Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Officially Unveiled at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 With World-First Privacy Display and Agentic AI
Samsung pulled back the curtain on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra today, Wednesday, February 25, 2026, at its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco. The flagship smartphone arrives packed with next-generation AI features, a groundbreaking built-in Privacy Display, and a customized Snapdragon processor — all starting at $1,299, matching last year's launch price.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Debuts the World's First Built-In Privacy Display
The headline feature of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is its first-of-its-kind built-in Privacy Display, a technology that no other mobile phone has shipped with before. Using a proprietary Black Matrix system, the display limits viewing angles not just for the entire screen but also for individual app panels and notification zones.
Users can customize how much of the display is shielded, making it practical for commuters, office settings, and anyone handling sensitive data in public. Samsung says this approach is a fundamental shift in how privacy is handled at the pixel level, rather than relying on an add-on screen protector.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Powers the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Performance
Under the hood, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra runs on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform, a chipset customized specifically for Samsung. The processor delivers a 19% CPU performance increase, a 39% NPU improvement for AI tasks, and a 24% GPU boost over its predecessor.
Thermal management received a major redesign as well. A new Vapor Chamber with thermal interface material placed along the sides of the processor allows heat to spread more efficiently, keeping the device cooler during gaming, multitasking, and extended video recording sessions. Super Fast Charging 3.0 now brings the battery to 75% in just 30 minutes.
Galaxy AI Gets Agentic Upgrade on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung is calling this its third generation of AI phones, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra takes Galaxy AI further with what the company describes as Agentic AI capabilities. The phone is designed to handle complex background tasks automatically, letting users focus on results rather than navigating steps manually.
New editing tools allow Bixby to composite elements from separate photos into a single, cohesive image. All photos edited with Galaxy AI receive a watermark to ensure transparency. Samsung also introduced Horizon Lock, a video feature that stabilizes footage against a steady horizon line regardless of camera movement.
Camera System on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Gets a Brighter Main Lens
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra ships with a 200MP primary sensor featuring a wider f/1.4 aperture, a notable upgrade that gathers significantly more light and produces cleaner images in low-light conditions. The camera system also includes a 50MP ultrawide lens and a dual-telephoto setup.
A new 24MP shooting mode, added via the Camera Assistant app, works in both Photo and Portrait modes. Processing takes approximately three seconds per shot, with results described as natural and well-balanced across a range of lighting scenarios.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Colors, Storage, and Preorder Details
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra launches in four standard colors — Black, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, and White — with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow available exclusively through Samsung's website. All three S26 models now start at 256GB base storage, eliminating the 128GB tier entirely.
Preorders are open today and come with trade-in promotions and free storage upgrades in select regions. The official retail release date for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is set for March 11, 2026.
What Sets the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Apart From Its Predecessor
Compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is the slimmest Ultra form factor Samsung has ever built while maintaining an S Pen slot. The redesigned camera island marks a shift away from the floating lens aesthetic of recent years.
The Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro — priced at $180 and $249, respectively — were also announced alongside the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra at today's Unpacked event, rounding out Samsung's 2026 flagship hardware lineup heading into spring.
