Samsung’s Galaxy S26: bigger screen, bigger battery and more AI
samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra at Galaxy Unpacked on Wednesday at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco, a reveal that pairs a larger base model screen and battery with a lineup-wide push of third-generation Galaxy AI and higher starting prices.
Samsung's pricing and preorder plans
The new phones arrive with a $100 price hike: the Galaxy S26 starts at $900 and the S26 Plus starts at $1, 100, which is $200 less than the $1, 300 S26 Ultra. It is unclear if tariffs or the ongoing RAM shortage were to blame for the price increase, but samsung is offering a number of preorder deals to make up for the difference. All three models are available to preorder and will be in stores on March 11.
Bigger screen and battery on the base Galaxy S26
The base Galaxy S26 gains a larger display and battery: the screen grew from 6. 2 inches on the S25 to 6. 3 inches, and the phone is slightly taller and wider as a result. The S26 carries a 4, 300-mAh battery, 300 mAh more than last year’s 4, 000-mAh S25, while the S26 Plus keeps the same 6. 7-inch display and the same 4, 900-mAh battery as the S25 Plus. The base S26 remains slim at 7. 2mm thick.
Charging, magnets and physical design choices
Both the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus support 25-watt wired charging and 15-watt wireless charging; the S26 Plus also supports 45-watt wired charging and 20-watt wireless charging. Neither phone includes built-in magnets to support magnetic accessories — samsung said the decision was to keep the phones thin, a choice the hands-on writer summed up as “mission accomplished. ” Samsung will offer cases that do support magnetic accessories. Both phones come in cobalt violet, white, sky blue and black, and both have the same cameras as the S25.
AI features, processors and everyday uses
Samsung is pitching third-generation Galaxy AI across the lineup, pairing top-of-the-line Snapdragon processors with features intended for everyday tasks. Onstage examples and demos included the ability to order an Uber with your voice from the lock screen, smarter selfie processing, swapping a shirt in a photo for a different one, and surfacing relevant information and resources when users need them. During a briefing, a samsung representative said the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus have “AI all over the place, ” a point the hands-on writer echoed after time with the phones.
Performance reference and further reading
For reference, the Galaxy S25 performed the same in our Labs testing as Google’s Pixel 10; both phones did fine but didn’t break any records. The hands-on writer noted hope that the larger battery and efficiency gains from the new processor will translate into better real-world battery life for the S26. For more on the top-tier model, see Abrar Al-Heeti’s Galaxy S26 Ultra hands-on story.
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Next up on the rollout: preorders are open now and the Galaxy S26 family is scheduled to reach stores on March 11; carrier and retailer preorder deals are in effect to offset the higher starting prices.
