Samsung S26 Ultra debuts with privacy screen, lighter design and more AI (samsung s26 ultra)
Samsung announced a new Galaxy S26 lineup and earbuds today, including the samsung s26 ultra and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro; the new products are available for pre-order and will launch on March 11. The rollout continues a pattern of February phone and earbud launches the company has followed for more than five years.
Full S26 lineup, bigger baseline storage and new chip
Samsung launched three phones: the Samsung Galaxy S26, Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus and Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. All three models now start at 256GB of storage, up from 128GB on the S25 and S25 Plus. The company also moved to a new internal chip intended to deliver faster performance in all tasks and power new AI software features.
Samsung S26 Ultra: improved cameras, faster wired and wireless charging
The Samsung S26 Ultra gains improved cameras and faster wired and wireless charging. It starts at $1, 299, unchanged from last year’s S25 Ultra price. Smaller-model changes accompany the Ultra upgrades: the S26 has a slightly larger battery at 4, 300 mAh, up from 4, 000 mAh, and the S26 Plus offers slightly faster wireless charging.
Built-in privacy screen with customizable dimming
The big new feature across the announcement is a built-in privacy screen. Traditional privacy screens make your display look very dim when viewed at an off-angle; Samsung’s implementation is highly customizable, letting users choose which elements to dim to onlookers, including notifications and password screens, among other items.
Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro: redesigned eartips and battery differences
Samsung also introduced the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Both earbuds share a new design with smoother, rounded eartips, a notable change from the Buds 3’s sharp, triangular stem shape. The Buds 4 are positioned as the more budget-friendly option: they do not have rubber eartips and use a semi-open ear design similar to Apple AirPods 4, with up to six hours of battery life plus 30 more hours from the charging case. The Buds 4 Pro are the premium model, with traditional rubber eartips and up to seven hours of battery life plus 30 more hours from their charging case.
Unmentioned Edge model, summer product cadence and the Galaxy Ring legal cloud
Samsung did not mention an Edge model at the event; last year the company launched a Galaxy S25 Edge described as super-thin and super-light, so whether there will be a Galaxy S26 Edge is unclear in the provided context. The company typically unveils new Galaxy Watches, Z-Flip and Z-Fold phones in the summer, and a second Galaxy Unpacked event in summer is expected for those devices.
The context around Samsung’s wearable ring remains unsettled. The Samsung Galaxy Ring launched in the summer of 2024, and Oura, maker of the Oura Ring, quickly filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Samsung. Samsung filed a countersuit. The company has previously filed similar patent suits against smart ring makers Ultrahuman, RingConn, Zepp Health and others. Given the litigation, the fate of the Galaxy Ring is described as more uncertain than some of Samsung’s other products, and the reporter wrote, "I'm not sure when we might see the Samsung Galaxy Ring 2 hitting store shelves. "
Reporter expertise and availability
The reporter covering this announcement said they have covered Samsung and its competitors for years as part of phone, smartwatch and earbuds coverage, and presented this summary of today's launches and related developments.
