Samsung’s New Galaxy S26: Faster, Fancier, and More AI‑Focused

Samsung has pushed its flagship Galaxy S line forward with the new S26 series, which includes a base model, a plus version, and an ultra edition. While the phones look similar to last year’s lineup, the company has tweaked some internal parts and added a stronger focus on artificial intelligence.

Hardware Highlights

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5
• Custom Samsung version built on 3 nm technology.
• New CPU cores, powerful GPU, and an advanced neural processing unit.
• Promises better performance and improved on‑device AI handling.
• Heat Management
• Larger vapor chamber for better thermal performance.

Battery and Charging

• Base model battery: 4,300 mAh (up from 4,000 mAh).
• All models support faster charging.
• Ultra edition: 75 % charge in 30 minutes with a 60‑W charger (previously 45 W).

Camera

• Ultra edition retains a 200‑MP main sensor.
• Supports 8K video recording to an external drive.

Privacy Features

• Privacy Display: Limits viewing angle with “Black Matrix” technology, focusing light directly on the user.

AI Integration

• Agentic AI phone: AI woven throughout the system.
• Now Brief panel: Pulls useful information from apps to the lock screen.
• Nudges: Suggest actions based on on‑screen context.
• Ask AI in the web browser: Summarized answers from an integrated research engine.
• AI‑powered gallery editing: Visible watermark on edited images.

Google Partnerships

• Messages: Scam‑detection powered by Google AI.
• Search: Object identification in images.
• Gemini‑powered agent: Multi‑step tasks (e.g., ordering food, booking rides) with user supervision recommended.

Availability

• Preorders open now.
• Trade‑in deals can reduce the price by up to $900 when bringing in an older model.