Samsung has launched its latest flagship smartphone series, the Galaxy S26, which includes the Galaxy S26, S26+, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. This time, the company emphasizes cameras, performance, and an AI experience, all aimed at ensuring ease in daily tasks.
Samsung indicates that this series incorporates AI to function seamlessly in the background, understanding user habits to provide effortless assistance.
The Slimmest Ultra Phone and New Privacy Display
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is touted as Samsung's thinnest Ultra phone to date, measuring 7.9mm in thickness. It boasts a new Privacy Display, a feature devised to protect your screen from prying eyes in public places like metros, cafes, or offices.
This privacy feature is distinct from normal privacy glass since it employs hardware-level privacy glass that can be controlled by the user, allowing specific display areas to be hidden through settings.
Source: aajtak
What are the Prices in India?
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available in three variants. The model with 256GB storage and 12GB RAM is priced at ₹139,999. The 512GB storage and 12GB RAM version is priced at ₹159,999. Meanwhile, the top variant offers 1TB storage and 16GB RAM at ₹189,999.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus is offered in two variants. The 256GB storage and 12GB RAM model is launched at ₹119,999, while the 512GB storage and 12GB RAM version costs ₹139,999.
The base variant of the Samsung Galaxy S26, featuring 256GB storage and 12GB RAM, is priced at ₹87,999, and the 512GB storage and 12GB RAM version at ₹107,999.
The price for Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 in India is set at ₹16,999, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is launched at ₹22,999.
Significant Upgrades in Performance and Charging
Equipped with the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, the Galaxy S26 Ultra promises enhanced speed and multitasking efficiency, ensuring no slowdowns during intense gaming or heavy app usage.
In India, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature a Qualcomm 3nm-based chipset. Interestingly, the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus come with the 2nm-based Exynos 2600 chipset, recognized as the world's first processor built on a 2-nanometer architecture. Its performance will be intriguing to watch.
The phone also boasts Super Fast Charging 3.0, capable of charging the battery up to 75% within 30 minutes, according to Samsung.
Major Improvements in Camera and Video
The camera system in the Galaxy S26 Ultra has seen substantial upgrades, now capable of recording 8K videos at 30fps. Photos and videos appear remarkably clearer in low light. The Nightography Video feature has seen enhancements, emphasizing a 200MP wide lens and a 50MP telephoto lens, plus two additional lenses.
Auto Framing Feature
The Galaxy S26 series introduces an Auto Framing feature, enabling video recording with a focused subject without compromising quality.
The Super Steady feature has been bolstered to reduce shakes when shooting videos, and the selfie camera now delivers more natural skin tones under varied lighting. Numerous new photo and video modes have also been introduced.
Notably, the phone supports high-quality video recording, allowing videos to save with less data while making sharing easier.
A Giant Leap Towards Agentic AI
Samsung has made AI more practical in this series, introducing the new Now Nudge feature to offer timely, essential suggestions without inundating you with notifications.
The gallery includes a prompt option for editing photos on the go, from removing objects to several new options, elevating photo editing to the next level.
Source: aajtak
Now Nudge
This feature introduces cross-app AI options, allowing interactions with multiple apps through a command in one. However, compatibility is limited to select apps.
Bixby has been enhanced for smarter interactions, enabling users to control the phone by speaking in a natural language, making setting changes, calling, or messaging more straightforward.
Features like Now Brief and Circle to Search have seen improvements, and the phone also supports AI tools like Gemini and Perplexity.
Assured Security and Updates
Samsung places a premium on security for this series, offering a Private Album to securely lock away photos and videos separately.
The company promises seven years of OS and security updates for the Galaxy S26 series, ensuring the phone remains updated for a long time.
Galaxy Buds4 Also Launched
Alongside the Galaxy S26, Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro, featuring an enhanced woofer for superior sound quality and improved noise cancellation and call quality. These buds are equipped with AI features, delivering clearer sounds during calls.
Design and Color Options
All phones in the Galaxy S26 series come with a premium design, and Samsung offers several new color options. Samsung highlights that the Galaxy S26 series is more than just a new phone; it represents a significant step towards the company's AI future, aiming for more technology benefits with less complexity for users.
