You’d assume that with the variety of leaks and early reveals of Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 telephone lineup, the precise Samsung Galaxy Unpacked occasion can be only a formality. But seeing official bulletins is totally different from piecing and parsing rumors. Today’s occasion had its share of huge information and some surprises. Watch this: Samsung Unpacked 2026: The Future of AI Has Arrived (Highlights)
10:34 Galaxy S26 UltraOne anticipated announcement was the reveal of the flagship Galaxy telephone, the S26 Ultra. In truth, Samsung barely talked about the opposite two telephones being rolled out as we speak: the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus.
This story is a part of Samsung Event, CNET’s assortment of reports, ideas and recommendation round Samsung’s hottest merchandise.
Samsung/Screenshot by CNETThe Galaxy S26 Ultra is barely lighter and thinner than the S25 Ultra, options the brand new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor for Galaxy, has an aluminum body as a substitute of titanium, and incorporates new show expertise, together with Privacy Display.The S26 Ultra turned the hook on which nearly all the pieces else introduced on the occasion hung, from AI options to digicam expertise.CNET’s Abrar Al-Heeti wrote about her first hands-on expertise with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and we’ll comply with up with full opinions of it and the opposite S26 telephones as we have now extra time to check them out.S26 Ultra Privacy DisplayTelephone show information usually facilities on brightness and backbone, however Samsung Unpacked revealed a brand new expertise that appears genuinely helpful in on a regular basis conditions. Snoopy coworkers? Privacy Display can thwart their nosy efforts. Samsung/Screenshot by CNET”Look” might be the fallacious phrase, although, as a result of the Privacy Display characteristic permits you to cover delicate data in your display screen. It’s like a sheet of privateness movie that may be turned on or off and utilized to particular apps and content material.When you activate Privacy Display, individuals sneaking peeks at your telephone from the edges will see only a darkened display screen. Or you possibly can select to allow it when, for instance, you are utilizing your banking app or sending textual content messages. The expertise is not only a full-screen, all-on/all-off implementation: You can configure it in order that solely incoming notifications get the privateness therapy. Narrow pixels focus gentle output to scale back the sector of view. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETThis is all achieved utilizing a intelligent expertise Samsung calls Black Matrix. Normally, show pixels are designed to solid gentle within the widest potential angle for higher visibility. With the Black Matrix, some show pixels embrace bodily rings that may slender their gentle output and disrupt visibility from the edges.CNET’s Katie Collins thinks Privacy Display is the one characteristic that units the S26 Ultra other than each different telephone proper now, and Macy Meyer is trying ahead to scrolling in peace away from “shoulder surfers.”Galaxy S26 and S26 PlusThe S26 telephones most individuals will purchase acquired only some mentions, however a number of issues about them stand out, as CNET’s Patrick Holland explains in his first-hand look. Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus Vanessa Hand Orellana/CNETThe Galaxy S26 has a bigger display screen than the S25 it replaces, which implies it is also barely taller and wider. However, it retains the identical 7.8mm thickness, which Holland says makes it really feel slimmer total. That design additionally features a bigger, 4,300-mAh battery, which is welcome information; the S26 Plus consists of the identical 4,900-mAh battery as its predecessor.Not as welcome? Both telephones are actually $100 costlier than those they change, at $900 and $1,100 for the 256GB fashions. (The Galaxy S26 Ultra, nevertheless, retains its $1,300 price ticket.)All New Samsung Browser, Including PerplexityI do know this comes as a shock, however AI featured closely in Samsung’s presentation. And whereas a whole lot of the language continues to be couched within the future-tense “you will be able to,” Samsung did exhibit some sensible functions of AI. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETIt launched a brand new Samsung Browser that, at coronary heart, is tied to AI vendor Perplexity. Using an Ask AI device, the browser can analysis queries throughout all of the browser tabs, and even your search historical past, to carry up the solutions you are searching for.Patrick Holland acquired extra particulars about Samsung’s and Perplexity’s relationship.Now NudgeOne other AI device introduced on the occasion is Now Nudge, a characteristic meant to really feel like a low-key private assistant however not one which tries to micromanage your life. Now Nudge is envisioned as a less-intrusive private assistant. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETIn the instance Samsung gave, when a buddy mentions photographs you and so they shared in a chat, Now Nudge might floor these photographs so you might have them able to share, as a substitute of digging via your picture library to seek out them.Or, it could actually carry up calendar occasions associated to a dialog: When a buddy asks for those who’re free on a selected date to exit for dinner, Now Nudge can pop that day up with out you leaving the chat app. According to Samsung, “it helps you stay in your flow.”It’s actually fascinating to see at the very least a partial acknowledgment that not everybody needs AI to deal with each process.Galaxy Buds 4 SeriesIt wasn’t all telephones on the Galaxy Unpacked Event. Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 4 earbuds, showcasing a recent look and quite a few inside modifications. The woofer design is wider, with 20% extra vibration space for deeper, richer sound. The Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are available in 4 coloration choices, together with a brand new pink gold coloration. Vanessa Teal/CNETCNET’s David Carnoy, in his overview, says the $250 Galaxy Buds 4 Pro supply wonderful sound with upgraded drivers, up to date noise cancelling and top-tier voice calling and transparency mode.They’re accessible for preorder on Feb. 26 and start transport March 11.Smarter Circle to SearchSamsung and Google actually, actually need you to buy clothes utilizing AI, it appears. The Circle to Search characteristic, which helps you to determine an merchandise in a photograph and get extra details about it, has been up to date to let you choose a number of gadgets throughout the circle. Use Circle to Search to view all gadgets of an individual’s outfit. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETIn Samsung’s instance, you possibly can draw a circle round somebody’s total outfit and it’ll determine all of the items… shirt, jacket, pants, footwear and the like. Are clothes shops seeing an uptick in gross sales from options like this, or does it simply make for a great demo? We’ll should see for ourselves.Galaxy AI Photo EditingCameras are at all times an enormous a part of new telephone bulletins, and though the digicam {hardware} within the Galaxy S26 telephones stays largely unchanged (the S26 Ultra has wider apertures to let in additional gentle on its important and ultrawide cameras), the AI options proceed to press forward. Tell Galaxy AI the way you’d prefer to edit a photograph. Samsung/Screenshot by CNETOne factor that stood out is the flexibility to make use of AI to edit photographs by making voice requests or textual content prompts. This is what the corporate talked about earlier than the occasion when it teased a brand new “Galaxy camera experience” was coming. In one instance, the presenter confirmed how a cupcake with a chew taken out could possibly be repaired (with a not-so-subtle upbraiding of the unnamed buddy who dared to chomp earlier than a photograph was taken).The upside is that individuals who do not know methods to edit photographs or are intimidated by the assorted controls can ask for a consequence and let the generative AI engine create it for them.Google confirmed off comparable options when it launched the Pixel 10 Pro final 12 months.See Andrew Lanxon’s have a look at what’s modified within the S26 digicam methods.
