San Francisco, California (US), February 25 South Korean electronics giant Samsung announced on Wednesday the launch of its flagship Galaxy S26 series smartphone, its third AI smartphone, which the company says will provide the most intuitive and proactive AI experience for its users.
Like its predecessor, the S26 series will also be manufactured by Samsung at its Noida plant in India, according to an official.
Moreover, its Bengaluru-based R&D centre, the largest outside South Korea, has made significant contributions to developing this latest series, which has three variants – Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra.
The new flagship phone, with its Galaxy AI features, is designed to simplify the tasks people perform on their phones every day – from managing plans and finding information to capturing and refining content, claimed Samsung. It reduces the effort and number of steps required to get things done, said Samsung, which is aiming to bring Galaxy AI features to 800 million devices globally by 2026.
The company has yet to announce the prices for the Indian market; however, some reports suggest they will start from USD 999, depending on the variants.
This will also help Samsung position itself in the super-premium smartphone segment, priced over USD 800, in the Indian market, where it faces stiff competition from rivals such as Apple.
In the S26, Samsung has introduced innovations in display technology. Its Ultra variant, which is the thinnest large phone variant yet, will have an industry-first "built-in Privacy Display for mobile phones."
Its Privacy Display features controls pixels that disperse light, keeping content clear, bright, and comfortable only for the user, while limiting what others can see.
Unlike a traditional phone, its integrated Privacy Display preserves full viewing quality from all directions when off, and limits visibility for others from side viewing angles when activated.
According to the company, this feature has been designed to help users in their everyday situations, such as transit, cafes, and shared environments. This Privacy Display feature works without compromising the viewing experience.
Moreover, the new S26 series is built on the most powerful hardware ever on a Galaxy S series, which, according to Samsung, is powered by a customized mobile processor – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform.
Commenting on the development, its Chief Executive Officer, President, and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division TM Roh said: "With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI feel effortless, working quietly in the background so people can focus on what matters."
According to IDC report, Samsung had a 14.1 per cent share in the Indian smartphone market, while Cupertino-headquartered Apple had 9.5 per cent share in calendar year 2025.
The super-premium segment (USD 800 and above) grew 7 per cent YoY, with its share steady at 7 per cent. Apple maintained leadership with a 63 per cent share, while Samsung’s shipments increased by 1.8x, lifting its share to 34 per cent.
S26 ULTRA COMES WITH ADVANCED COOLING, CONTEXTUAL AI SPECS
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In Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung has also introduced a redesigned Vapor Chamber with thermal interface material positioned along the sides of the processor, allowing heat to spread more efficiently across a larger surface area. This improves heat dissipation to keep the device cool and consistent, even during demanding activities such as gaming, multitasking, and video capture.
Moreover, S26 Ultra also has features as Super Fast Charging 3.0, claiming to reduce charging time, reaching up to 75 per cent charge of its 5,000 mAh battery in just 30 minutes.
In its Intuitive AI features, it has ‘Now Nudge’ which will provide timely and relevant suggestions to users, while it has made its ‘Now Brief’ more proactive and personalized, providing reminders for important events – from reservations to travel updates – based on personal context.
Moreover it has also upgraded feature as Circle to Search with Google with enhanced multi-object recognition, the South Korean major claimed. S26 Ultra will have 50MP Ultra-Wide Camera, 200 MP Wide Camera, 50MP Telephoto Camera and 12MP Front Camera with storage ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB.