Samsung Galaxy S26 launch LIVE — S26 Ultra price, specs and release date due to be unveiled at Samsung Unpacked
The countdown has begun. Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event is happening on Wednesday, February 25, in San Francisco, where we’ll probably get our first glimpse at the company’s Galaxy S26 lineup. We’re here to make sure you get all the juicy details about them in our live blog, along with any other special surprises.
This year’s event is happening nearly a month later than in previous years, but it’ll no doubt set the tone for all other major phone releases this year. All eyes are on the flagship model, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, which rumors indicate will have some notable hardware upgrades — like a new Privacy Display that’s unlike anything seen before.
Regardless of what happens, we’ll report all the latest news with our Galaxy Unpacked 2026 live blog.
When is Galaxy Unpacked?
It’s slated to kick off at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. GMT on February 25. That’s significantly later than the January 22 date of last year’s event.
After that date came and went without an announcement, Samsung shared the official date on February 10, 2026 — fitting the roughly two-week lead time the company typically leans on for its major reveals.
How to watch Galaxy Unpacked 2026
In addition to our live blog, you can tune into the official livestream to watch the event as it unfolds. Along with Samsung’s YouTube channel, the show will be available to stream on Samsung.com and the Samsung Newsroom .
Galaxy Unpacked 2026: What to expect
Samsung has consistently used its first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year to introduce its latest flagship phones, but we also expect to hear about the software they’ll be running, new AI features, and perhaps other devices.
At last year’s event, Samsung used the opportunity to tease two devices: the Galaxy S25 Edge and the Project Moohan headset (which subsequently became the Galaxy XR ). Whether Samsung will have similar teasers this time around remains to be seen, but you never know what might be saved for the end.
Here’s everything we expect to learn more about at Galaxy Unpacked 2026:
- Galaxy S26: Samsung’s entry-level flagship is tipped to feature a larger and brighter 6.3-inch display.
- Galaxy S26 Plus: The "middle child" of the group should be similar to the standard S26, though it will likely pack a larger 6.7-inch AMOLED screen and a 4,900 mAh battery.
- Galaxy S26 Ultra: Anticipation is high for this flagship model, especially with reports of a wider aperture for its main camera, a never-before-seen "Privacy Display," and potentially exclusive software features.
- Galaxy S26 Edge: While this one may be a long shot, Samsung could surprise us with a teaser of some kind.
- One UI 8.5: Samsung’s latest software is expected to be packed with changes, including expanded generative AI capabilities and refreshed system animations.
- Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro: Samsung’s wireless earbuds are rumored for an announcement, with a significant redesign reportedly on tap for the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro.
- Galaxy AI: Samsung has been teasing new AI-assisted tricks that bring big camera improvements, but we’re also hoping to see more robust productivity tools.
S26 Ultra could be quite powerful
Recent alleged benchmark results from Geekbench leaked, purporting to show how the S26 Ultra and its Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip perform.
If true, the S26 Ultra could finally be a true iPhone competitor with Qualcomm's chips finally catching up to Apple's A-series CPUs.
The score gave the phone a single-core score of 3,852 and a multicore score of 11,738. Both significantly beat the iPhone 17 Pro series.
Charge cycles
A new leak suggests that Samsung will offer fewer charge cycles with the Galaxy S26 series than it did with the S25. A leak from Ytechb says the phone will get 1,200 charge cycles, a notable drop from the 2,000 offered by previous models. This means the battery will drop to 80% health after 1,200 cycles.
The phones do offer A-class energy efficiency. This makes them one of the most energy-efficient smartphones to hit the market, assuming everything laid out in the leak is accurate.
Did you know Galaxy flagship phones have a hidden camera mode?
It’s called Expert RAW, and it’s a separate download that you initiate within the camera app. I finally gave it a shot a few months ago and was astounded by the results.
First of all, it has a dedicated astrophotography mode that helped me capture the stunning shots above with the Galaxy Z Flip 7 . With the Galaxy S26 reveal happening tomorrow, I’m hoping Samsung has some new tricks in store for Expert RAW — especially given the rumors that the S26 Ultra in particular might be getting a variable aperture .
Here's how you can tune into the Galaxy Unpacked livestream
Samsung's hosting its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco tomorrow, where we'll likely get our first new look at the Galaxy S26 lineup. But for everyone else, there are a number of ways on how to watch Galaxy Unpacked 2026 live.
The most obvious way is to tune into Samsung's official YouTube channel, where there's a countdown under way until the big event. Alternatively, you can watch all the action as they unfold through Samsung.com and the Samsung Newsroom .
Just as a reminder, the festivities promptly begin at 1 p.m. ET / 10 a.m. PT / 6 p.m. GMT tomorrow, February 25.
These photos prove why Galaxy S26 Ultra wider camera aperture is a good thing
I've taken countless photos with the Galaxy S25 Ultra, and while it shoots confidently in challenging conditions, the rumors about the Galaxy S26 Ultra receiving a wider aperture for its main camera are significant. The nighttime photos in the gallery above — which I shot with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the iPhone 17 Pro Max — are proof of why such an upgrade is necessary.
