could be of even greater help with the Z Fold 8’s larger internal screen. And whatever new Galaxy AI features will be available on foldables, too. Where the S series goes, the Z line follows.

It appears that Samsung will integrate Galaxy AI features directly into the camera app on the upcoming Galaxy S26 phones, which are expected to be announced next week during Galaxy Unpacked. It unveils a “new Galaxy camera experience” that unifies capturing, editing and sharing in a single system.

A series of teaser videos released Tuesday demonstrate the use of generative AI to adjust existing photos. It looks like a photo of a cow is about to be snatched away by a flying saucer. Another restores a cupcake with one bite to its previous, uneaten state. A third begins with a photo of a fluffy puppy that is then transformed into a series of 2D cartoon stickers depicting the dog in various poses. In each of them, the term “smartphone” becomes “AI phone”.

(To be honest, because generative AI can spit out anything, I was initially afraid something terrible would happen to the dog. Don’t make me go after John Wick, 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 capturing and AI editing in one place. Photography is an area where I’ve found AI tools really useful – like what Adobe did 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 will also be available for the Galaxy S25 and earlier models.

At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked in January 2025, the Galaxy S25 debuted as expected. And then there was one last tease: the Galaxy S25 Edge. It had a slim design introduced by Samsung, but didn’t allow anyone to touch or use it. THE Edge S25 shipped in May, and was the first major boost for Apple, which introduced the iPhoneAir a few months later, in September.

With so many leaks these days and a fairly predictable release schedule for flagship phones, does Samsung have a chance to surprise us with something completely new? The Galaxy Z TriFold made its international debut and then began shipping this month. (We received 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 partly about announcing products: they’re about grabbing attention and getting people talking. Not just those who are looking forward to the next product, but also those who don’t follow technology as closely but think maybe this is the year to get a new phone.

The last Samsung flagship we saw released in February was the Galaxy S20 in 2020 – and among the many changes that followed, the phone maker shifted its announcements to January for upcoming S series releases, which were often around or right after CES. So what is the company getting by choosing to unveil the Galaxy S26 in February?

To begin r, this gives the Galaxy Z Trifold more breathing room, allowing people to decide whether they want to buy a $2,900 foldable. But it also gives the S26 a bit more headroom compared to other high-end phones released in late 2025. The OnePlus 15, for example, was revealed in November – and that flagship packs 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 in practice, it also gives Samsung a little more time to resolve any possible complications with its release plans. While the Galaxy S25 launched before U.S. tariffs arrived in April 2025, complicating product launches, this year’s Galaxy S26 lineup arrives amid a RAM shortage that experts say will make phones more expensive. Combined with everything else, it would make sense for Samsung to hold off on releasing its new phones until February.

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

Samsung has announced that an “agentic AI experience” is coming to the Galaxy S26 series, but it’s unclear exactly what that will entail. Agentic AI is often described as the next frontier. Rather than passing a series of prompts to a chatbot, agentic AI can take initiative and make decisions independently. For example, it can book your trip or schedule your meetings. Essentially, it can act as a real assistant.

“This is what consumers are looking for: to make my life easier and do a task for me based on a single prompt,” said Nabila Popal, senior research director at IDC.

It’s interesting to see Samsung continue to move forward on the AI ​​front as rival Apple struggles with its own AI efforts. Then again, with Apple now also working alongside Google to bolster its AI efforts, this gap may soon narrow(ish).

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

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

Samsung also makes higher margins with its flagship phones than its low-end Android counterparts, which have no choice but to increase prices due to lack of RAM.

“Of course, [Samsung] “They will also bear the increasing cost of memory and the challenges of securing supply,” Popal said. “But they are in a much better position than the rest of the Android market because of their size, scale and influence in the supply chain.”

We will soon know how Samsung reacts to this memory shortage and how, in turn, consumers will react to any possible price increases.

It was two years ago when Samsung first teased the Galaxy Ring during its Galaxy Unpacked 2024 event. The announcement was made as an “one more thing” addition to the end of the keynote. And while the original Ring has been in stores since July 2024, we may not see its follow-up (presumably the Galaxy Ring 2) during the Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25. And all because of litigation.

Oura, the Finnish company behind the Oura ringis suing Samsung for illegal use of its patents, according to an article published on the company’s website.

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

Samsung tried to preemptively sue Oura, as reported by the IP Fray website, but the request was rejected, further increasing tensions in the litigation between the companies.

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

THE Galaxy S25 Ultra is currently Samsung the largest and best phonebut it comes at a high price. However, if you look at the second-hand market, you can find the S24 Ultra — just one generation — for half the price of the current model. That’s a huge saving, but you still get a high-performance handset with a camera setup that easily rivals the current model.

When the S26 Ultra is revealed, I expect these prices to change, making the S25 Ultra much cheaper on the used market compared to the all-new model. It may be that the S26 Ultra is such a wild redesign that it’s worth spending that extra money, but current rumors suggest we’ll see a more modest upgrade. It might be more economical to opt for the previous model, especially since its long software support period means it will still be safe to use until 2031.

