Everything we’re expecting from the S26 launch on February 25

Samsung’s 2025 was filled with new foldables, a new ultra-thin form factor, and the launch of Google’s XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced that its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to showcase the Galaxy S26 line. The official invites have just been shared, but the actual information on which devices will arrive at that time is still unknown. But as usual, we know a lot about what’s expected at Unpacked.

Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we’ll most likely get hands-on coverage of Samsung’s new smartphones soon after they’re announced. While we wait for all the details, here’s everything we hope Samsung will showcase at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026.

When will Unpacked 2026 take place?

According to the official invitation shared by Samsung on February 10, Unpacked will take place on February 25, 2026 in San Francisco. The keynote will begin at 10 a.m. (1 p.m. ET) and will be streamed live on Samsung.com, as well as the company’s newsroom and YouTube channel. The February 10 announcement also noted that the launch would mark “a new phase in the AI ​​era, as intelligence becomes truly personal and adaptive.” It’s not much, since we’ve heard some version of it from various companies over the past few years, but at least we won’t be shocked when we hear more about AI in about two weeks.

Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra

Samsung’s restrained approach to updating its phones will likely continue with the Galaxy S26. Based on leaked images of the new lineup, the company is not expected to drastically reinvent the look of the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, or Galaxy S26 Ultra, and will instead stick with a design similar to the one it used on the Galaxy S25. The phones will have a flat front screen and frame, with rounded corners and cameras housed in a vertical pill-shaped tray on the back. Unlike Apple’s move from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro, the biggest difference here will likely be the internal components like the displays, chips, and camera sensors used by Samsung.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip expected to be in all Samsung Galaxy S26 phones, via Korean news site Yonhap News reports that Samsung’s relatively new Exynos 2600 chip could be used in some phones in the lineup depending on region, a strategy Samsung has deployed in the past. Either way, the new phones are expected to perform better than the previous generation and, in the case of models equipped with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, particularly good at on-device AI processing.

One notable difference between the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S25 could be the phone’s display. The new phone is said to feature a 6.3-inch FHD+ display according to specifications shared by Ice Universe, making it slightly larger than the 6.2-inch display used on the Galaxy S25. The S26 will also reportedly come with 12GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage, and a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery. However, Samsung isn’t changing the cameras on the entry-level phone: leaks suggest it will feature the same 50-megapixel main camera, the same 12-megapixel ultra-wide, the 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, and the same 12-megapixel selfie camera as the previous generation. The changes seem even more minor on the Galaxy S26+. Besides the new Snapdragon chip, the phone is said to feature the same 6.7-inch FHD+ display, 4,900mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and the same camera array used on the base Galaxy S26.

The difference between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Ultra would be a little clearer. According to Android titlesthe new phone’s cameras will be slightly more raised and stand out thanks to a new metallic finish. Samsung could also return to using an aluminum frame on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, after using titanium frames on the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultra. More importantly, to make the phone actually support Qi2 rather than only technically working with the standard when a case is attached, rumors suggest that Samsung will remove the S Pen digitizer layer from the phone and adopt a new method of accepting pen input. It’s unclear what this new method will actually be, but it could allow the Galaxy S26 Ultra to work more easily with Qi2 accessories without losing its stylus.

Android titles also recently shared what appear to be full image renders of the S26 series, and they generally match what has already been rumored, leaked, and reported so far. If these images are accurate, they give us a clearer look at the camera bump and two color variants of the S26 Ultra.

Magnet fans could continue to be disappointed with Samsung if the latest rumors are confirmed. Despite launching the Qi 2 wireless charging standard, adding support for convenient magnetic alignment years ago, Samsung has yet to bring this feature to its phones. Although the S series has the higher speed charging rates that the specifications allow, Nieuwemobiel.nl reports that due to images received of cases with magnetic rings, the S26 series will likely not have built-in magnets. Samsung has made these cases to add magnetic capability to its S series in the past, and the existence of images of these accessories lends weight to the idea that the company will continue this approach.

Galaxy Buds 4

Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro in 2024, with a major redesign that brought them much more in line with Apple’s AirPods. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro that Samsung is reportedly announcing soon won’t necessarily change that, although they will feature a more compact body and less angular stems, according to leaked images from the Samsung Tips app.

Support for head gestures to accept and decline calls, a feature Apple includes on the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, would also work on both versions of the new Galaxy Buds. SamMobile reports that the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro could also come with a new Ultra Wideband chip that will make them easier to find with Google’s Find Hub network.

Galaxy Z tri-fold

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z TriFold at the end of 2025 without specifying exactly when the new smartphone that folds into a tablet would be available in North America. This information came on January 27, when the company announced that the TriFold would be available in the United States on January 30, for a whopping $2,900. Given that we’ve already seen the device in person at CES 2026 and people have likely had a chance to look at it, or even buy it, by the time Unpacked arrives, we don’t expect Samsung to spend too much time dwelling on it, if at all.

Galaxy S26 Edge

When the Galaxy S25 Edge was announced in 2025, it seemed possible that Samsung would replace its “Plus” smartphone with a single form factor, just as Apple chose to do with the iPhone Air. There have been conflicting reports about this, but it looks like Samsung won’t do this with the Galaxy S26 Edge.

Instead, the smartphone would remain another option, just as foldables are for customers who aren’t swayed by Samsung’s traditional smartphones. The Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to feature a slightly different design than last year’s model. Android titleswith a large rectangular camera tray reminiscent of Google’s Pixel phones, and Apple’s raised oval used on the iPhone Air. Beyond that, the phone is also expected to be slightly thinner, at 5.5mm, than the 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge.

Bixby and other AI features

Samsung is already the first place Google can showcase new AI features for Android, but the company is also reportedly exploring other AI partnerships. In June 2025, Bloomberg reported that Samsung is close to striking a deal with Perplexity to integrate its AI-powered search engine into OneUI and its local mobile browser. Perplexity already has a deal with Motorola on its Razr phones, so the only thing that would make a deal with Samsung unusual is the close relationship the company already has with Google.

The company also accidentally announced a new version of its Bixby AI assistant, which will likely also be integrated with Perplexity and could serve as an alternative to Google Gemini. A new Bixby and deeper integration with Perplexity seem like natural new software features to show off on Galaxy Unpacked.

Updated, January 27, 2026, 11:55 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to reflect the latest news regarding Galaxy Z TriFold pricing and availability in the United States.

Updated, January 30, 2026, 12:45 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks on possible dates for Unpacked 2026.

Updated, February 2, 2026, 11:30 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks with full image renders of the trio of S26 devices.

Updated, February 3, 2026, 11:00 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks regarding the possible lack of magnetic support on the S26 series.

Updated, February 10, 2026, 7:15 p.m. ET: This story has been updated to include the official Galaxy Unpacked date as Samsung announced today. The intro has also been changed to reflect this detail.