Zayed Rehman·

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Launches With AI Upgrades And Higher Prices

Samsung has officially introduced the Galaxy S26 series, and this year’s update feels more like a steady refinement than a bold leap. The lineup includes the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S26, and Samsung Galaxy S26+.

While there are a few meaningful upgrades, especially on the Ultra, much of the story revolves around small tweaks and a heavier push into AI.

All three phones are powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 with Samsung’s “for Galaxy” optimizations. Performance should be solid across the board, but visually, changes are minimal. The Ultra gets slightly rounder corners, a slimmer sub 8mm profile, and a new unified camera bump. The S26 and S26+ look almost identical to their predecessors aside from that refreshed camera layout.

Here are the upgrades that actually matter:

  • Privacy Display (Ultra only): A new software based privacy feature that hides sensitive content like notifications from off angle viewers. It is customizable and one of the more interesting additions this year.

  • Charging boost: The Ultra now supports up to 60W wired charging. The Plus and Ultra also gain faster Qi2 wireless charging, though still without built in magnets.

  • Battery bump: The standard S26 gets a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery.

  • Cooling upgrade: The Ultra includes a larger vapor chamber for improved thermal performance.

Camera hardware remains largely unchanged, with the same megapixel counts across all models. Samsung is instead leaning on AI improvements, including better skin tone processing, enhanced Nightography video, and a new Creative Studio for generative edits.

Software plays a big role in this launch. One UI 8.5 introduces features like “Now Nudge” for contextual suggestions, along with deeper personalization in Now Brief. Samsung has also refreshed Bixby, and users can now choose between Bixby, Gemini, or Perplexity as their default assistant.

Pricing is where some buyers may hesitate:

  • Galaxy S26 starts at $899.99 for 256GB.

  • Galaxy S26+ starts at $1,099.99.

  • Galaxy S26 Ultra remains $1,299.99.

Pre orders are live now ahead of a March 11 release. Samsung is offering up to $900 in trade in credit or $150 in store credit for those who skip a trade.

In short, the Galaxy S26 series is faster, slightly refined, and more AI focused. Just do not expect a dramatic redesign or sweeping hardware overhaul this time around.

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