Everything announced at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event, including S26 smartphones, Privacy Screen and more

At the recent Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, Samsung showcased its latest innovations, headlined by the new Galaxy S26 smartphone series. This year’s lineup includes the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26, all designed with enhancements over their predecessors. The standout model, the S26 Ultra, is powered by Qualcomm’s cutting-edge Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. It boasts a large 6.9-inch QHD+ display and a robust 5,000 mAh battery. Samsung claims that the device can charge from 0% to 75% in just 30 minutes with a 60W charger, and it retains compatibility with the S-Pen stylus. While the S26 Ultra features a 200-megapixel wide camera and a 50-megapixel telephoto lens, both have been upgraded with larger apertures—f/1.4 for the wide lens and f/2.9 for the telephoto. The other two models utilize the same processor, although some regions will see them equipped with Samsung's Exynos 2600 chip. The smaller Galaxy S26 has received a battery upgrade from the previous year, while the S26 Plus offers 20W wireless charging capabilities. Pricing for the Galaxy S26 starts at $899, the S26 Plus at $1,099, and the S26 Ultra at $1,200. In addition to hardware enhancements, Samsung introduced a privacy display feature on the S26 Ultra, allowing users to obscure specific areas of the screen to prevent onlookers from viewing sensitive information. This feature can be tailored for individual apps, and includes a "maximum privacy protection" option that adjusts brightness to enhance visibility of darker areas. Google also made notable announcements during the event, unveiling a new version of its Gemini AI that can handle tasks such as ordering food from Grubhub or hailing an Uber. Samir Samat from Google demonstrated how Gemini can quickly analyze group chats to streamline meal orders. Furthermore, a revamped "Circle to Search" feature was introduced, utilizing multi-object recognition for enhanced search capabilities directly from the phone’s display. Samsung has partnered with Perplexity to integrate its AI app into its smartphones, enhancing features like alarm setting and note-taking. With three AI assistants now available—Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity—Samsung is also utilizing Galaxy AI for call screening and providing summaries of voicemail content. On the audio front, Samsung launched two new pairs of earphones: the Galaxy Buds4 and Galaxy Buds4 Pro. These models sport a more streamlined design and come with IP54 and IP57 ratings for dust and water resistance. The Buds4 Pro features an upgraded 11mm woofer for an improved sound experience and longer battery life compared to the standard version. Prices start at $179 for the Buds4 and $250 for the Buds4 Pro.