Samsung Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra: Specs, Features, Price, Release Date

Samsung’s latest Galaxy smartphones – the Galaxy S26 series – are focused on optimization and AI. Announced at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, the phones aren’t much different from last year’s Galaxy S25 models, but the company is highlighting performance optimizations that are supposed to boost AI processing. Naturally, there are plenty of new AI features coming to the phones as well.

The main hardware change is reserved for the high-end Galaxy S26 Ultra: the privacy screen. It prevents stray eyes from looking over your shoulder at sensitive information on your screen: you don’t need to apply a third-party privacy screen protector. Furthermore, the Ultra doesn’t look as visually distinct next to the Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26; unlike previous flagships, they now all share the same look.

Samsung Galaxy S26 series

Photography: Julian Chokkattu

The Galaxy S26 series is available for pre-order now, with official sales starting on March 11. The Galaxy S26 and S26+ are getting a $100 price increase, likely due to an increase in RAM since RAM is expensive these days. They start at $900 and $1,100, respectively. The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains the same price as its predecessor: $1,300. Samsung also revealed a new pair of wireless earbuds, the Galaxy Buds4 ($179) and Buds4 Pro ($249), also available on March 11. Here’s everything you need to know.

Privacy display

The Galaxy S26 Ultra has something you’ve never seen on a smartphone: a built-in privacy screen. This is a hardware-driven feature; There are two types of pixels on the OLED panel, one that shines light directly on your eyes and another next to it that is wider, allowing light to reach the sides. This allows you to view the screen from all angles. When Privacy View is turned on, these latter pixels are turned off, significantly limiting what people around you can see. It not only blocks the left and right sides of the smartphone like most two-way privacy screen protectors, but also the top and bottom.

What makes it more powerful than your usual privacy screen protector is that the privacy display can be customized through software. You can enable it for the entire screen by simply tapping the Quick Settings tile, or you can enable it for all incoming notifications, per app, or for any app that requires a PIN or password, like banking apps. Samsung says it will even work with its routines, so you can activate it automatically via geolocation, like when you leave the office.

Photography: Julian Chokkattu