Everything announced at Samsung's Galaxy Unpacked event, including S26 smartphones, privacy screen, and more | TechCrunch

TechCrunch

by Ivan Mehta

February 26, 2026

AI-Generated Deep Dive Summary

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco showcased its latest lineup of Galaxy S26 smartphones along with innovative features and partnerships. The highlight of the event was the new S26 Ultra, which introduced a privacy screen feature designed to prevent bystanders from viewing sensitive content on the display. This feature allows users to hide specific parts of the screen, such as notification areas or login fields, and can be customized per app. Additionally, Samsung unveiled two other smartphones in the series: the Galaxy S26 Plus and the Galaxy S26, both offering iterative upgrades over their predecessors. The Galaxy S26 Ultra boasts a powerful Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, and a 5,000 mAh battery. It supports fast charging, reaching 75% in just 30 minutes with a 60W charger, and includes Samsung’s S-Pen stylus for enhanced productivity. The smartphone also features improved camera specs, including a wider aperture on its wide (200 megapixel) and telephoto (50 megapixel) lenses. The other models in the series use Samsung’s Exynos 2600 processor in certain regions and come with their own set of enhancements, such as increased battery capacity for the S26 and wireless charging support for the S26 Plus. Alongside hardware upgrades, Samsung introduced new AI features powered by partnerships like Perplexity and Google. The Galaxy S26 series now includes three AI assistants: Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity. These integrations enable functionalities such as screening calls, providing call summaries, and enhancing browser search capabilities. Google also demonstrated its Gemini AI’s agentic capabilities, showcasing how it can perform tasks like ordering food or hailing a taxi based on context from group chats. The event also saw the launch of Samsung’s Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro earbuds, designed with improved water and dust resistance (IP54 for Buds4 and IP57 for Buds4 Pro). The Pro models feature an upgraded 11 mm woofer for enhanced audio quality and slightly longer battery life compared to the standard version. Priced at $179 and $250 respectively, these earbuds aim to deliver premium sound while catering to active lifestyles. Samsung’s latest offerings reflect its commitment to innovation

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Originally published on TechCrunch on 2/26/2026