While the Galaxy S25 Ultra's low-light photos look good, the iPhone 17 Pro Max remains the king of the night with its superior ability to draw out details in the shadows. I can consistently make out more fine detail in the iPhone's shots, whereas the Galaxy S25 Ultra tends to hide them in the darkness.
By moving to a wider aperture (reportedly f/1.4), the Galaxy S26 Ultra would be able to gather significantly more light in the same amount of time, resulting in a brighter, cleaner image.
A bigger base model
It's been rumored that the standard Galaxy S26 model will grow to 6.3 inches in size, and gain a larger battery as part of the deal. Whether that would be a good thing or not will depend on what kind of user you are.
If you're after the most possible value from your phone, then getting more display space and longer battery life is absolutely worth this change. But some users like their phones on the small side, and seeing Samsung making its smallest flagship phone (excluding the Galaxy Z Flip series) larger seems like a bad direction to go in.
What's happening with the S26 Edge?
After the Galaxy S25 Edge launched in the middle of 2025, we had expected Samsung to bring an updated version with the Galaxy S26 series. But the rumors have conflicted on what will happen to Samsung's new slim flagship phone.
One side of the argument says that, after seeing the lackluster sales of the S25 Edge, Samsung has now abandoned the S26 Edge. But there is also apparent evidence that Samsung continues to work on the next Edge phone. Maybe it'll debut late as its predecessor did, but it seems fairly conclusive that Samsung won't have an Edge to show off in full at Wednesday's event.
Aperture antics
There has been talk of Samsung bringing back a variable aperture to at least the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year. This is a camera feature that allows the phone to adjust the opening of a camera to let in more or less light, which can help with image quality depending on the scenario.
This is something Samsung did before, but we've not seen it on a Galaxy phone since the Galaxy S10 . Bringing it back would be a big deal, and once again set Samsung's smartphone cameras apart from those of its rivals in a meaningful way.
The Galaxy gets more spacious
Samsung is rumored to be following Apple's example and offering 256GB of storage as the basic spec of all Galaxy S26 models. The 128GB baseline was removed from the Plus and Ultra Galaxy S models with the Galaxy S23 Plus and Galaxy S23 Ultra, but the basic Galaxy S model has retained the lower storage option up to the Galaxy S25.
More storage is generally a good thing, but this can sometimes be accompanied by a price increase. And if Samsung has indeed increased the price of the Galaxy S26 series as other tipsters have claimed, then the extra basic storage rumor may not be quite as generous as it appears on its face.
Samsung's new display tech could be a game-changer
A long-running rumor has claimed that Samsung will add a privacy display to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, allowing it to make the screen harder to read from the side at will. Leaked options for this mode show there will be automated options too. If this works as the leaks say it will, then this could be one of the most exciting smartphone hardware updates we've seen in a number of years.
Brace yourself for high pricing
A Korean pricing rumor suggests that Samsung may be increasing the cost of the Galaxy S26 Ultra significantly. Not something we ever want to hear when talking about new phones.
This is likely due to the ongoing RAM and storage shortage, as well as increasing costs of other parts like Snapdragon chipsets. We can hope that Samsung doesn't bring this price increase to the U.S., U.K. or Australia though - something that we've seen in previous generations.
Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy Z TriFold: Which premium phone should you get?
Samsung has already made waves with the Galaxy Z TriFold, its triple-folding smartphone-tablet hybrid that costs a whopping $2,900. While that is undoubtedly a steep price to pay, the device offers unique perks you won’t find in any other phone on the market. Of course, it’s now squaring off against the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra. There are many rumors that make the new flagship a compelling choice — most notably the significant camera upgrades — so we’re breaking it all down in our Galaxy S26 Ultra vs. Galaxy Z TriFold comparison.
Leaked renders reveal new color shades for S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra
Recently, renowned leaker Evan Blass shared high-resolution renders of the entire Galaxy S26 lineup in all of its new shades. What’s particularly interesting this year is that all models appear to be available in the exact same core colors: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, and Sky Blue. Furthermore, these renders seem to confirm that Samsung is ditching the titanium frame found on the S25 Ultra in favor of a refined Armor Aluminum frame, as the "Titanium" moniker is notably absent from the leaked color names.
The biggest upgrades to the Galaxy S26 Ultra could come down to AI
Teaser videos shared by Samsung hint at significant camera improvements coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The most eye-catching clip purportedly shows a hybrid zoom enhancement that allows the camera to capture high-quality shots even at extreme distances.
To upgrade or not? That is the question
If you're holding onto the Galaxy S23 Ultra or S24 Ultra, you might be wondering if it’s time to upgrade to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. There’s obviously going to be bigger hardware upgrades with Samsung’s upcoming flagship model, so we break down the biggest differences between the last few generation models compared to the rumored S26 Ultra.
