Samsung Unveils Galaxy S26 Series with Agentic AI at Unpacked 2026

Samsung hosted its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2026, in San Francisco, unveiling the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra — a lineup the company describes as "the beginning of truly agentic AI" in smartphones. Pre-orders are open now, with devices shipping on March 11.

Key Highlights

• The Galaxy S26 series introduces Now Nudge, an agentic AI feature that proactively surfaces relevant information without switching apps
• Samsung's first-ever Privacy Display technology on the S26 Ultra blocks screen visibility from acute angles
• Deep AI integration with Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity via "Hey Plex" voice activation
• Powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset with up to 16GB RAM and 1TB storage

Agentic AI Takes Center Stage

The headline feature is Samsung's push into agentic AI — artificial intelligence that doesn't just respond to commands but anticipates user needs and takes action. The new Now Nudge system monitors context across apps to deliver timely suggestions. When a friend messages about dinner plans, for example, Galaxy AI checks the calendar, spots conflicts, and surfaces a pop-up with alternatives — all without the user leaving the messaging app.

Circle to Search has also evolved significantly, now supporting multi-element recognition. Circling a celebrity's outfit identifies individual pieces and suggests where to buy them, turning visual discovery into an actionable shopping experience.

Triple AI Assistant Integration

The S26 series ships with three AI assistants working in concert. A revamped Bixby handles device navigation and settings conversationally. Google Gemini tackles multi-step tasks through a long-press of the side button, with on-device processing for scam call detection. Perplexity provides real-time web search through the "Hey Plex" wake word.

Privacy Display: A Hardware First

The S26 Ultra introduces Samsung's first smartphone Privacy Display, which restricts screen visibility from side angles. Users can configure it to activate automatically for passwords, notifications, or specific apps — addressing a long-standing concern for mobile users in public spaces.

Specs and Pricing

All models run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 and come in purple, blue, black, white, silver, and rose gold (last two online-exclusive). The Ultra offers up to 1TB storage and Super Fast Charging 3.0.

Enhanced Camera and Creative Tools

Samsung upgraded its camera software with ProScaler upscaling, an Object Aware Engine for improved skin tones and textures, and enhanced video stabilization. The new Creative Studio lets users generate AI stickers and edit photos with natural language prompts — turning a simple photo into polished, shareable content.

What's Next

With agentic AI now embedded in its flagship phones, Samsung is signaling a shift from reactive to proactive mobile intelligence. The Galaxy S26 series positions Samsung as a direct competitor to Apple's rumored Siri overhaul and Google's Gemini-native Pixel lineup, both expected later this year.

Source: Samsung Global Newsroom