S26 Ultra Headlines Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Lineup Focused on AI, Privacy and Bigger Storage
Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S26 family this week, led by the S26 Ultra and introduced at a San Francisco event on Feb. 23. The timing matters because all models are now available for pre-order and are scheduled to launch on March 11, concentrating new AI tools, a customizable privacy screen and higher base storage into a single seasonal refresh.
S26 Ultra: camera, charging and design notes
The S26 Ultra carries forward the company’s top-tier feature set with improved cameras and faster wired and wireless charging. The s26 ultra keeps a similar price point to its predecessor, with the starting price listed at $1, 299. Samsung framed the Ultra as an evolution rather than a radical redesign, emphasizing performance and practical enhancements.
Storage and pricing across the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra
All three models—the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra—now start at 256GB of internal storage, up from 128GB for the S25 and S25 Plus last year. The storage jump is explicitly tied to higher retail prices: the S26 carries a starting price of $899 while the S26 Plus starts at $1, 099, each $100 more than their predecessors. ’s coverage also noted rounded price points of $900 and $1, 100, and suggested that an ongoing memory chip crunch may be a partial cause of the increases. The Ultra’s starting price was listed both as $1, 299 and as $1, 300 in different briefings; the company emphasized that the Ultra’s price is unchanged from last year.
Privacy screen and new AI software features
Samsung built a new privacy screen into the S26 family that offers a more granular approach than traditional off-angle dimming. Instead of only making the entire display look darker to onlookers, users can choose specific elements—notifications, password fields and other items—to be dimmed or obscured for nearby viewers. The line also ships with a new internal chip designed to speed overall performance and to enable fresh AI software features that Samsung highlighted as central to the update.
Battery and minor hardware changes for S26 and S26 Plus
The Galaxy S26 receives a modest battery increase to 4, 300 mAh from 4, 000 mAh, while the S26 Plus benefits from slightly faster wireless charging. These hardware tweaks are positioned as incremental improvements to daily use, paired with the processor and software updates aimed at AI-enhanced tasks.
Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro bring new fit and battery figures
Alongside phones, Samsung introduced two new earbuds: the Galaxy Buds 4 and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Both adopt a smoother, rounded eartip design, moving away from the sharper, triangular stem look of the Buds 3. The Buds 4 omit rubber eartips for a semi-open fit and are described as the more budget-friendly option, offering up to six hours of battery life on a single charge plus an additional 30 hours from the charging case. The Buds 4 Pro are the premium pair with traditional rubber eartips and deliver up to seven hours of listening plus 30 more hours from their charging case.
Product cadence, the Edge model and wearable legal questions
Samsung has been launching phones and earbuds in February for more than five years, and the company indicated this year’s S26 series follows that cadence: pre-orders opened immediately after the unveiling and a March 11 retail launch was scheduled. The company did not mention a Galaxy S26 Edge at the event; last year’s Galaxy S25 Edge was noted as a super-thin, super-light model, and its absence from the announcement leaves the presence of an S26 Edge unclear in the provided context. Samsung typically refreshes Galaxy Watches, Z-Flip and Z-Fold devices in the summer, and a second Galaxy Unpacked event was signaled for that season.
Separately, the Galaxy Ring ecosystem remains entangled in litigation. Samsung launched the Galaxy Ring in summer 2024 and a maker of a competing smart ring, Oura, filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. Samsung has a history of filing lawsuits against other smart-ring makers including Ultrahuman, RingConn and Zepp Health, and Samsung has filed a counter suit against Oura. The broader implication is that legal disputes have put the future of the Galaxy Ring line into question; it is unclear in the provided context when a Galaxy Ring 2 might reach stores.
What makes this notable is the combination of higher base storage, new AI capabilities and targeted privacy controls, which together explain the modest price increases and the company’s framing of the S26 series as iterative but materially different from last year’s models. The lineup was presented as a direct competitor to current premium smartphones, with pricing and features pitched against rival flagship phones in the market.