THE Galaxy S25 Ultra It may be a powerhouse, but at 6.9 inches it’s also huge. And even though I’m 6 feet 2 inches tall, I have pretty small hands, so I’ve always preferred smaller phones. I use iPhone 17 Pro, not the 17 Pro Max, because I much prefer the 6.3-inch screen to the Max’s gargantuan 6.9-inch. But unlike Apple, Samsung has only ever offered its best technology in one size, forcing you to choose between pocket size and performance.

I’d like to see Samsung take a cue from Apple here: take the processor and camera skills that define the Ultra series and offer them in a more manageable size. I’d even be happy to see the S Pen disappear, if that would make that easier. I never use it anyway.

Although I would prefer Samsung’s Galaxy AI over Apple Intelligence for its overall AI feature set, the iPhone 17 series has an AI-enabled feature that represents a significant quality of life improvement.

Apple introduced a new 18-megapixel Center Stage camera, which houses a square sensor (almost 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 of selfies when multiple people are in the photo. This may seem like a minor upgrade, but it’s one of those rare AI features that works well for me. This new sensor also helps stabilize the image when recording videos or making a FaceTime call.

Being able to capture group selfies in landscape without fiddling with phone orientation or on-screen toggles is a godsend as the moment can be lost over time. you turn the phone to take a photo. The iPhone 17’s auto-zoom and auto-rotate features are intuitive and work 9 out of 10 times without issue, in my experience.

I hope Samsung adds a square sensor to the front camera of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, because that would make everything more convenient and accessible (if done right).

Learn more: For the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung must adopt these 3 features from the iPhone 17 Pro

Samsung’s Ultra phones have always been among the best when it comes to taking photos. But camera hardware hasn’t changed much over the past few generations of Ultra phones, and it looks like it’s time to think big.

I want to see Samsung create a camera that is truly tailored to professional photographers like me. A larger sensor, like the large 1-inch chip seen on Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra, would help the S26 Ultra compete with the best camera phones and help the Ultra line stand out from the S25 Edge and Z Fold 7. I’d even like to see Samsung adopt LOFIC HDR sensors, capable of capturing superior image quality regardless of lighting conditions. Xiaomi’s upcoming 17 Ultra is expected to feature this new type of image sensor that could just be the next big thing in phone camera technology.

Watching Samsung’s teaser video For its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, one thing is clear: we’re going to see AI. More precisely, the teaser “explains” Galaxy AIwhich debuted on the Galaxy S24 series two years ago. When I examined the Galaxy S24this was a gallery-based Galaxy AI feature that removed reflections from photos.

While this feature wasn’t something I used frequently, it came in handy for photos like this unedited one (below), where the light reflects off the glass of the pastry. When I used Galaxy AI on the image (above), most of the highlights and reflections were removed.

The difference is not dramatic and not all of the reflection has been removed. But Galaxy AI reduced most of the reflections, resulting in a sharper image. I’m curious to see how Samsung has improved Galaxy AI and what features and tools it adds. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long.

I am embarrassed to admit that on several occasions I have placed my Galaxy S25 Ultra against an inclined MagSafe charger and I watched it slide because the phone it doesn’t have magnets to hold it in place. I feel like a former astronaut who forgets that he can’t just leave objects hanging in the air like he would in weightless space.

The S25 Ultra has Qi wireless chargingbut in 2026, that’s not enough, especially for a high-end flagship phone. Whether Samsung calls it by the charging standard name, Qi2, adopts MagSafe (Apple’s term), PixelSnap (Google’s) or invents its own clever term (GalaxyMag? SamSnap?), a magnetic attachment is now long overdue. I expect any phone to be able to clip onto a charger, car mount, tripod mount, or hold a laptop external charger or a wallet.

As is tradition with recent Galaxy device launches, you can reserve Samsung’s next phones even before they are announced. Although the company didn’t specify which devices would be unboxed during its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, we expect it to be the Galaxy S26 rumorGalaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Reservations are now open to 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 pre-orders go live and you can win a $5,000 Samsung gift card to use on Samsung’s website. You can also receive up to an additional $900 off when you trade in a device or a $150 credit without a trade-in. Don’t want to make a reservation through Samsung, well, go to AT&T Or Best buy and do it there.

Samsung announced Tuesday that it will hold an event on February 25 in San Francisco. Although the company did not specify what would be announced, we assume that it will be the rumor about the Galaxy S26 range telephones, including one Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung has released a nifty animated video that might offer clues and Easter eggs about what we can expect.

The invitation video begins with a white square that “comes to life” and transforms into a frosted translucent cube with a glitter emoji, which has become the default symbol for AI. The cube starts jumping, then rolls over the word Galaxy, and when it reaches the end of the word, the letters AI appear behind the cube. This sends the cube into the air, where it opens and releases the AI’s sparkling emoji.

Then the burst of the AI ​​emoji levitates and self-enlarges, rising above the remains of the cube. (If you watch the video version, you’ll hear the melody of Samsung’s signature Over the Horizon ringtone.) 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 will probably see a redesign or new additions to Galaxy AIwhich debuted on Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. The frosty cube, however, is confusing. Could this be a new look for the AI ​​interface of Galaxy phones? Is Samsung adopting Apple’s Liquid Glass? Or could Samsung announce a Human AI Pin-a cube-shaped device? Also, there was no mention of a phone in the invitation and that bothers me.