Samsung unveils Galaxy S26 series, its 3rd Generation AI phone with privacy display features

San Francisco, California (US), Feb 25 (PTI) South Korean electronics major Samsung on Wednesday announced 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 to its users.

Like its predecessor, S26 series will also be manufactured by Samsung at its Noida plant in India, said an official.

Moreover, its Bengaluru-based R&D centre, the biggest outside South Korea, has contributed significantly 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 do on their phones every day - right 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 aspiring to bring Galaxy AI features to 800 million devices globally in 2026.

The company is yet to announce the prices for the Indian market; however, some reports suggest it will start from USD 999 onwards, depending on the variants.

This will also help Samsung position itself in the super-premium smartphone segment, priced over USD 800 dollars, in the Indian market, where it is facing stiff competition from rivals such as Apple.

In S26, Samsung has introduced innovations in display technology. Its Ultra variant, which is the slimmest 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 for their everyday situations like transit, cafés and shared environments. This Privacy Display features 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 customised 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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 reaching 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 personalised, 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 raging from 256 GB to 1 TB. PTI KRH KRH MR