Samsung S26 Ultra privacy screen leads Galaxy S26 price bump debate
The Samsung S26 Ultra arrived as the headline feature of the Galaxy S26 launch, pairing a hardware privacy display with upgraded Bixby as Samsung raises prices across the line. Early listings show higher entry pricing in both the U. K. and U. S., and the new lineup now starts at 256GB across the board.
Price increases in the U. K. and U. S. and a memory shuffle
At a press briefing in London, Samsung revealed U. K. starting prices of £879 for the Galaxy S26, £1, 099 for the Galaxy S26 Plus, and £1, 279 for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a small £30 to £100 bump across the range that semi-aligns with a previous rumor of £23 and £45 increases. U. S. listings show the Galaxy S26 base unit at $899. 99, up from $799. 99 for the Galaxy S25, and the Galaxy S26 Plus at $1, 099. 99, up from $999. 99. One listing puts the U. S. Galaxy S26 Ultra at $1, 299. 99 while another lists it at $1, 300 and calls it unchanged from the prior model.
All three phones now start at 256GB and the cheaper 128GB option has been eliminated. The manufacturer linked the higher prices to a global memory chip shortage driven by increased demand from AI data centers; that shortage has been cited as a reason Samsung kept the memory spec high rather than downgrading it, a move that would affect on-device AI processing.
Samsung S26 Ultra: privacy display and specs
The most notable new hardware is a built-in privacy screen on the Samsung S26 Ultra that blacks out portions of the display when viewed from off angles. In the most aggressive mode the display turns opaque quickly as a viewer moves away from a direct line of sight, and users can limit the effect to selected apps or notifications—useful, for example, to hide a password while typing or to mask certain alerts. Samsung says the privacy display is built into the hardware and took five years to develop.
Hands-on impressions and where it matters
At the London briefing the privacy display was tested in person and found to work better than expected; the presenter noted uncertainty about how it would perform sitting next to someone on a crowded London tube, but confirmed the effect is clear. The privacy feature is unique to the Ultra in this lineup and is being promoted as a daily-use innovation rather than a demo-only gimmick.
Bixby gets a natural-language upgrade
Bixby has been upgraded to act as a natural-language device expert that can find and change settings without the user knowing their names. An example used in demonstrations was the prompt "My eyes are strained; what can you do?" which triggers Bixby to enable Eye Comfort Shield.
Design, displays and performance choices
Samsung moved to aluminum frames across the new phones rather than the titanium used on recent premium models, a change that the company says keeps devices lighter and reduces overheating risk at some cost to durability. The Galaxy S26 is listed as lighter than the iPhone 17 at 167g versus 177g. Both the Galaxy S26 and the iPhone 17 use 6. 3-inch displays, but their resolutions differ: the Galaxy S26 is listed at 2, 340 x 1, 080 while the iPhone 17 is 2, 622 x 1, 206; the iPhone 17 has a higher pixels-per-inch figure of 460 versus 411. Both phones support refresh rates up to 120Hz.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps support for an included S Pen that slots into the phone’s base and offers a 3, 120 x 1, 440 resolution panel at a stated 500 PPI, while the iPhone 17 Pro Max is listed with a 2, 868 x 1, 320 resolution and 460 PPI. Samsung also avoided a programmable Action button on the Galaxy models and retained its own logo on the back as a visual distinction. All three Galaxy phones ship powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chip.
Color choices for the new Galaxy devices include classic cobalt violet, sky blue, black, and white, with silver or pink gold available through online ordering. The iPhone 17 line offers black, white, "Mist Blue, " "Sage, " and "Lavender, " with the iPhone 17 Pro in "Cosmic Orange" noted as especially popular.
Preorder and shipping dates
The Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra go up for preorder on Feb. 25 and are scheduled to start shipping on Mar. 11. The manufacturer framed the modest price increases as tied to the memory shortage but emphasized the new privacy display, upgraded Bixby, and the baseline 256GB storage as compensating upgrades.
Preorders open Feb. 25 and shipments begin Mar. 11; those dates are the next confirmed milestones for buyers interested in the new line.
