On February 25, Samsung Electronics hosted Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in San Francisco, unveiling the Galaxy S26 series and Galaxy Buds4 series.
Centered on three core pillars — Reach, Openness and Confidence — the event underscored Samsung’s commitment to embedding Galaxy AI more deeply into everyday experiences.
Samsung Newsroom attended Galaxy Unpacked 2026, where a new era of AI integration took center stage.
Galaxy S26 Series: Advancing Agentic AI
With the Galaxy S26 series, Samsung builds on its legacy of mobile AI innovation to deliver more intelligent and seamless experiences. At the core of this evolution is agentic AI.
“Every groundbreaking technology follows a similar journey. It begins as a marvel — rare, expensive and loudly celebrated. But the technologies that change history fade into the background because they become infrastructure,” said TM Roh, CEO and Head of Device eXperience (DX) Division at Samsung Electronics. “Infrastructure is responsibility. It must work for everyone, everywhere. Today, there is still a gap between what AI promises and what people actually experience. Closing that gap is where Galaxy keeps pushing forward.”
▲ Roh introduced Samsung’s vision for agentic AI.
▲ Galaxy 26 Ultra was unveiled in a video.
Galaxy AI: Everyday Intelligence in Action
Built on Galaxy AI, Call Screening summarizes incoming calls — identifying who is calling and why — so users can quickly decide whether to respond.
New to the Galaxy S26 series, Now Nudge understands conversational context and surfaces relevant suggestions, keeping users in the flow without switching between apps.
The latest version of Bixby supports real-time web search, with results appearing directly within the conversation rather than redirecting users to a browser.
▲ Rachel Roberts, Director of Product Management, Mobile eXperience (MX), Samsung Electronics America, explained how the new Now Nudge helps users stay focused on their day.
Agentic AI: The Foundation of Personal and Secure Intelligence
Samsung drives platform-level innovation that is personal, adaptive and agentic. For AI to feel intuitive, it must understand context — and smartphones are uniquely positioned to deliver that experience.
The Personal Data Engine (PDE) on the Galaxy S26 series learns from user preferences on device, while Knox Enhanced Encrypted Protection (KEEP) safeguards and isolates data within individual apps. Samsung Knox Vault adds another layer of protection by securing sensitive information — including passwords, security keys and biometrics — in a dedicated hardware environment.
▲ Won-Joon Choi, Chief Operating Officer of Mobile eXperience (MX) Business at Samsung Electronics, outlined the transition to an AI-powered platform spanning the entire operating system, data and security architecture.
Google Partnership: Pushing the Boundaries of What’s Possible
First introduced at Galaxy Unpacked 2024, Circle to Search continues to expand. Users can now search for multiple objects within a single image — making visual discovery more seamless.
Samsung and Google also previewed the next evolution of Android — a more intelligent, agentic platform powered by Google’s Gemini 3. On the Galaxy S26 series, the early preview will launch as a Google Labs feature, with additional capabilities rolling out over time.
▲ Sameer Samat, President of Android Ecosystem at Google, highlighted the upgraded functionality of Circle to Search.
Performance Built for AI: Powering Intelligent Experiences
Delivering seamless, on-device intelligence requires powerful performance. Samsung co-developed a custom application processor (AP) for Galaxy S26 Ultra, featuring a 39% more powerful neural processing unit (NPU) and a 19% faster central processing unit (CPU).
Galaxy S26 Ultra, powered by Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5, delivers enhanced graphics and gaming performance. A redesigned thermal architecture — including the largest vapor chamber yet — improves heat management for sustained performance. Optimized power efficiency extends battery life, while faster charging reduces downtime.
▲ Roberts explained performance enhancements in the Galaxy S26 series.
Privacy Display: A New Layer of Protection
Galaxy S26 Ultra debuts Privacy Display — a display-integrated layer designed to limit side viewing while maintaining clarity and brightness.
With privacy in mind, users can toggle the feature on or off and customize it for specific apps, while Maximum Privacy Protection offers enhanced shielding for sensitive information such as financial details.
