Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Unveiled at Samsung Unpacked 2026: Camera, Price, Release Date, and Everything Announced
Samsung just delivered its biggest launch event of the year. Galaxy Unpacked 2026 took place Wednesday, February 25, 2026 ET, live from San Francisco, officially unveiling the Samsung Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — alongside the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro. Here is everything you need to know.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Price Holds Steady at $1,299
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at $1,299 for the 256GB model — the same price as last year's S25 Ultra — making it one of the event's most pleasant surprises. The 512GB configuration is expected at $1,419, and the 1TB version at $1,659. Pre-orders open Thursday, February 26, 2026 ET, with retail availability set for March 11, 2026. Trade-in values of up to $900 are available for S24 Ultra and S25 Ultra owners, potentially bringing the out-of-pocket cost down to around $500.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera: Wider Apertures, 200MP Main Lens
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra camera is the headlining hardware upgrade this cycle. The 200MP main camera received an aperture bump from f/1.7 to f/1.4, while the 50MP periscope telephoto lens was upgraded to f/2.9, compared to f/3.4 on the S25 Ultra. The S26 Ultra also carries a 50MP ultrawide and a dual 10MP 3x telephoto sensor rounding out its rear quad-camera system.
The AI ISP — previously reserved for rear cameras — now extends to the front-facing camera as well, capturing fine details like individual hair strands and eyebrows while preserving natural skin tones. Samsung also introduced the APV codec for near-lossless 8K video recording, and the Samsung Unpacked event itself was filmed entirely using the S26 Ultra.
World's First Built-In Privacy Display Debuts on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra houses a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with QHD+ resolution of 3120 x 1440 and a 120Hz refresh rate — but the screen's most groundbreaking feature is hiding in plain sight. Samsung calls it the industry's first built-in Privacy Display, which keeps the screen clear and bright straight-on while limiting visibility from side angles when activated — no special screen protector required.
The Privacy Display is highly customizable. Users can configure it to activate automatically when prompted for a password or PIN, when a specific notification arrives, or when certain apps are opened. For frequent mobile banking users or anyone handling sensitive information in public spaces, the feature represents a meaningful real-world privacy upgrade.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Powers the Entire Samsung Galaxy S26 Lineup
In North America, China, and Japan, Samsung is using Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset across all three Galaxy S26 models rather than its own Exynos processor. The new chip delivers a 39% more powerful GPU, a 19% faster CPU, and a 17% boost in ray-tracing performance compared to the previous generation.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra ships with either 12 or 16GB of RAM and a 5,000 mAh battery with Super Fast Charging 3.0, capable of going from zero to 75% in just 30 minutes. Storage options include 256GB, 512GB, and 1TB with no microSD card slot.
Galaxy AI and Gemini 3 Turn the Samsung Galaxy S26 Into an Agentic Phone
Galaxy AI on the S26 series introduces Now Brief — a personalized daily overview each morning that filters notifications down to only what matters — alongside AI Call Screening and context-aware Now Nudge suggestions in messaging. A Private Album feature within the Gallery app lets users hide photos, while a new Privacy Alert feature notifies users in real time if an app is trying to access location data unnecessarily.
Gemini 3 integration enables agentic AI behavior on the Samsung Galaxy S26 — meaning the phone can understand what is on the screen, respond to incoming calls, and complete multi-step tasks autonomously on the user's behalf. One UI 8.5 on Android 16 also debuts Circle to Search 2.0, Live Translate Pro, and Sketch to Image, with ultra-exclusive AI Pro tools including video b-roll generation reserved for S26 Ultra owners.
Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ Pricing and What's New
The base Galaxy S26 starts at $900 and the Galaxy S26+ at $1,100 — each $100 more than their predecessors, due in part to an ongoing RAM shortage affecting component pricing. The standard S26 features a slightly larger 6.3-inch display compared to last year's 6.2-inch panel, and its battery grew from 4,000 mAh to 4,300 mAh. The Galaxy S26+ retains its 6.7-inch screen with higher resolution than the base model. All three S26 devices ship in Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, White, and Black, with Pink Gold and Silver Shadow available exclusively at Samsung.com.
