It’s that time of year again, ahead of MWC, where smartphone brands are making announcements left and right. Slightly ahead of the pack comes Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, which I was lucky enough to attend live and in person in San Francisco this year.
Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is where they reveal all there is to know about the latest devices, and this year it was the Samsung Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra smartphone line-up. 2026 has not brought many major changes to the lineup, but every phone in this series will be powered by the newest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which packs serious power.
This year, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has made some slight changes to its design, mirroring a phone I loved last year, the Z Fold7. The camera bump on the S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra will see this design change, making it more prominent and highlighted. On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, two additional lenses are featured to the right, which aren’t present on the S26 or S26+.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series also features slightly more curved edges, and the S26 Ultra is 3mm thinner than the previous Galaxy S25 Ultra and four grams lighter. Samsung has stayed with very similar colours since last year’s Galaxy Unpacked, launching each phone in Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue and Black. There will be online exclusive colours, Silver Shadow and Pink Gold, across the lineup, along with the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro, which also come in Pink Gold.
Of course, I know you’re all eager to hear more about the internal components in the Samsung Galaxy S26 series. I think a lot of people have been thinking (or hoping) that Samsung would be moving away from their 5000mAh battery that has been with the brand for years. I am here to report that, unfortunately, that is one miracle users will not be seeing from Samsung this year.
Though the S26 base model has seen a battery increase from 4000mAh to 4300, the S26+ remains unchanged from last year at 4900 mAh, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is still rocking that 5000 mAh battery. With that, though, comes some good news. The S26 Ultra has seen an upgrade to charging, now allowing for 60W Super Fast Charging 3.0 and 25W Fast Wireless Charging, up from 2025’s 45W and 15W.
As mentioned, the entire series is powered by the latest Snapdragon chip, which has already proven powerful in other devices since its launch. RAM and storage configurations remain mostly the same, with the base S26 and S26+ coming in 256GB or 512GB with 12GB of RAM (gone is the 128 GB option for the S26), and the S26 Ultra comes in 256GB/12GB, 512GB/12GB or 1TB/16GB. You can find a full list of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Series specifications below:
Samsung Galaxy S26 Smartphone Series Specs:
| Feature | Galaxy S26 | Galaxy S26+ | Galaxy S26 Ultra |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colours | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black Online Exclusive: Silver Shadow Pink Gold | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black Online Exclusive: Silver Shadow Pink Gold | Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black Online Exclusive: Silver Shadow Pink Gold |
| SKU | SM‑S942 | SM‑S947 | SM‑S948 |
| Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (3 nm) |
| Storage Options | 256GB / 512GB | 256GB / 512GB | 256GB / 512GB / 1TB |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB | 12GB / 16GB |
| Battery | 4,300 mAh | 4,900 mAh | 5,000 mAh |
| Charging | 25W Super Fast Charging, 15W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | 45W Super Fast Charging 2.0, 20W Fast Wireless Charging 2.0, Wireless PowerShare | 60W Super Fast Charging 3.0, 25W Fast Wireless Charging, Wireless PowerShare |
| Display | 6.3″ FHD+ (2340×1080), Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.7″ QHD+ (3120×1440), Dynamic AMOLED 2X | 6.9″ QHD+ (3120×1440), Dynamic AMOLED 2X |
| Rear Cameras | 12MP UW f/2.2, 50MP Wide f/1.8, 10MP 3× Tele f/2.4 | 12MP UW f/2.2, 50MP Wide f/1.8, 10MP 3× Tele f/2.4 | 50MP UW f/1.9, 200MP Wide f/1.4, 50MP 5× Tele f/2.9 10MP 3× Tele f/2.4 |
| Front Camera | 12MP f/2.2 AF | 12MP f/2.2 AF | 12MP f/2.2 AF |
| Biometrics | Ultrasonic Fingerprint (On‑screen), Facial Recognition | Ultrasonic Fingerprint (On‑screen), Facial Recognition | Ultrasonic Fingerprint (On‑screen), Facial Recognition |
