Everything announced at Samsung Unpacked: Galaxy S26 lineup and more

Source: Engadget

Samsung Unpacked 2026 – What the Company Revealed

Mobile World Congress is right around the corner, but Samsung got out ahead of many rivals that will be showing off new handsets at that event by running the latest edition of Unpacked on Wednesday. The company used the opportunity to unveil the Galaxy S26 lineup (S26, S26 +, and S26 Ultra) and the new Galaxy Buds 4 series, along with a handful of AI updates.

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Galaxy S26 and S26 +

Sam Rutherford for Engadget

• Pricing – Both phones are $100 more than their S25 predecessors, starting at $900 (S26) and $1,100 (S26 +) for the 256 GB variants.
• Design – Rounded corners bring the look closer to the S26 Ultra.
• Display –
  • S26: 6.3‑inch screen (slightly larger than the S25).
  • S26 +: 6.7‑inch screen with a higher resolution than the S26 can drive.
• Battery – S26 gets a 4,300 mAh cell, larger than the S25.
• Processor – In North America, China, and Japan the phones ship with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 (no Exynos 2600).
• Camera upgrades – Same hardware as last year, but with:
  • ProScaler image upscaling.
  • MDNIe chip for better colour precision.
  • Video stabilization that keeps the horizon level while tracking moving subjects.
  • Object‑Aware Engine for more natural skin tones and hair textures.
• AI enhancements – Now Brief and Auto Eraser are compatible with more apps.

Availability – Pre‑orders opened on the day of the event; shipments begin 11 March. Colors: purple, blue, black, white, silver, rose gold (the last two are online‑only).

We’ve already had a chance to try the Galaxy S26 and S26 +, so be sure to check out our hands‑on story for our first impressions.

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Galaxy S26 Ultra

[Image: The four main colors of the Galaxy S26 Ultra: Sky Blue, Black, Cobalt Violet and White.]
Sam Rutherford for Engadget

• Pricing & launch – Starts at $1,300 (no price increase from the S25 Ultra). Pre‑orders opened today; same launch date as the smaller siblings.
• Display – 6.9‑inch AMOLED, QHD+ (3120 × 1440) at 120 Hz.
• Privacy Display – First‑of‑its‑kind on a smartphone:
  • Reduces brightness when active.
  • Can be set to trigger on password/PIN entry, notifications, or specific apps.
  • Helps keep sensitive information hidden from side‑glances (e.g., banking apps on public transport).
• Performance – Same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset. Options: 12 GB or 16 GB RAM; 256 GB, 512 GB, or 1 TB storage.
• Battery – 5,000 mAh with Super Fast Charging 3.0 support.
• Charging note – No built‑in Qi 2.0 magnetic charging, which feels like an oversight in 2026.
• Camera system –
  • Front: Same sensor as S26/S26 +.
  • Rear: 50 MP ultra‑wide, 200 MP wide, plus dual telephoto lenses (10 MP 3× and 50 MP 5×).
  • Wider apertures on the 200 MP main and 5× telephoto sensors for better low‑light performance.
  • All the AI‑driven software features found on the S26 and S26 +.

A full review of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is coming soon. In the meantime, check out our hands‑on story for initial impressions.

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Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro

Billy Steele for Engadget

• Design refresh – The angular stems and lights are gone. Both models now have a more refined, computationally designed fit with smaller earbud heads for a secure, comfortable all‑day wear.
  • Buds 4 – Open‑fit design.
  • Buds 4 Pro – Canal‑fit (in‑ear) design.
• Audio & ANC –
  • Improved sound quality and Active Noise Cancellation.
  • Ambient Sound Mode, Adaptive EQ, and Adaptive ANC.
  • Siren detection on Buds 4 Pro: ambient mode automatically lets through alarms or emergency vehicle sirens.
• Speaker & codec – Buds 4 Pro’s woofer is ~20 % larger than the previous generation, supporting 24‑bit/96 kHz audio.
• AI integration – When paired with a Galaxy device, you can invoke Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity with hands‑free voice commands.

While the S26 phones are more iterative updates this year, Samsung has given its Galaxy Buds a proper refresh.

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That’s everything Samsung announced at the latest Unpacked. Stay tuned for deeper reviews and hands‑on impressions of each device.

Samsung Unpacked Highlights

Galaxy Buds 4 & Buds 4 Pro

• Controls – Both models support voice‑assistant commands. The Buds 4 Pro also adds head‑gesture controls for calls and Bixby interactions.
• Availability – Pre‑orders opened today; the earbuds ship on March 11.
• Pricing
  • Galaxy Buds 4: $180
  • Galaxy Buds 4 Pro: $250
• Colors – White and black with a matte finish for both models; an online‑exclusive pink option is available for the Buds 4 Pro.

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Android AI Features

• Perplexity – Samsung confirmed that the Perplexity AI agent will be an option in Galaxy AI on the S26 lineup.
• Bixby Update – Bixby has been refreshed to become more conversational.

Google’s AI Announcements (relevant to S26 devices)

• Gemini App (beta) – On the upcoming Pixel 10 lineup and S26 phones, Gemini will let you offload multi‑step tasks (e.g., booking a ride, compiling a grocery list) to AI.
• Circle to Search – Starting this week on Pixel 10 devices (and soon on S26 phones), you can search for multiple objects at once (e.g., an entire outfit rather than a single piece).
• On‑device Scam Detection – Gemini‑powered scam detection for phone calls will be available in English (US) on S26 devices.

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This article originally appeared on Engadget.
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