What to Expect at Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026: S26 Release Date and Price

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Samsung We're simply days away from the seemingly reveal of the Galaxy S26 lineup. Samsung is internet hosting a Galaxy Unpacked occasion on Feb. 25, 2026, at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) in San Francisco. We anticipate to see the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Extremely introduced, which can exchange the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Extremely .

Samsung has already made a splash this yr, releasing the Galaxy Z TriFold for $2,899 within the US on the finish of January, the primary twin-hinge foldable that instantly bought out after occurring sale. The corporate hasn't indicated which merchandise might be proven off at Samsung Unpacked in San Francisco, although we anticipate to see the Galaxy S26 and probably different units.

Samsung's occasion comes only a week earlier than the yr's greatest smartphone present, Cellular World Congress, kicks off in Barcelona. It could be late for Samsung, but it surely's early sufficient in 2026 to set the stage for different premium Android telephones this yr.

Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked occasion is on February 25 and the corporate will seemingly reveal the Galaxy S26 sequence.

Tharon Inexperienced/CNET The stakes are excessive for the S26 telephones. Individuals need absolutely the high of the road in the event that they're paying high greenback for premium telephones, particularly below as we speak's monetary strains. Samsung is below strain to introduce sufficient new options to maintain its highest-end telephones on the high of the charts, particularly after the iPhone 17 sequence debuted a number of perks that raised the bar.

With regards to generative AI, which is prevalent throughout different gadget classes, Samsung is tasked with discovering new, unique makes use of to maintain differentiating its telephones amid fierce competitors on the premium stage.

We anticipate the Galaxy S26 lineup to match that of prior years: a normal S26, a bigger S26 Plus and a top-of-the-line Galaxy S26 Extremely. Whereas rumors do not counsel any drastic redesigns, there'll most likely be some exterior tweaks and upgrades to the {hardware}, together with the processor and cameras.

Let's dive into the specifics of all the pieces we all know in regards to the Galaxy S26 sequence launch.

Galaxy S26 lineup overview The Samsung Galaxy S25.

James Martin/CNET Galaxy S26 Regardless of early rumors from Android Authority suggesting Samsung would possibly ditch its baseline cellphone for a pricier, higher-specced Professional mannequin, the most recent leaks counsel Samsung will maintain its commonplace Galaxy S26 mannequin. We do not anticipate too many modifications to the mannequin's design, although it may see a return of a raised digital camera bump after the Galaxy S25 stored them flush with the rear cowl.

What rumors inform us:

Display: 6.3-inch show (the Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch show)Cameras: Ultrawide digital camera may get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensorProcessor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip within the US and China and 12GB of RAMBattery: 4,300-mAh battery The Galaxy S25 (left), subsequent to the S25 Plus (center) and S25 Edge (proper).

Jesse Orrall/CNET Galaxy S26 Plus and S26 Edge Samsung was additionally mentioned to be debating whether or not to outright exchange its bigger S26 Plus with the super-slim S26 Edge, however reportedly poorer gross sales of final yr's Galaxy S25 Edge counsel the pendulum may swing the opposite approach: We may get an S26 Plus this yr, as 9to5Google suggests.

What rumors inform us:

Display: 6.7-inch displayCameras: Ultrawide digital camera may get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensorProcessor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip within the US and China and 12GB of RAMDesign: It will likely be 7.35mm thick Samsung Galaxy S25 Extremely.

Jeffrey Hazelwood/CNET Galaxy S26 Extremely Like different S26 fashions, the Galaxy S26 Extremely is anticipated to function the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 within the US and China. A rumor from PhoneArena suggests the cellphone will revert to an aluminum body from its titanium predecessors, very like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Professional and Professional Max.

What rumors inform us:

Storage: As much as 1TBCharging: Help for 60-watt wired and 25-watt wi-fi chargingProcessor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip within the US and China and 16GB of RAMBattery: 5,000-mAh battery The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3.

David Carnoy/CNET New Galaxy Buds 4 Rumors counsel Samsung will launch new Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Professional fashions alongside its telephones. Product pictures revealed by Android Authority present redesigns for each fashions, that are every getting what appear like burnished steel strips on the skin of the stems, which ought to make them look a bit much less like Apple AirPods than the Galaxy Buds 3. As in prior generations, the common Buds 4 look to be fully plastic, whereas the Professional fashions could have silicone eartips.

New AI options and Bixby updates The most recent Galaxy telephones usually arrive with new AI options, and rumors counsel the Galaxy S26 sequence might be no exception. Samsung itself alluded to a brand new privateness protect coming in future telephones (presumably the S26 sequence) that may block components of the show when seen at an angle, shielding notifications and even whole apps from onlooker view.

Leaks counsel AI is doing the heavy lifting, selectively rendering pictures just for these wanting straight on the cellphone. Presumably, this can come to all S26 fashions, and leaks have not recommended in any other case.

The S26 telephones could possibly use generative AI to render pictures quicker than earlier than. Samsung's partnership with Nota AI was introduced in November, which goals to optimize on-device genAI. This implies bringing its EdgeFusion (a model of Steady Diffusion) to hurry up text-to-image technology by operating it purely on Galaxy S26 handsets (reasonably than partially or wholly via the cloud), PhoneArena recommended, integrating Nota AI's tech on the processor stage.