Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones in San Francisco, pitching a bigger set of AI tools alongside a new privacy feature aimed at reducing “shoulder surfing.” The upgrades arrive in stores March 11, and the company said the line will rely on AI for more everyday assistance rather than stand-alone demonstrations.
The most prominent new privacy control is a mode Samsung calls “Privacy Display,” introduced with the Galaxy S26 Ultra. When the setting is turned on, Samsung said the screen changes so it can be seen only when looking directly down at it, while appearing off when viewed from the side. Samsung also said the display controls can be set so specific apps—for example, those dealing with financial information or other sensitive content—will always open in the Privacy Display mode.
Samsung also set U.S. pricing for the launch, telling customers that most of the lineup costs more than last year. The standard Galaxy S26 will sell for $899, and the Plus model will cost $1,099—Samsung said those represent $100 more than it charged for the comparable devices released in each of the past two years. Samsung said the Galaxy S26 Ultra remains priced at $1,299, matching the previous year’s Ultra model.
As with earlier cycles, Samsung said the Galaxy S26 phones improve camera and battery features, a focus the company said reflects how heavily those capabilities weigh in purchase decisions. Samsung also highlighted that it is adding new photo-editing tools, including one that automatically softens a subject’s skin tone when a selfie is taken with the phone’s front camera.
In its AI pitch, Samsung said the new Galaxy lineup includes “agentic AI” capabilities designed to act as multipurpose agents that fetch information and content so users do not have to spend time doing those tasks themselves. Samsung said it is leaning heavily on Google’s Gemini technology for AI, while also adding another assistant option from Perplexity. Perplexity is known for running its own “answer engine” for finding information online.
TM Roh, Samsung’s CEO of device experience, framed the company’s AI strategy as foundational rather than optional. Speaking during a showcase in San Francisco, Roh said, “AI must become part of our infrastructure,” adding that “You should be able to enjoy its benefits through the devices you use every day.” Roh also described the Galaxy S26 line by saying, “This is the agentic AI phone.”
Outside Samsung’s announcement, the broader smartphone industry faces uncertainty about whether consumers are seeking AI features in a new phone. Paolo Pescatore, a PP Foresight analyst, said AI is “still not a sought-after feature among users,” and argued that the opportunity is to make AI feel like “a daily habit rather than a party trick,” emphasizing that “AI must be boringly useful. Less ‘look what it can do,’ more ‘this saves me time every day.’”
The AP report also noted that Apple has been promoting its own AI suite for nearly two years, but has not delivered all features it promised, and has leaned on Google to help “smarten up” Siri. Despite that, the report said Apple’s iPhone has remained the world’s top-selling smartphone for the past three years, a position Samsung last held in 2022, according to International Data Corp.