Samsung has just held a major Unpacked launch event in San Francisco, where the Korean firm has unveiled its new range of Galaxy S26 smartphones.Express.co.uk has made the trip across the pond and we have all the news live below.If you are ready for a Galaxy upgrade, there are plenty of exciting updates and shiny new features to watch out for.Sit back, relax and enjoy our Samsung Galaxy S26 live blog.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT 22 hours ago18:47 David SnellingDECENT DEALS FOR EARLY ADOPTERSSamsung is offering some good pre-order deals including double storage for free.HERE ARE THE DEALSPre-order now and receive £170 off 1TB for Galaxy S26 UltraPre-order now and double the storage to 512GB for the price of 256GB, worth £170 across Galaxy S26 series Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT 22 hours ago18:44 David SnellingWHEN WILL YOU GET ONE?Samsung says the Galaxy S26 Ultra, S26+ and S26 will be available for pre-order from February 25 and will arrive in stores from March 11.22 hours ago18:43 David SnellingANOTHER LOOK AT THE NEW S26 PHONEHere's another look at the Galaxy S26 lineup inclduing the Ultra and Plus models.22 hours ago18:40 David SnellingGALAXY AI IS BACK AND MEANT TO BE BETTERSamsung has gone very, very big with the Galaxy AI hype with this launch.
In fact, it even refers to an ‘AI phone’ instead of ‘smartphone’, which is pushing it a bit.The S26 phones have AI tools such as Photo Assist, which lets you edit photos using text prompts and the AI will do it for you. A Creative Studio app can create things such as sticker packs from text prompts or cartoons/3D creations of you and others from photos, while a clever Audio Eraser can turn down just the crowd noise on a video in real time, for example.A new AI tool called Now Nudge works in all messaging apps, according to Samsung and provides proactive information depending on what is going on in the chat.So if someone texts asking where you are both going for dinner, Now Nudge can suggest a quick reply by finding the info in your calendar, if it’s there.
I wonder if it works … we will find out by testing these phones! 22 hours ago18:38 David SnellingPRICESamsung probably doesn’t want you to notice that all three S26 phones are more expensive than last year’s S25 series.The S26 starts at £879, which is £80 more than the S25.The S26 Plus costs from £1,099, £100 more than last year, while the S26 Ultra is £1,279, a £30 hike.All three of these prices get you 256GB storage and 12GB RAM.For comparison, the iPhone 17 starts at £799 for 256GB and the Google Pixel 10 starts at £799 for 128GB.22 hours ago18:36 David SnellingSNAPDRAGON ON ULTRA, EXYNOS ON OTHERSWhile the S26 Ultra gets the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, the regular S26 and larger S26 Plus do not have Qualcomm silicon this year.
Instead, these phones use Samsung’s Exynos 2600, one of the first chips to be based on a two-nanometer process.This affects the UK and Europe, whereas US buyers get all three phones with the Snapdragon.We’ll have to wait and see if this matters when it comes to making a buying decision - either on which S26 model to get, or if Android upgraders are better off looking at a Google Pixel or Nothing Phone this year.22 hours ago18:33 David SnellingTHE FULL LINE UP REVEALEDHere is the first image of all the devices side-by-side.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT 22 hours ago18:32 David SnellingGALAXY S26 PLUSIf you prefer a larger phone but don’t want to go Ultra, the Galaxy S26 Plus could be for you.It has exactly the same specs as the regular S26 except for a larger 6.7-inch display and a bigger 4,900mAh battery.Where Apple has ditched its Plus model entirely in the iPhone 17 range, Samsung has continued this year to offer a middle ground between its base S26 and premium S26 Ultra.22 hours ago18:30 David SnellingGALAXY S26The base Galaxy S26 has had a slight design tweak around its cameras with the new raised module design, but otherwise looks very similar to the S25.
A nice upgrade, however, is its 4,300mAh battery, up from 4,000mAh on the S25.You also now get 256GB storage as standard in the cheapest model.On the back are triple cameras led by a 50MP main sensor, with a 6.3-inch 120Hz AMOLED screen around the front with dual stereo speakers.In Europe, it’s powered by Samsung’s new Exynos 2600 chipset rather than the latest Snapdragon chip.22 hours ago18:28 David SnellingSLIMMEST EVERThe Galaxy S26 Ultra is the slimmest Ultra model ever at 7.9mm.
