Artificial intelligence on smartphones is no longer a novelty; it is an expectation. Samsung’s newly announced Galaxy S26 series leans heavily into this reality, shifting the focus away from flashy parlour tricks toward practical utility. Billed as the company’s third-generation AI phones, the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra are designed to handle complex tasks quietly in the background, allowing users to focus on getting things done rather than managing the technology itself.
The Proactive Galaxy AI Experience
The core of the new lineup is an upgraded Galaxy AI suite that aims to be far more proactive than previous iterations. Features like Now Nudge provide timely suggestions, such as automatically offering to share relevant gallery photos when a friend asks about a recent trip, or checking calendar conflicts the moment a message about a meeting arrives. Similarly, Now Brief serves up contextual reminders for travel and reservations based on the user’s daily schedule. Navigation and everyday actions are handled by an upgraded Bixby that understands natural language, working alongside integrated agents like Gemini and Perplexity. These agents are capable of executing multi-step actions across apps, meaning booking a taxi is as simple as asking the phone, reviewing the details, and tapping confirm.
Creativity receives a similar AI treatment through the upgraded Photo Assist suite. Users can now describe desired edits in their own words, enabling actions like changing the scene from day to night, restoring missing parts of an object, or swapping out an outfit in a photo entirely. A new Creative Studio allows users to generate visuals like personalised wallpapers or stickers from simple sketches or prompts. Productivity is also bolstered by an automated Document Scan that instantly removes distortions like creases and fingers, while automatically organising multiple scans into a single PDF file.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
As the flagship of the lineup, the Galaxy S26 Ultra packs the most significant hardware upgrades. It is powered by the customised Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which boasts substantial performance leaps across its CPU, GPU, and NPU to support intensive, always-on AI tasks without lag. To manage the heat from this processing power, Samsung has introduced a redesigned Vapour Chamber that dissipates heat more efficiently across a larger surface area.
The Ultra model features a massive 6.9-inch QHD+ Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a dynamic 1Hz to 120Hz refresh rate. Uniquely, this model introduces a hardware-level Privacy Display. Unlike traditional stick-on privacy protectors, this built-in feature controls how pixels disperse light, limiting side visibility for sensitive apps or notifications without degrading the direct viewing experience for the user.
For photography, the Ultra continues Samsung’s high-megapixel trend. It sports a 200MP main wide camera, paired with a 50MP ultra-wide lens, a 50MP telephoto lens offering 10x optical quality and 5x optical zoom, and a secondary 10MP telephoto lens for 3x optical zoom. Video recording receives a boost with Enhanced Nightography for low-light clarity, upgraded Super Steady with horizontal lock, and support for the APV professional video codec for high-quality production workflows. Powering all of this is a 5,000mAh battery that supports Super-Fast Charging 3.0, capable of hitting a 75% charge in about 30 minutes via a 60W adapter.
Samsung Galaxy S26 & Galaxy S26+
The standard Galaxy S26 and S26+ offer a more accessible entry into the new ecosystem. Both devices are either powered by the Exynos 2600 processor or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy. The availability will be region-dependent. They also feature a Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with the same 1Hz to 120Hz adaptive refresh rate and Vision Booster technology. The standard Galaxy S26 comes with a 6.3-inch FHD+ screen, while the S26+ bumps the size to a 6.7-inch QHD+ panel.
The camera setups on these two models are identical to each other, featuring a 50MP primary wide camera capable of 2x optical quality zoom, a 12MP ultra-wide lens, and a 10MP telephoto camera capable of 3x optical zoom. A 12MP front-facing shooter handles selfies for both devices.
Battery capacities scale with the physical footprint of the devices. The standard Galaxy S26 houses a 4,300mAh battery with 25W wired charging that can reach a 55% charge in 30 minutes. The Galaxy S26+ features a larger 4,900mAh battery that supports up to 45W wired charging, yielding a 69% charge in the same half-hour window. Both models continue to support wireless charging and Wireless PowerShare to top up accessories.
Security and Longevity
Across the entire series, Samsung is emphasising device security in an era of hyper-personalised data processing. The devices feature AI-powered Call Screening to summarise caller intent and Privacy Alerts that use machine learning to notify users when applications unnecessarily attempt to access sensitive data like location or call logs. Furthermore, the series integrates post-quantum cryptography (PQC) to secure critical system processes and end-to-end encryption across the ecosystem. Ensuring hardware longevity matches the software, Samsung has committed to providing seven years of security updates for the entire S26 lineup.
Pricing & Availability
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will be available for pre-order in Malaysia starting February 26, 2026. Customers who purchase during the promotional window from February 26 to March 10, 2026, can take advantage of several early-bird offers. These include rewards worth up to RM 1,200, such as a double storage upgrade and a Samsung Rewards Points Booster, alongside an instant RM 700 rebate when purchasing with selected bank cards. Additional perks include up to RM 4,000 in savings through the Galaxy Forever trade-in program, a 30% discount on selected mobile accessories, and zero-interest instalment plans for up to 36 months at participating banks.
The official retail pricing for the series places the flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra with 1TB of storage at RM 7,999. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will be available in four primary colourways, namely Cobalt Violet, White, Black, and Sky Blue.
For those opting for the 512GB configuration, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at RM 6,799. Moving to the plus model, the Galaxy S26+ with 512GB of storage carries a retail price of RM 6,199. Finally, the standard Galaxy S26 with 512GB of storage serves as the entry point for the series at RM 5,199.
