Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Here's what to expect at Samsung flagship event

Samsung is expected to unveil premium Android-powered Galaxy S26 series phones with 'Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 for Galaxy' silicon.

South Korean consumer electronics major Samsung is all geared to host the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in San Francisco.

The programme is scheduled to kick off at 11:30 PM IST (10:00 AM PT) later today (February 25). The company has made arrangements to live stream on its official websites -- Samsung Newsroom India, Samsung.com/in, and Samsung’s YouTube channel (here)

Galaxy Unpacked 2026: Here's what to expect at Samsung event

There's no prize for guessing, as Samsung, like the previous years, will be unveiling next-generation Galaxy S series premium Android phones.

Like the Galaxy S25 in 2025, the successor too, will be coming in three variants-- a top-end Galaxy S26 Ultra, a mid premium segment phone-- Galaxy S26 Plus and a compact flagship Galaxy S26.

The S26 is said to come with a 6.3-inch display, 12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB storage and a 4,300mAh battery, triple camera module-- 50MP main + 50MP ultra-wide sensor + 10MP Telephoto lens with LED flash on the back and a 12MP front camera.

[Representational Image] The new Galaxy S26 series is touted to come with a boatload of AI features.

In Picture: Samsung Galaxy S25 series phones.

The S26 Plus is said to come with a bigger 6.7-inch display, 12GB RAM, 256GB/512GB storage and a 4,900mAh battery, triple camera module-- 50MP main + 50MP ultra-wide sensor + 10MP Telephoto lens with LED flash on the back and a 12MP front camera.

The S26 Ultra is said to come with a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display, 16GB RAM, 256GB/512GB/1TB storage and a 5,000mAh battery with faster 60W charging capability, five camera module-- 200MP main + 50MP Periscope sensor + 50MP ultra-wide sensor + 10MP secondary Telephoto lens with LED flash on the back and a 32MP front camera.

Samsung is expected to offer the device either with Qualcomm's latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Samsung Exynos 2600 silicon, built on a 2nm fabrication process.

In select countries such as the US, India and others, Galaxy S26 series will all be offered with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.

It should be noted that, like the previous years, Qualcomm will offer a specially developed 'Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy' chipset, custom optimised to smoothly run Galaxy AI features, support AAA gaming titles, 8K video recording and other heavy-duty tasks.

Beyond raw power, Samsung will be incorporating several value-added features such as anti-spy screen guard. When using the phone, the content on the screen will be visible only to the owner. Any form of content, be it a text notification, a video or a photo, can only be viewed from the direct line of sight of the user. Prying eyes of people on the side will not be able see any content, but a black screen.

Besides Gemini AI, Samsung will offer the customers, the option to use Perplexity AI to power the Galaxy AI in the Galaxy AI features.

Perplexity AI will be deeply embedded across select Samsung apps — including Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder and Calendar, as well as select third-party apps. More apps will be supported later in the year.

Users will be able to summon Perplexity through a dedicated voice wake phrase, 'Hey Plex'. They will also have the option to use Perplexity AI via quick-access controls such as pressing and holding the side button, making contextual assistance easy to reach when needed.

Also, Galaxy S26 series will come with most advanced AI-powered editing tools to remove, add objects and do more, to deliver an enhanced photography experience for the owners.

Samsung also revealed that the Galaxy S26 will come with a feature-rich camera that can turn a photo shot at night can be transformed as if it were taken on a bright sunny day.

In India, Samsung has announced a special 'pre-reservations' programme.

Interested fans and prospective consumers have to pay a nominal fee of Rs 999 (refundable) to register for Samsung's new phone. The customers will be eligible for benefits worth Rs 2,699 and also get an assured extra cash bonus for the exchange deal to trade in the old phone for the Galaxy S26 series.

Also, those who buy the 256GB storage variant, they will get a free upgrade to the 512GB storage model at no extra cost. For instance, if the price of the 256GB model is Rs 90,999 and the 512GB variant costs Rs 1,02,999. The customer can get the latter for Rs 90,999 only and save Rs 12,000.

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