Everything we expect from the launch of the S26 on February 25

Samsung’s 2025 was full of new foldable devices, a new ultra-thin form factor, and the launch of Google’s XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced that its first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will take place on February 25, where it is expected to unveil the Galaxy S26 line. Official invites have just been shared, but actual information on which devices will arrive at that time is still unknown. But as always, we know a lot about what to expect at Unpacked.

Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live and we’ll most likely have hands-on coverage of Samsung’s new smartphones soon after they’re announced. While we wait for all the details, here’s everything we expect Samsung to present at the first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026.

When will Unpacked 2026 take place?

According to the official invitation that Samsung shared on February 10, Unpacked will take place on February 25, 2026 in San Francisco. The keynote will begin at 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET) and will be streamed live on Samsung.com, as well as the newsroom and the company’s YouTube channel. The February 10 announcement also said that this launch will mark “a new phase in the AI ​​era as intelligence becomes truly personal and adaptive.” There’s not much to go on, as we’ve heard a version of this from several companies in recent years, but at least we won’t be surprised when we hear more about AI in just two weeks.

Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra

Samsung’s measured approach to updating its phones will likely continue with the Galaxy S26. based on filtered images Of the new line, the company is not expected to radically reinvent the look of the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ or Galaxy S26 Ultra, and will instead stick to a design similar to the one it used on the Galaxy S25. The phones will have a flat front screen and bezel, with rounded corners and cameras housed in a pill-shaped vertical plateau on the back. Unlike Apple’s move from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro, the biggest difference here will likely be the internal components like the displays, chips, and camera sensors that Samsung uses.

Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is expected to be in all Samsung Galaxy S26 phones, although Korean news site Yonhap News information Samsung is relatively new Exynos 2600 Chip It could be used on some phones in the line depending on the region, a strategy that Samsung has implemented in the past. Either way, the new phones should have more performance than the previous generation and, in the case of the models with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, particularly good at on-device AI processing.

One notable difference between the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S25 could be the phone’s display. According to the specifications, the new phone will have a 6.3-inch FHD+ screen shared by leaker Ice Universemaking it slightly larger than the 6.2-inch screen used on the Galaxy S25. The S26 will also supposedly come with 12GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage, and a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery. However, Samsung isn’t changing the cameras on the entry-level phone: leaks suggest it will feature the same 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens, and 12-megapixel selfie camera as the previous generation. The changes appear to be even smaller on the Galaxy S26+. In addition to the new Snapdragon chip, the phone will feature the same 6.7-inch FHD+ display, 4,900mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and the same camera array used in the base Galaxy S26.

The difference between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra is reportedly a little clearer. According Android HeadlinesThe cameras of the new phone will be slightly higher and will stand out thanks to a new metallic finish. Samsung may also revert to using an aluminum frame on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, after using titanium frames on both the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultra. Most importantly, for the phone to truly support Qi2 rather than technically only work with the standard when a case is attached, rumors suggest Samsung will remove the S Pen digitizing layer on the phone and adopt a new method of accepting pen input. It’s unclear what that new method will actually be, but it could allow the Galaxy S26 Ultra to more easily work with Qi2 accessories without losing its stylus.

Android Headlines also recently shared what appear to be full image renderings. of the S26 series, and generally align with what has already been rumored, leaked and reported so far. If these images are accurate, they give us a clearer look at the camera bump and the two color variants of the S26 Ultra.

Magnet fans may remain disappointed with Samsung if the latest rumors are true. Despite the launch of the Qi 2 wireless charging standard that added support for convenient magnetic alignment years ago, Samsung has yet to bring that feature to its phones. Although the S series has higher charging speeds than the specification allows, Nieuwemobiel.nl reports that due to the images it received of cases with magnetic rings, the S26 series likely does not have built-in magnets. Samsung has made these cases to add magnetic capability to its S series in the past, and the existence of images of these accessories lends weight to the idea that the company will continue with this approach.

Galaxy Buds 4

Samsung launched the Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro in 2024, with a major redesign that brought them much more in line with Apple’s AirPods. The rumored Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro that Samsung will announce soon won’t necessarily change that, although they will feature a more compact case and less angular stems. according to leaked images from the Samsung Tips app.

Support for head gestures to accept and reject calls, a feature that Apple includes in the AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, is it is also rumored to work on both versions of the new Galaxy Buds. SamMobile information The Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro may also come with a new ultra-wideband chip that will make them easier to find with Google’s Find Hub network.

Galaxy Z triptych

Samsung announced the Galaxy Z triple in late 2025 with no firm details on when the new foldable smartphone in tablet form would be available in North America. That information came on January 27, when the company announced that the TriFold would be available in the US on January 30 for a whopping $2,900. Considering we’ve already seen the device in person at CES 2026 and people are more likely to have had a chance to see it, if they haven’t purchased the foldable device by the time Unpacked arrives, we don’t expect Samsung to spend too much time thinking about it, if at all.

Galaxy S26 Edge

When the Galaxy S25 Edge was announced in 2025, it seemed possible that Samsung could replace its “Plus” smartphone with a single form factor, just as Apple chose to do with the iPhone Air. there has been conflicting reports about it, but it looks like Samsung won’t do that with the Galaxy S26 Edge.

Instead, the smartphone will remain another option, as will foldables for customers who are not carried away by traditional Samsung smartphones. The Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to feature a slightly different design than last year’s model. according Android Headlineswith a large rectangular camera platform reminiscent of Google’s Pixel phones and the raised oval that Apple used on the iPhone Air. Beyond that, the phone is also expected to be slightly thinner at 5.5mm than the Galaxy S25 Edge’s 5.8mm.

Bixby and other AI features

Samsung already acts as the first place where Google can show off new AI features for Android, but the company is also reportedly exploring other AI partnerships. In June 2025, Bloomberg reported that Samsung was close to reaching a deal with Perplexity to integrate its AI-powered search engine into OneUI and its local mobile browser. The perplexity already has a deal with Motorola on its Razr phones, so the only thing that would make a deal with Samsung unusual is the close relationship the company already has with Google.

The company also accidentally announced a new version of your Bixby AI assistantwhich will likely also integrate with Perplexity and could serve as an alternative to Google Gemini. Both a new Bixby and deeper integration with Perplexity seem like natural new software features to show off in Galaxy Unpacked.

Update, January 27, 2026, 11:55 am ET: This story has been updated to reflect the latest news on the pricing and availability of the Galaxy Z TriFold in the US.

Update, January 30, 2026, 12:45 pm ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks regarding possible dates for Unpacked 2026.

Update, February 2, 2026, 11:30 am ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks with full image renders of the trio of S26 devices.

Update, February 3, 2026, 11:00 am ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaks regarding the possible lack of magnetic support on the S26 series.

Update, February 10, 2026, 7:15 pm ET: This story has been updated to include the official Galaxy Unpacked date as announced by Samsung today. The introduction was also edited to reflect that detail.