Samsung has introduced its most advanced smartphones yet — the Galaxy S26 series — combining next-generation Galaxy AI with powerful new features designed to streamline everyday tasks, elevate photography and strengthen privacy.
The Galaxy S26 (6.3-inch display), Galaxy S26+ (6.7-inch display) and Galaxy S26 Ultra (6.9-inch display) are available to preorder now and will officially go on sale on March 2026.
Samsung unveiled the lineup during its Unpacked event at the Palace of Fine Arts in San Francisco.
“We believe AI should be something people can depend on every day, designed to work consistently for everyone and without the need for expertise,” said TM Roh, Chief Executive Officer, President and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics.
“With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI feel effortless, working quietly in the background so people can focus on what matters.”
Galaxy AI and intelligent assistance
The Galaxy S26 series integrates advanced Galaxy AI with Google Gemini, Perplexity AI and Bixby to streamline everyday interactions and move seamlessly from intent to action.
The device can manage multi-step tasks in the background. For instance, users can ask Gemini to book a taxi, then simply review the details and confirm.
Now Nudge delivers timely suggestions to simplify communication and organisation. If a friend requests photos from a recent trip, the phone creates a shortcut to relevant images for quick sharing. If someone proposes a catch-up date, your calendar automatically surfaces to check availability.
Bixby has also evolved into a more conversational device agent, helping users control other Galaxy devices, adjust settings and navigate features using voice commands.
Call Screening acts as an AI receptionist, asking callers their reason for calling and summarising the conversation so users can decide how to respond.
Camera and video upgrades
While megapixel counts remain unchanged, the S26 Ultra introduces wider camera apertures to capture more light, resulting in sharper, richer images in low-light conditions. The improvement also extends to video, helping maintain clarity and reduce noise in challenging lighting.
An addition to Super Steady video is Horizontal Lock, which works in both portrait and landscape modes. It keeps subjects stable and centred even if the phone rotates or flips upside down — producing footage that looks as though it was captured with a gimbal.
Editing is also more powerful thanks to upgrade AI Photo Assist, allowing users to move or remove objects, add context-aware AI elements and apply different styles within a single workflow — with the option to revert to earlier versions at any time.
Another AI-enhanced feature, Document Scan, captures documents via the camera, automatically straightens edges and removes blemishes, creases and even dog-eared corners.
Smarter performance and design
The refreshed S26 lineup features refined styling, a powerful Snapdragon processor, one of the most capable mobile camera systems available and the latest Galaxy AI experience.
A standout innovation on the Galaxy S26 is Privacy Display — a new pixel-level screen technology that prevents people nearby from viewing your screen. It can be enabled for specific apps or even selected portions of the display, such as areas showing notifications or passcodes.
Privacy Display combines hardware and software to precisely control light dispersion at the pixel level, limiting side visibility while keeping content crystal clear for the user.
Powering the series is a customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 mobile platform for Galaxy, delivering major gains in performance, efficiency, thermal management and on-device AI processing. Improvements across CPU, GPU and NPU performance ensure consistently faster, smoother experiences.
To sustain peak performance, the Galaxy S26 Ultra features a redesigned vapour chamber and enhanced thermal interface materials positioned along the processor’s sides to improve heat dissipation and maintain stable performance.
Battery and availability
The S26 series supports fast charging, reaching up to 75 per cent battery in just 30 minutes, much better than S25
The range is available in Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue, with Samsung.com/au exclusive colours Pink Gold and Silver Shadow also on offer.
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