At Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on Wednesday, the Korean tech company launched its new S26 series of Galaxy smartphones, introduced a pair of new earbuds, and discussed AI assistants and agents.
Here’s a brief overview of everything presented at the event.
Galaxy S26 smartphones
The South Korean tech company is introducing three new smartphones this year: Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26, each featuring iterative improvements over previous versions.
As the flagship model, the S26 Ultra features Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, and a 5,000 mAh battery. According to Samsung, the phone can charge from 0% to 75% in 30 minutes with a 60W charger and supports the S-Pen stylus.
Samsung stated that while the S26 Ultra’s wide (200-megapixel) and telephoto (50-megapixel) lenses maintain the same pixel count as its predecessor, the new wide camera offers a larger aperture of f/1.4, and the telephoto lens has an aperture of f/2.9.
The other two phones have the same processor as the S26 Ultra, but Samsung is using its own Exynos 2600 processor for these devices in some regions. The smaller Galaxy S26 receives a battery boost from last year’s model, and the S26 Plus can charge wirelessly at 20W.
The Galaxy S26 starts at $899 (an increase of $100 from last year’s model), the Galaxy S26 Plus begins at $1,099 (also $100 more than the previous year), and the Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,200.
Privacy display is the marquee feature for Ultra
In addition to the hardware upgrades, Samsung has enhanced the S26 Ultra’s display with a feature that prevents others from seeing the phone’s screen.
Users can choose to hide specific parts of the screen, such as the notification area or the password field in login forms, or conceal the entire display. The privacy display can be customized for each app.
Samsung stated there is a “maximum privacy protection” feature, which dims bright areas and increases brightness in dark parts of the screen.
Gemini’s agentic makeover and new ‘Circle to Search’
Google also made two key announcements at Samsung’s event. First, the search giant showcased a new agentic version of Gemini that can perform tasks on a user’s behalf, like hailing a cab from Uber.
Samir Samat, head of Android ecosystem at Google, demonstrated how Gemini reviews a group chat and determines the meal order to place on Grubhub.
The company also launched a new version of “Circle to Search” that employs multi-object recognition to search for anything highlighted on the phone’s display.
AI features
Earlier this week, Samsung announced its partnership with Perplexity to pre-install the AI company’s app on its smartphones and utilize its APIs for actions like setting alarms or taking notes, as well as powering its browser’s search capabilities.
Samsung’s smartphones now come with three AI assistants: Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. The company also uses Galaxy AI to screen calls and provide summaries of caller conversations.
Samsung Galaxy Buds4
Samsung has launched two new earphones: the Galaxy Buds4 and the Galaxy Buds4 Pro. These earphones have a flatter stem design than their predecessors and are rated IP54 and IP57, indicating some protection against dust and water.
Samsung claims the Buds4 Pro includes a new 11mm woofer, enhancing the speaker area by 20%. The Pro models also offer a slightly extended battery life without the case compared to the regular version.
The Buds4 are priced at $179, whereas the Buds4 Pro cost $250.