Galaxy Unpacked: S26 Ultra Leads Samsung’s New S26 Series With Easier AI and Bigger Storage
Samsung unveiled its latest phones and earbuds in a February event, introducing the Galaxy S26 family that includes the S26 Ultra and new Galaxy Buds. The launches are available for pre-order today and will go on sale March 11, making the devices immediately relevant for buyers weighing upgrades.
Full Galaxy S26 lineup and storage uplift
The company rolled out three new models: the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Plus and the Galaxy S26 Ultra. All three S26 models now start with 256GB of internal storage, an increase from the 128GB base offered on last year’s S25 and S25 Plus. That baseline change is tied directly to pricing shifts: the S26 and S26 Plus are each $100 more than their predecessors, carrying retail prices of $899 and $1, 099 respectively.
S26 Ultra upgrades and pricing
The S26 Ultra carries camera improvements and faster wired and wireless charging, and it maintains a starting price of $1, 299 — unchanged from the S25 Ultra. The devices also include a new internal chip designed to speed up general performance and to support a suite of built-in AI software features, so the upgraded silicon directly enables the phone’s artificial intelligence capabilities.
S26 and S26 Plus hardware changes
The S26 and S26 Plus received modest hardware updates. The S26’s battery grew to 4, 300 mAh from 4, 000 mAh, while the S26 Plus benefits from slightly faster wireless charging. Both phones adopt the same 256GB starting storage as the Ultra, reflecting a clear push toward larger baseline capacity across the line.
Built-in privacy screen as a software feature
A headline software addition across the lineup is a built-in privacy screen that dims display elements for off-angle viewers. Unlike traditional privacy filters that simply darken the whole display, this implementation is customizable: users can choose specific elements to hide from onlookers, including notifications and password entry screens. That choice drives a direct effect on everyday use by allowing visible content to be limited without universally dimming the display.
Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro: design and battery details
Alongside the phones, Samsung introduced two new earbud models: the Galaxy Buds 4 and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Both use a redesigned housing with smoother, rounded eartips, departing from the Buds 3’s sharp, triangular stem shape. The Buds 4 adopt a semi-open form without rubber eartips — described as similar to Apple AirPods 4 — and offer up to six hours of listening on a single charge plus an additional 30 hours from the charging case. The Buds 4 Pro are positioned as the premium option with traditional rubber eartips and deliver up to seven hours of battery life plus 30 more hours from the case.
Galaxy Ring legal context and product uncertainty
Samsung’s product roster also faces legal friction in the wearables category. The Galaxy Ring, launched in the summer of 2024, is the subject of a patent infringement lawsuit filed by Oura; Samsung has filed a counter suit. Samsung has pursued similar patent actions against smart-ring makers including Ultrahuman, RingConn and Zepp Health. These legal steps have left the future of the Galaxy Ring less certain than other product lines, and it is unclear in the provided context when a Galaxy Ring 2 might reach store shelves.
Summer device cadence and the Edge question
Samsung has maintained a February cadence for phone and earbud announcements for more than five years, while reserving new Galaxy Watches and foldable Z-Flip and Z-Fold models for a typical summer event. The company did not mention the S25 Edge successor at this Unpacked, leaving it unclear in the provided context whether a Galaxy S26 Edge will appear. Expect a second Galaxy Unpacked event in the summer for updates to watches and foldables.
What makes this notable is the combination of larger base storage, focused AI features enabled by new silicon, and a customizable privacy option—changes that are designed to affect how users store data, interact with on-device AI, and manage privacy in everyday scenarios.
