Samsung is set to unveil its next Galaxy S series on February 25, a launch that could highlight how the company plans to differentiate its flagship smartphones in an increasingly AI-driven market. As competition tightens at the high end, the Galaxy S26 lineup is expected to place less emphasis on radical design changes and more on on-device artificial intelligence, camera performance and privacy-focused features.

The announcement will come at Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event of the year, to be held in San Francisco, following a string of AI-led reveals at CES 2026. The company has described the upcoming phones as marking “a new phase in the era of AI” in a statement.

There is considerable buzz around the upcoming devices. Given the popularity of last year’s Galaxy S25 design, the new phones are not expected to look dramatically different. Instead, most of the changes are likely to be internal, including expanded AI capabilities, an updated processor and camera hardware upgrades. The lineup is expected to include three models — Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 Ultra. These devices are likely to feature flat front displays and frames with rounded corners, with cameras arranged in a vertical, pill-shaped module on the rear.

Last year, Samsung moved ahead of Apple on slim flagship design with the Galaxy S25 Edge, which debuted months before the iPhone Air was unveiled. It remains unclear, however, whether an Edge successor will make an appearance this year.

For 2026, Samsung’s focus appears to be firmly on artificial intelligence, paired with selective hardware enhancements. One potential highlight is a privacy display, a technology the company teased recently. Designed to prevent onlookers from viewing the screen from certain angles, the feature would limit shoulder-surfing on the Galaxy S26. While similar protections are available through third-party screen protectors, Samsung is said to have integrated the technology directly into the display itself.

The chipset is another key area of interest. Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected to power most Galaxy S26 models, although Korean news outlet Yonhap News reports that Samsung’s Exynos 2600 chip could be used in certain regions, continuing a strategy the company has followed in the past. Either way, performance gains are expected, particularly for tasks involving on-device AI processing.

The base Galaxy S26 may see its most noticeable update on the display front. According to specifications shared by leaker Ice Universe, the phone could feature a 6.3-inch FHD+ panel, making it slightly larger than its predecessor. It is also expected to ship with 12GB of RAM, storage options of 256GB or 512GB, and a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery. On the Galaxy S26+, the most significant changes are likely to centre on the processor and AI features.

The most substantial upgrades, however, are expected with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to Android Headlines, the cameras on the new model may be more pronounced and differentiated by a metallic finish. More notably, the device is expected to support the Qi2 wireless charging standard natively, rather than relying on a compatible case.

Camera hardware is also tipped for a significant upgrade. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is rumoured to feature a larger 1/1.1-inch 200MP Sony sensor with an f/1.4 aperture for its main camera. The sensor is said to allow 47 per cent more light, potentially improving low-light photography.

Samsung currently holds a first-mover advantage in smartphone AI through its Galaxy AI platform. While many of its AI-powered features rely on Google Gemini, the company has also been exploring integrations with OpenAI and Perplexity AI.

“As long as these AI agents are competitive and can provide the best user experiences, we are open to any AI agent out there,” Choi Won-joon, president and chief operating officer of Samsung’s mobile division, told Bloomberg in July.

Beyond smartphones, Samsung may also unveil new wireless earbuds, expected to be called Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. There have also been rumours of the company teasing its AI glasses at the event, although a full reveal appears unlikely.

While the spotlight will remain firmly on the Galaxy S26 series, Samsung’s broader device strategy will also be discussed among tech enthusiasts. The company’s foldable phones are not expected to be refreshed until later in the year, but last year’s Galaxy Z Fold 7 pushed boundaries in terms of thinness.

Experimental designs such as the Galaxy Z TriFold point to where Samsung sees future form factors heading, underscoring a strategy that balances iterative flagship upgrades with longer-term bets on new hardware categories.

The event will be streamed live on Samsung.com, Samsung Newsroom, and Samsung’s YouTube channel beginning at 10 am PT/1 pm EST.