SAN FRANCISCO, California. At its annual Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung pulled the curtain back on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a flagship phone that puts privacy and artificial intelligence at the center of its upgrade strategy.
The headline feature is a built-in Privacy Display, a hardware-driven screen technology designed to stop shoulder surfers from reading sensitive information. Unlike traditional stick-on filters that dim the screen and interfere with fingerprint sensors, Samsung’s system controls the direction of light from individual pixels.
In practical terms, users can mark specific apps and alerts as private. When enabled, people nearby may see you scrolling photos, but they will not be able to read a banking alert or private message. Samsung says the feature can even activate automatically based on location through its Routines system.
“The benefits are immediately obvious for anyone viewing sensitive documents in public,” the company noted during its demo.
Camera and AI take center stage
While the camera hardware remains largely familiar, Samsung is leaning heavily into AI-powered photography. The Galaxy S26 Ultra retains its 200 megapixel main sensor alongside ultrawide and dual telephoto lenses, but wider apertures now allow more light capture, particularly in low-light scenes.
Samsung says night photography and video have been noticeably improved through advanced noise reduction and color processing. The phone still supports 8K video recording and now adds Log video with built-in LUT tools aimed at serious creators.
A new Horizon Lock stabilization feature keeps footage level even when the phone tilts during action shots, a capability previously common in action cameras.
Generative AI moves deeper into the camera
The biggest software shift comes from generative AI tools built into the Gallery app. With Photo Assist, users can edit images using natural language prompts, move objects between photos, or even change a subject’s outfit digitally.
During the San Francisco showcase, Samsung demonstrated placing a dog from one photo into another image and instantly modifying clothing styles. Early demos appeared realistic, though real-world performance will be closely watched once devices reach reviewers.
Samsung is also expanding AI features across the system, including:
-
Audio Eraser that removes background noise in videos
-
An upgraded document scanner that cleans shadows and folds
-
Screenshot categorization powered by Galaxy AI
-
AI call screening and scam detection tools
Performance and design refinements
Under the hood, the S26 Ultra runs a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. Samsung claims the processor delivers 19 percent faster CPU speeds, 24 percent faster graphics, and a 39 percent boost in neural processing for AI tasks.
The device is also thinner at 7.9 mm and slightly lighter than the previous model. Charging speeds have improved, with Samsung saying the phone can reach 75 percent battery in about 30 minutes using a 60 watt adapter.
Preorders for the Galaxy S26 lineup are now open in the United States, with general availability scheduled for March 11. The Ultra model remains priced at $1,300.
In a mature smartphone market where breakthrough features are rare, Samsung is betting that privacy-focused hardware and deeper AI integration will give its latest flagship a meaningful edge.
