Here’s is an animation that was part of the Galaxy Unpacked event invite.
We are less than two days away from the Galaxy S26 launch. Samsung is holding a Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) in San Francisco. We expect to see the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra announced, which will replace the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra.
Samsung has already made a splash this year, releasing the Galaxy Z TriFold for $2,899 in the US at the end of January, the first twin-hinge foldable that immediately sold out after going on sale. The company hasn’t indicated which products will be shown off at Samsung Unpacked in San Francisco, though we expect to see the Galaxy S26 and possibly other devices.
Samsung’s event comes just a week before the year’s biggest smartphone show, Mobile World Congress, kicks off in Barcelona. It may be late for Samsung, but it’s early enough in 2026 to set the stage for other premium Android phones this year.
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event is on February 25 and the company will likely reveal the Galaxy S26 series.
The stakes are high for the S26 phones. People want the absolute top of the line if they’re paying top dollar for premium phones, especially under today’s financial strains. Samsung is under pressure to introduce enough new features to keep its highest-end phones at the top of the charts, especially after the iPhone 17 series debuted several perks that raised the bar.
When it comes to generative AI, which is prevalent across other gadget categories, Samsung is tasked with finding new, exclusive uses to keep differentiating its phones amid fierce competition at the premium level.
We expect the Galaxy S26 lineup to match that of prior years: a standard S26, a larger S26 Plus and a top-of-the-line Galaxy S26 Ultra. While rumors don’t suggest any drastic redesigns, there will probably be some external tweaks and upgrades to the hardware, including the processor and cameras.
Let’s dive into the specifics of everything we know about the Galaxy S26 series launch.
How to watch Samsung Galaxy Unpacked
Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event starts at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) and can be viewed on Samsung’s YouTube page. But CNET is hosting a live show starting an hour before at 9 a.m. PT (12 p.m. ET) and running right after the event is over. The live show will be hosted by CNET’s Bridget Carey and PCMag’s Iyak Akhtar. They will have editors and writers from CNET, PCMag, Mashable and Lifehacker, who are on the ground in San Francisco, calling in from the event to talk about anything and everything Samsung announces. You can watch CNET’s live show in the player above.
Galaxy S26 lineup overview
The Samsung Galaxy S25.
Galaxy S26
Despite early rumors from Android Authority suggesting Samsung might ditch its baseline phone for a pricier, higher-specced Pro model, the latest leaks suggest Samsung will keep its standard Galaxy S26 model. We don’t expect too many changes to the model’s design, though it could see a return of a raised camera bump after the Galaxy S25 kept them flush with the rear cover.
What rumors tell us:
- Screen: 6.3-inch display (the Galaxy S25 has a 6.2-inch display)
- Cameras: Ultrawide camera could get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensor
- Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 12GB of RAM
- Battery: 4,300-mAh battery
The Galaxy S25 (left), next to the S25 Plus (middle) and S25 Edge (right).
Galaxy S26 Plus and S26 Edge
Samsung was also said to be debating whether to outright replace its larger S26 Plus with the super-slim S26 Edge, but reportedly poorer sales of last year’s Galaxy S25 Edge suggest the pendulum could swing the other way: We may just get an S26 Plus this year, as 9to5Google suggests.
What rumors tell us:
- Screen: 6.7-inch display
- Cameras: Ultrawide camera could get an upgraded 50-megapixel sensor
- Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 12GB of RAM
- Design: It will be 7.35mm thick
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Galaxy S26 Ultra
Like other S26 models, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the US and China. A rumor from PhoneArena suggests the phone will revert to an aluminum frame from its titanium predecessors, much like Apple did with the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max.
What rumors tell us:
- Storage: Up to 1TB
- Charging: Support for 60-watt wired and 25-watt wireless charging
- Processor and RAM: Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chip in the US and China and 16GB of RAM
- Battery: 5,000-mAh battery
The Samsung Galaxy Buds 3.
New Galaxy Buds 4
Rumors suggest Samsung will release new Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro models alongside its phones. Product images published by Android Authority show redesigns for both models, which are each getting what look like burnished metal strips on the outside of the stems, which should make them look a bit less like Apple AirPods than the Galaxy Buds 3. As in prior generations, the regular Buds 4 look to be entirely plastic, while the Pro models will have silicone eartips.
New AI features and Bixby updates
The latest Galaxy phones typically arrive with new AI features, and rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 series will be no exception. Samsung itself alluded to a new privacy shield coming in future phones (presumably the S26 series) that will block parts of the display when viewed at an angle, shielding notifications or even entire apps from onlooker view.
Leaks suggest AI is doing the heavy lifting, selectively rendering images only for those looking straight at the phone. Presumably, this will come to all S26 models, and leaks haven’t suggested otherwise.
The S26 phones may be able to use generative AI to render images faster than before. Samsung’s partnership with Nota AI was announced in November, which aims to optimize on-device Gen AI. This means bringing its EdgeFusion (a version of Stable Diffusion) to speed up text-to-image generation by running it purely on Galaxy S26 handsets (rather than partially or wholly through the cloud), PhoneArena suggested, integrating Nota AI’s tech at the processor level.
