Samsung Electronics set San Francisco buzzing on 25 February 2026 with its Galaxy Unpacked event that introduced a bold new chapter in mobile technology. The global tech giant unveiled its latest flagship lineup, the Galaxy S26 series, alongside the fresh Galaxy Buds4 lineup, and placed artificial intelligence at the heart of its vision for mobile computing. The message from Samsung was clear. The future of smartphones is no longer merely about hardware upgrades or sleek designs. It is about building intelligence that feels personal, proactive and secure for everyday users, according to Samsung Global New Room.
For many tech watchers, this Galaxy Unpacked was less about incremental improvements and more about signalling a shift in how people will interact with their devices. Samsung wants users to think of their phone not just as a tool but as a smart partner that helps get things done with less effort from the user’s side. That idea was introduced as agentic artificial intelligence technology.
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A New Era for Galaxy S26 Phones
At the centre of the event were the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus and the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra. These devices mark the third generation of Samsung’s AI-powered Galaxy phones, blending performance, intelligent software, and new features designed around user needs.
Rather than just responding to voice commands or showing suggestions, Samsung says the new AI will actively interpret context and act on the user’s behalf. This type of technology aims to reduce repetitive tasks and make routine actions faster and more natural. For instance, AI can assist with summarising messages, suggesting content relevant to conversations and helping with everyday tasks without the user needing to ask directly.
Samsung executives emphasised that this agentic intelligence is not futuristic or experimental. It is meant to be woven into everyday life, helping people save time and focus on what matters most to them. This was reflected in the company’s presentation, which focused less on specs and more on how AI can meaningfully change user interactions with their devices.
Performance that Matches Ambition
The Galaxy S26 series is powered by advanced hardware that supports its new AI capabilities. All members of the series boast powerful processors designed to handle demanding artificial intelligence tasks while maintaining smooth performance and longer battery life. According to reports from the event, the flagship Ultra model especially delivers enhanced graphics performance, efficient cooling management and improved power optimisation that helps the AI features run more reliably.
The focus on performance is more than about speed for everyday apps or gaming. Samsung said the hardware improvements are crucial for supporting AI workloads directly on the device in a secure and seamless way. By doing more processing on the phone itself rather than relying solely on cloud computing, Samsung hopes users will enjoy faster responses and greater privacy protection.
Smarter, More Helpful AI Experiences
A central theme of the Galaxy Unpacked event was how artificial intelligence will shift from being reactive to more proactive. Samsung explained its intention for Galaxy AI to act in ways that feel intuitive and helpful without requiring extensive setup or commands from the user.
For example, features like Now Nudge aim to show relevant suggestions during conversations without switching between apps. If a friend asks for photos from a recent outing, the phone can suggest the relevant images directly in the messaging screen. Now Brief offers a personalised summary of important information such as upcoming events, weather updates and tasks right on the lock screen. These tools are designed to reduce friction and help users stay on top of their schedule with less effort.
Samsung also showcased enhancements to Call Screening, which can summarise incoming calls to help users decide whether to answer, and a smarter version of Bixby that supports real-time web search within messages. These features point to a future where phones understand user context and preferences better than before.
Another notable development is the integration of multiple AI assistants within the Galaxy ecosystem. Alongside Samsung’s own Galaxy AI and Bixby, users will be able to access advanced agents from partners such as Google’s Gemini AI and Perplexity AI. This multi-agent approach gives users flexibility in choosing how they want their AI helper to work. It also opens the door for more tailored and versatile AI experiences in everyday life.
New Ways to Protect Privacy and Display Information
While AI took centre stage, Samsung also introduced important upgrades that focus on privacy and user protection. One of the most talked-about features is the Privacy Display technology first introduced on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
This screen innovation uses specialised pixel technology to limit viewing angles, meaning only the person directly in front of the phone can see the display clearly. Side views are obscured, which helps protect sensitive information from people around you. This feature has real value for users who check private messages, financial details or sensitive work content while in public spaces.
Samsung also emphasised its commitment to data security with new foundations under the hood of its AI ecosystem. At the event, Samsung highlighted enhancements to its security framework, including hardware-isolated protection of sensitive information and strengthened encryption techniques. These updates are designed to help users feel more confident as AI becomes a bigger part of their everyday interactions with their devices.
This combined approach emphasises that privacy protection and user experience can go hand in hand. Rather than treating security as an afterthought, Samsung is positioning it as a pillar that supports more advanced, context-aware AI features.
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