NEW DELHI: Samsung India said its flagship Galaxy S26 smartphone series is available for pre-order in India from Feb. 25, led by the Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26. The company billed the lineup as its most advanced AI phone range to date, built around “Agentic AI” features aimed at reducing steps between intent and action. Samsung said the S26 series combines performance upgrades, an AI-focused camera system and Galaxy AI, with an emphasis on privacy and security.
Samsung said the Galaxy S26 series adds proactive features including Now Nudge and a more context-aware Now Brief, offering timely suggestions and reminders based on usage. It said Circle to Search with Google has been upgraded with enhanced multi-object recognition so users can explore multiple parts of an image in a single search. The phones also integrate multiple AI agents including Bixby, Gemini and Perplexity, enabling tasks to be initiated through a button press or voice prompt.
On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung said a customized Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy delivers performance gains, including up to a 19% CPU increase, a 39% improvement in NPU performance and a 24% boost in GPU performance. The company said the Ultra introduces a redesigned vapor chamber and upgraded thermal management to improve heat dissipation during gaming, multitasking and video capture, and adds Super-Fast Charging 3.0, reaching up to 75% charge in about 30 minutes. Samsung said the Ultra is 7.9mm thick and introduces a built-in Privacy Display designed to limit side-angle viewing.
Performance and camera upgrades
Samsung said the Galaxy S26 series is designed to streamline content capture, editing and sharing, with the Ultra adding wider camera apertures to improve low-light photos and richer detail. The company said Enhanced Nightography Video is designed to keep footage clearer in dim scenes, while upgraded Super Steady capabilities help with stabilization during movement. Samsung said improvements to its AI image signal processing extend to the selfie camera, and that the Ultra is the first Galaxy device to support the Advanced Professional Video standard.
Samsung said photo and video editing tools have been expanded through an upgraded Photo Assist suite that allows users to describe changes in their own words, restore missing parts of images and modify outfits in photos, with edits that can be adjusted or undone. The company said Creative Studio consolidates creation tools for items such as stickers, invitations and wallpapers, while Document Scanner removes distortions and distractions such as creases or fingers and can organize multiple images into a single PDF.
Security and local manufacturing
Samsung said the Privacy Display works by controlling how pixels disperse light so content remains clear for the user while limiting what others can see from side viewing angles. It said users can set privacy features to activate when entering PINs and passwords or when opening selected apps, with Partial Screen Privacy limiting visibility for notification pop-ups and Maximum Privacy Protection further obscuring side views. Samsung said the lineup adds AI-powered call screening to identify unknown callers and summarize intent, along with real-time privacy alerts when apps request access to sensitive data.
The company said the Galaxy S26 series includes a Private Album in the Gallery app, extends post-quantum cryptography to system processes including software verification and firmware protection, and adds updates to Knox Matrix including end-to-end encryption for direct transfers such as eSIM migrations. In India, Samsung priced the Galaxy S26 at INR 87,999 for 12GB/256GB and INR 107,999 for 12GB/512GB, the Galaxy S26+ at INR 119,999 for 12GB/256GB and INR 139,999 for 12GB/512GB, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra at INR 139,999 for 12GB/256GB, INR 159,999 for 12GB/512GB and INR 189,999 for 16GB/1TB; Samsung said customers who pre-order 256GB variants receive an upgrade to 512GB worth INR 20,000, and said the Ultra 16GB/1TB variant is eligible for INR 9,000 bank or UPI cashback or EMI options of up to nine months, while Samsung.com listings also promote early delivery for orders placed by March 3 and advertise exchange and bundle offers – By Content Syndication Services.