Samsung’s newest Galaxy smartphones—the Galaxy S26 collection—are all about optimization and AI. Introduced at its Galaxy Unpacked occasion in San Francisco, the telephones will not be massively totally different from final 12 months’s Galaxy S25 fashions, however the firm is hyping up efficiency optimizations that purportedly increase AI processing. Naturally, there are a bunch of recent AI options baked into the telephones too.
The headline {hardware} change is reserved for the top-tier Galaxy S26 Extremely: the Privateness Show. It prevents stray eyes from peeping over your shoulder at delicate data in your display—no want to use a third-party privateness display protector. The Extremely in any other case does not look as visually distinct subsequent to the Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26; not like the earlier flagships, they now all share the identical look.
The Galaxy S26 collection is out there for preorder now, with official gross sales kicking off on March 11. The Galaxy S26 and S26+ are getting a $100 value improve—doubtless as a result of a RAM bump, as RAM is dear as of late. They begin at $900 and $1,100, respectively. The Galaxy S26 Extremely stays on the identical value as its predecessor: $1,300. Samsung additionally unveiled a brand new pair of wi-fi earbuds, the Galaxy Buds4 ($179) and Buds4 Professional ($249), additionally arriving March 11. This is all the things you might want to know.
The Privateness Show
The Galaxy S26 Extremely has one thing you have by no means seen on a smartphone: a built-in privateness display. It is a hardware-driven function; there are two varieties of pixels on the OLED panel, one which shoots mild on to your eyes, and one other subsequent to it that’s wider, permitting the sunshine to achieve the perimeters. That lets you view the display from all angles. When the Privateness Show is enabled, the latter pixels are turned off, severely limiting what folks round you’ll be able to see. It is not simply blocking the left and proper sides of the smartphone like most two-way privateness display protectors, but in addition the highest and backside.
What makes it extra highly effective than your regular privateness display protector is that the Privateness Show may be personalized through the software program. You possibly can toggle it on for your complete display with a easy faucet on the Fast Settings tile, or you’ll be able to allow it for all incoming notifications, on a per-app foundation, or for any app that requires a pin or passcode, like banking apps. Samsung says it will even work with its Routines, so you’ll be able to robotically flip it on through geolocation, like if you depart the workplace.
{Photograph}: Julian Chokkattu