We’ve had hands-on with the phone, and it’s certainly a little thinner than previous devices, but the design is very similar to phones dating back to the S22 Ultra from 2022.Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT 22 hours ago18:21 David SnellingPRIVACY DISPLAY - ONE ACTUALLY NEW THINGThe S26 Ultra, unlike the other two phones in the range, has a very clever trick up its sleeve.Thanks to a new display setting toggle, its display can be set to act like a privacy screen protector so you can only view the screen head-on.
From an angle, you can’t see anything.It’s called Privacy Display.We’ve tried it out and it’s certainly impressive.You can even set it to only grey out notifications.
If you don’t want people on the train or at the cafe peeking over your shoulder, you can simply turn this on.However, it works by dimming some of the screen’s pixels, so when on, the S26 Ultra’s lovely bright display appears duller and more washed out in colour.@davesnellingtechSamsung Galaxy 26 Ultra has a secret privacy display \u266c [Raw recording] Record playback noise 01 (3 minutes) - Icy Light 22 hours ago18:18 David SnellingNEW CHIP AND NEW CHARGING SPEEDSSamsung has beefed up some of the specs, with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, a slightly faster version than can be found on other phones, as well as 60W wired charging, up from 45W on the S25 Ultra.22 hours ago18:15 David SnellingS26 ULTRA ANNOUNCEDThe Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is official, and it looks quite similar to the Ultra phones that preceded it.
Save for some tweaks to the camera bump, which now has a raised design, you’d be forgiven for mistaking the S26 Ultra for 2022’s S22 Ultra.Samsung says the S26 Ultra is its best yet, with quadruple cameras let by a 200MP main sensor, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, S Pen, Gorilla Glass Armor 2 screen, 12GB RAM and a 5,000mAh battery.But save for the newer chip, you will find all of this in the S25 Ultra.23 hours ago17:57 David Snelling5 minute countdownSamsung's Unpacked starts at 10am local time, that's 6pm GMT.The auditorium is filling up fast, and the excitement is growing.
We'll keep you updated throughout the next hour.23 hours ago17:35 David SnellingWe now inside and getting ready for the big showSamsung's Unpacked is now less than 30 minutes away.We're inside the Palace of Fine Arts and getting ready to bring you all the Galaxy news as it happens.
23 hours ago17:17 David SnellingWe have arrivedWe have our badge and are heading into the event. Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT 24 hours ago16:47 David SnellingPrices could rise this year!It's no secret that tech products could get more expensive this year, and it seems Samsung could be one of the first to put up prices.Rumours are rife that the S26 range could get a hike although there are always deals to be grabbed so it could be worth shopping around.yesterday16:25 David SnellingWhat else might be announced at Unpacked?New phones will be top of the agenda, but there might be more to this event than just call makers.Samsung often throws in a few surprises, so we might see wearables or Galaxy earbuds unveiled.Will keep you fully updated, so watch this space.
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Read our Privacy Policy Get More of Our News on GoogleSet Daily Express as a 'Preferred Source' to get quicker access to the news you value.yesterday16:20 David SnellingWhat time does Unpacked get underway?Samsung Unpacked is coming live from the Palace of Fine Arts.The blockbuster event will get underway from 10am local time - that's 6pm GMT.Express.co.uk will be making our way to the event shortly and will be posting updates throughout the keynote.
Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT yesterday16:16 David SnellingWhat are we expecting today?It looks almost certain that three phones are going to be unveiled during Unpacked, including a standard S26, along with a bigger Plus model and ultimate Ultra device.Although full details won't be confirmed until later, we do know these devices will be a whole lot smarter thanks to new AI."On February 25, Samsung Electronics will host Galaxy Unpacked in San Francisco," Samsung confirmed."Get ready for a mobile experience designed to remove friction from the things you do every day."The new Galaxy S series is coming – built to simplify everyday interactions, inspire confidence and make Galaxy AI feel seamlessly integrated from the moment it’s in hand."
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