▲ Miles Franklin, a tech content creator, demonstrated Privacy Display.
AI-Powered Camera: Smarter in Every Shot
The Galaxy S26 series features a front camera powered by an AI ISP (Image Signal Processor) for enhanced detail and color accuracy. Across the camera system, Nightography Video advances low-light capture, reducing grain and preserving sharpness after dark.
For creators, Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces professional-grade camera tools, including up to 8K recording with the APV codec. Galaxy AI also simplifies everyday tasks with intelligent Document Scan, which automatically flattens, cleans and converts documents into ready-to-share files. AI-powered editing features further streamline creativity, allowing users to remove distractions and enhance images directly on device.
▲ Mason Page, Director of Digital Experience Innovation at Samsung Electronics, described how AI helps capture clearer images.
Galaxy Buds4 Series: Refining the Audio Experience
The Galaxy Buds4 series, also announced at Galaxy Unpacked 2026, features a refreshed Blade design and enhanced audio performance. Galaxy Buds4 Pro includes a wider woofer in its two-way speaker system and refined tuning for richer bass and clearer highs.
Call quality has been upgraded with AI-powered noise reduction that minimizes background noise and improves voice clarity. Super Wideband further expands voice bandwidth for clearer, more natural calls, while hands-free access to Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity makes everyday interactions more seamless.
▲ Andrew Short, Mobile Business Manager, Mobile eXperience (MX), Samsung Electronics America, revealed the Galaxy Buds4 series.
Sustainability: Expanding Galaxy for the Planet
Samsung reaffirmed its Galaxy for the Planet initiative, announcing the completion of its 2025 environmental commitments and introducing new 2030 goals focused on resource circularity, water stewardship and biodiversity conservation, expanding the initiative to address broader environmental impact.
As part of new 2030 goals, Samsung plans to incorporate at least one recycled material into every mobile device, advance water stewardship across 10 global mobile device manufacturing sites to replenish 110% of water consumption to local communities and conserve ecosystems spanning an area equal to or greater than the combined footprint of these sites.
In line with this commitment, the Galaxy S26 series expands the use of recycled materials across key components of every mobile device, including recycled plastics, glass, cobalt and the newly added recycled tantalum.
Ocean Mode — a camera feature originally developed to optimize underwater image capture in support of coral reef restoration — has expanded to Expert RAW, enabling Galaxy users to experience advanced underwater photography.
The Experience Zone: Where Galaxy Innovation Comes to Life
Following the event, attendees explored the experience zone for hands-on demonstrations of the Galaxy S26 series and Galaxy Buds4 series.
▲ The product experience zone attracts visitors at Galaxy Unpacked 2026.
“What stood out the most was Galaxy S26 Ultra and all of its new features,” said Kara Lewis, a content creator and member of Team Galaxy from the United States. “My favorite has to be Privacy Display on Galaxy S26 Ultra — just turning it on and off makes it so easy to hide sensitive information, like bank account details, while on the go.”
“It was my fifth Unpacked, and I still get excited every year about the new AI features and devices,” said Timos Kouremenos, a tech journalist from Greece. “With Galaxy AI’s Now Nudge, it really feels like the smartphone becomes my agent.
“It was surprising to see how quickly Creative Studio creates stickers with AI,” said Oksana Bykova, a Samsung Members from the U.S. “As a mother of three, I am sure that I will be playing around with the feature with my kids every day.”
“I loved how clearly the other person could hear me with Super Clear Call on the Galaxy Buds4 series,” said Gerson Manzanares, a Samsung Members from Nicaragua. “I can now call anyone with my earbuds wherever I am, without feeling distracted.”
With the Galaxy S26 series and Galaxy Buds4 series, Samsung continues its shift toward AI as infrastructure — technology that works quietly in the background to support daily life. By combining personalization, performance and protection, Galaxy AI delivers a more seamless and intuitive mobile experience.
For more information, visit: https://news.samsung.com/my/
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