| Samsung DeX | Wireless DeX | Wireless DeX | Wireless DeX |
| Dimensions | 149.6 × 71.7 × 7.2 mm | 158.4 × 75.8 × 7.3 mm | 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9 mm |
| Weight | 167 g | 190 g | 214 g |
| MSRP | $1,249.99 (256GB) / $1,529.99 (512GB) | $1,529.99 (256GB) / $1,809.99 (512GB) | $1,899.99 (256GB) / $2,179.99 (512GB) / $2,599.99 (1TB) |
On first glance, it looks like Samsung didn’t do much with the cameras in the Galaxy S26 series, and though the MP look largely the same, the sensors have changed on the S26 Ultra. Last year saw a 200MP, f/1.7 wide lens, a 10MP, f/2.4 telephoto lens, a 50MP, f/3.4 periscope telephoto lens, and a 50MP, f/1.9 ultrawide lens. 2026 brings a 200MP, f/1.4 wide lens, a 50MP, f/1.9 ultrawide lens, a 50MP, f/2.9 periscope telephoto lens and the 10MP telephoto lens remains unchanged.
During a briefing, Samsung revealed that these new sensor sizes allow for 37% brighter photos with the telephoto lens and 47% brighter images with the 200MP wide lens. These sensor sizes support one of the new features Samsung is bringing this year: Nightography Video. Thanks to its wider aperture, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will capture more light in darker environments, resulting in brighter, clearer video.
Samsung has also continued the push into AI image editing, taking their previous Sketch to Image feature a step further, allowing you to use text or voice commands to make changes to your photos. At a preview event before Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, I used my powers for good: I added cake to several photos and turned an S26 pink, and in practice, it was flawless. Samsung’s Photo Assist also sees an update with several new styles you can add to pictures, too.
Of course, AI is where every brand wants to focus its time, and the Samsung Galaxy S26 series is no different. Beyond just the photo capabilities mentioned above, 2026 is bringing a few updates to AI features we are already familiar with. Now Brief has received an update to allow fewer steps for users. Where you would have to create an event in the past for Now Brief to monitor, it can now pull that information, like reservations or a meeting, directly from your notifications.
Now, Nudge is a feature embedded in your keyboard, so apps like WhatsApp, Messenger, etc., can display prompts to streamline certain processes. For example, if someone suggests a meeting, it may prompt you to create an event, or if a friend asks you to find a photo from a specific event, your S26 will be able to find it for you instead of searching yourself.
Samsung is also rolling out new partnerships with third-party apps. Your AI Agent will be able to actually order an Uber for you. The device will recognize your location and where you need to go and take the steps to get you there. Right now, Uber is the only option, but they are hoping to move to more rideshare apps and even options like DoorDash or Uber Eats.
Ordering food isn’t an entirely out-there idea, either, as Circle to Search has made shopping for items you see online extremely easy already. This year’s update allows you to search for multiple items at once now, and you can even use a photo image to try the items on yourself.
One of the most interesting features coming to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the new Privacy Screen. Samsung boasts that this is the first of its kind in a smartphone. When turned on, the screen works much like a privacy screen protector you would buy separately, blocking visuals from the sides, top or bottom of your smartphone. There is also the option to toggle this feature on only under certain circumstances, like when text notifications pop up or when you open a specific app, like your banking. In practice, Privacy Screen is incredibly easy to use and works very well.
We will have a lot more to say once we go hands-on with the Samsung Galaxy S26 series for an extended period, but for now, the hardware changes seem minimal. With rumours and hyper surounding the S26 series, I was expecting bigger surprises from the smartphone brand this year; however, Samsung consistantly makes solid devices, and has an extremely loyal following. The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will continue that trend, even if they aren’t making any major breakthroughs year over year.
Make sure to check out more of our Samsung coverage from Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, including news about their latest laptops, earbuds and more.
