During Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the Korean tech company revealed its latest S26 series of Galaxy smartphones, two new earbuds, and discussed advancements in AI assistants and agents.
Here’s a summary of what was unveiled at the event.
Galaxy S26 Smartphones
Samsung has introduced three new smartphones for the year: Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26, featuring updates from previous models.
The flagship, S26 Ultra, includes Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, and a 5,000 mAh battery. Samsung claims it can charge from 0% to 75% in 30 minutes with a 60W charger and supports the S-Pen stylus.
The S26 Ultra maintains the same pixel count in its 200-megapixel wide and 50-megapixel telephoto lenses as its predecessor, with new apertures of f/1.4 and f/2.9 respectively.
The other models have the same processor as the S26 Ultra, but in some locations, Samsung uses its Exynos 2600 processor. The Galaxy S26 has a larger battery this year, and the S26 Plus offers 20W wireless charging.
The Galaxy S26 starts at $899, the Galaxy S26 Plus at $1,099, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra at $1,200.
Privacy Display for Ultra
Alongside hardware upgrades, the S26 Ultra includes a display feature to prevent onlookers from viewing the screen’s content.
Users can choose to obscure parts of the screen, like notifications or password fields. This can be customized per app.
Samsung also introduced a “maximum privacy protection” feature to adjust screen brightness for privacy.
Gemini’s New Features and ‘Circle to Search’
Google announced updates to Gemini, which can now automate tasks like ordering rides. It can analyze group chats to determine meal orders on Grubhub.
A new “Circle to Search” feature uses multi-object recognition to search highlighted content on a device.
AI Features
Samsung is collaborating with Perplexity to integrate its app and APIs for tasks such as setting alarms or note-taking, enhancing browser search functions.
Samsung phones now include Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity AI assistants, along with Galaxy AI for call screening and summaries.
Samsung Galaxy Buds4
Samsung launched Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro, featuring a flatter stem design and IP54/57 ratings for dust and water resistance.
The Buds4 Pro includes an 11mm woofer that expands the speaker area by 20% and offers a slightly longer battery life than the regular version.
The Buds4 are priced at $179, and the Buds4 Pro at $250.