Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled its new flagship smartphones, the Galaxy S26 series, featuring enhanced artificial intelligence (AI) capabilities, with a built-in privacy display available on the Ultra model, Yonhap reported.
The South Korean tech giant showcased three editions of the lineup -- the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26+ and the Galaxy S26 Ultra -- each featuring a 6.3-inch, 6.7-inch and 6.9-inch display, respectively, in the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event held in San Francisco on Wednesday (U.S. time).
"Based on the strong hardware, the Galaxy S26 series are products that enable anyone to use AI easily and intuitively," Roh Tae-moon, co-chief executive officer (CEO) of Samsung Electronics, said in a release.
According to Samsung Electronics, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, boasting a 39 percent improvement in neural processing unit (NPU) performance compared with its predecessor.
The performance of the central processing unit (CPU) and graphics processing unit (GPU) also improved by 19 percent and 24 percent, respectively, paving the way for advanced AI tasks and immersive gaming experiences.
Other models of the Galaxy S26 lineup will come with the Exynos 2600 application processor.
Through Samsung's mobile digital natural image engine (mDNIe), the Galaxy S26 series also delivers more delicate and realistic colors, according to the company.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy S26+ are additionally equipped with the ProScaler image processing feature for improved visual clarity.
The South Korean tech giant said one of the major improvements in the Galaxy S26 series are customized AI features that proactively understand the context and intention of user requests.
For instance, the new Now Nudge feature allows the device to instantly display a user's schedule when the user receives a text message requesting a meeting date.
The Circle to Search feature allows users to draw a circle around products of interest, prompting the Galaxy S26 smartphones to automatically begin searching for related information online.
Samsung Electronics said its AI assistant program, Bixby, will come with an improved capability to understand natural language, allowing users to quickly change device settings.
Users can additionally choose other AI tools, such as Gemini and Perplexity, activating them through a voice command or by pressing the side button.
Samsung has also enhanced the privacy features of its smartphone devices in response to growing user awareness in the AI era.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with the industry's first Privacy Display, which allows users to protect content on their screen without having to apply a separate film.
"With hardware and software delicately combined from the design stage, the feature does not disrupt the viewing experience in everyday environments," the company said.
Users can set the scope and activation timing of the privacy display, such as when entering passwords. It can also be applied to a specific application only.
The Call Screening feature allows Galaxy S26 smartphones to answer unidentified incoming calls and provide users with a summary of the conversation, helping them avoid spam or voice phishing attempts.
As for the camera, the Galaxy S26 Ultra comes with a 200-megapixel wide-angle camera while supporting the Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec for professional editing.
The Galaxy S26 series supports an enhanced night mode for clearer photos in dark environments, along with the Super Steady feature for more stable videos when recording in motion.
Samsung Electronics said it plans to launch an advanced AI operating system (OS) in partnership with Google that more deeply integrates AI at the system level.
"We plan to unveil a more advanced AI OS co-developed with Google that can understand user context across applications at the OS level," Roh said during a press briefing following the Unpacked event. "This will create an environment where agentic AI can coordinate tasks and services more seamlessly."
Roh, who was officially appointed the head of Samsung's Device Experience (DX) division overseeing mobile, TV and home appliance businesses in November, did not mention specific sales targets but expressed confidence that the Galaxy S26 series will achieve record sales.
"Last year, I promised sales for the S25 that would exceed its predecessor, and we were able to keep that promise," he said. "This time, with the S26 series, we will achieve results that surpass the previous model."
Samsung Electronics plans to start preorders for the Galaxy S26 in South Korea on Friday, with the global release set to begin March 11.
The Galaxy S26 series will be available in four colors: violet, white, black and blue. Two additional colors, pink gold and silver, will be available on Samsung's official website.
The 256-GB Galaxy S26 will be priced at 1.25 million won (US$867), up from the 1.15 million won price maintained since the Galaxy S23, amid rising memory chip prices driven by the AI boom.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be available at 1.79 million won, 2.05 million won and 2.54 million won for the 256 GB, 512 GB and 1-terabyte (TB) models, respectively.
The 256-GB Galaxy S26+ will be released at 1.45 million won.
The Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra will come with a battery capacity of 4,300 mAh, 4,900 mAh and 5,000 mAh, respectively.
The battery capacity of the Galaxy S26 marks a 300-mAh increase from its predecessor.
During Galaxy Unpacked 2026, Samsung Electronics also introduced two wireless earphones, the Galaxy Buds4 and the Galaxy Buds4 Pro.