Samsung Galaxy S26 launch live: S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra specs, Galaxy Buds 4, price, release date, and what is expected

Last Call for the $30 Credit!

If you already know you’re going to pre-order today, do not wait for the stream to begin. We’re in the final hour of Samsung’s Galaxy Reserve program.

By registering your interest with your email right now, you can secure a $30 credit and up to $900 in trade-in savings once preorders go live.

P.S.: This does not commit you to buying the phone, but it ensures you get the best possible deal if you decide to place an order.

As a reminder, the Galaxy Buds 3 and Galaxy Buds 3 Pro were released in July 2024, but the launch was anything but smooth. Samsung took criticism for the Buds 3 series design, which felt quite similar to AirPods. More importantly, early buyers encountered worrying quality control issues, prompting Samsung to suspend deliveries of the earbuds while it sorted out the problems.

With that history in mind, Samsung needs to get the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro launch right. While not everyone may like the rumored redesign, Samsung might finally beat the Apple lookalike allegations. The simpler Galaxy Buds 4 Pro design rumored to remove the LEDs from the prior generation might result in fewer QC problems. That’s the hope, at least.

Samsung is already gearing up for the Galaxy Unpacked event by updating some of its apps in advance of the expected One UI 8.5 launch. Galaxy Wearable app version 2.2.68.26010761 is rolling out now in Korea, with more regions likely to follow, according to a post on Samsung’s community forums.

The upgrade is a big one — Samsung’s release notes state this app version adds support for the Galaxy Buds 4 and Galaxy Buds 4 Pro while updating the design to meet One UI 8.5 user experience styles. It’s an early combination that yes, we’re getting new Samsung earbuds, if there was any doubt.

It all comes back to the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 expected to power the Samsung Galaxy S26 in select regions. Qualcomm’s latest mobile platform is even faster than the groundbreaking Snapdragon 8 Elite in the Galaxy S25 series, but it also runs hotter.

In our testing of the OnePlus 15, which uses the same Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip, we noticed the phone overheating during stress tests. Since aluminum is a better thermal conductor than titanium, Samsung might actually be improving the thermal profile of the Galaxy S26 with this material switch.

Titanium traps heat, while aluminum releases it. That could be just one reason we think the Galaxy S26 will feature an aluminum frame once again.

If you’ve been paying attention to Samsung’s leaked color names from this morning, you might have noticed something missing. The word “Titanium” is nowhere to be found.

That’s because Samsung is rumored to be switching to a new “Armor Aluminum 2.0” frame for the Galaxy S26 series. Some reports from Korea suggest the move back to aluminum is driven by better thermal management and lighter weight compared to the titanium used in the S25 Ultra.

And yes, this comes shortly after Apple reportedly moved back to aluminum for the iPhone 17 lineup. Make of that what you will.

Samsung is clearly banking on the Exynos 2600 delivering for the Galaxy S26 series. It’s not just about reducing reliance on Qualcomm, but also because the company is rumored to use the same chip in this year’s flip-style foldable, the Galaxy Z Flip 8. A strong showing here could give Samsung the confidence to move more of its premium devices to in-house silicon.

Here in Chicago, when the White Sox were on their way to win the 2005 World Series, there was a “Blackout” night. Basically, everyone wore black to the game. It was harrowing for the enemy team (Houston Astros). Samsung might have a blackout version of the Galaxy S26 Ultra coming this year. I’m not sure if it’ll be for launch or sometime after. To be honest, I’m not even sure this is happening—but it should. The blackout version would see the dark colorway wrap over the typically silver metal sides.

With Samsung, we’re almost certain to see new Galaxy AI features alongside One UI 8.5. The company has already shown an updated version of Photo Assist that lets you perform multiple generative AI edits without saving each step, but there is likely much more coming.

We’re also hearing about a new AI-powered notification summary feature. Samsung has reportedly been working on this for some time, and it is expected to function similarly to Pixel’s notification summaries, giving you a quick overview without opening each alert.

Beyond that, there are rumors of additional Galaxy AI tools set to debut. What would you like to see added?

Among the smaller things, will Samsung finally improve the fingerprint sensor on this year’s Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Our senior content producer, Nick Sutrich, found that the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s sensor was not as reliable as the one on the OnePlus 15 or even the Pixel 10 series. It got so bad that he eventually disabled it altogether on his Galaxy S25 Ultra unit. The big question now is whether Samsung has addressed it this time.

One area where Samsung may have improved this year is camera post-processing. A recent leak from reliable tipster @UniverseIce on X claims Samsung has adopted a new noise reduction algorithm for its cameras.

According to the leaker, photos with skies no longer show visible banding or “fault lines,” instead producing a smoother blue gradient. It’s still too early to judge, but if true, this suggests Samsung has refined its image processing.

We’ll have to test this properly, but camera performance today is as much about software as hardware, so I’m at least curious to see whether this makes any noticeable real-world difference.

It wouldn’t be a Samsung launch without a little Exynos drama. Samsung is once again using the Exynos 2600 in the base Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus across many global markets. The company is making bold claims about the new chip, highlighting its 2nm architecture and significant CPU performance gains.

That said, early leaked Geekbench scores suggest the Exynos 2600 may still trail the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 slightly. If that ends up being true, would you be okay with it this time, or would it still sting a bit?

Chips debate aside, one thing I’m genuinely looking forward to on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the upgraded primary camera. The 200 MP main sensor is rumored to get a wider f/1.4 aperture, which should let in significantly more light and result in better low-light shots and more natural bokeh. The big question is whether Samsung can finally match the Chinese competition this time?

If you’re considering the standard S26 or S26 Plus, though, do not expect major camera hardware changes. Both are rumored to retain the same 50 MP main, 12 MP ultrawide, and 10 MP 3x telephoto setup from the S25.

That is honestly a bit disappointing, so we’ll have to see if updated ISPs and processing make any noticeable difference.

Speaking of cases, you don’t even have to wait for Samsung to officially launch the devices. Dbrand is already taking orders for its skins, cases, and screen protectors for the entire Galaxy S26 series. Not only does this confirm the design of the smartphone series, but if you’re planning to pick one up, you might as well secure your accessories now.

It’d be unfair not to bring up the Qi2 situation. Samsung is reportedly increasing wireless charging speeds to 25W on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while the base S26 and S26 Plus are said to go up to 20W. It’s clear that Samsung is doing everything it can to make the S26 series “Qi2 Ready,” but we are still missing built-in magnets across the lineup.

The company will continue to rely on users to purchase magnetic cases for Qi2 chargers and MagSafe accessories. That decision honestly baffles me. Google added built-in magnets to the Pixel 10 last year, and Apple has included them for years, yet Samsung still expects customers to depend on cases. Even if most of us already use cases, it’s not truly a native solution.

Makes you wonder how much longer we will have to wait.

We’re now just a couple of hours away from Unpacked, so it feels like the right time to share some editorial thoughts. First up is the rumored charging speed bump on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Is 60W fast charging really going to be enough? While it’s a clear upgrade over the 45W we’ve been stuck with for years, it still trails the 80W to 100W speeds that have become standard on many Chinese flagship phones.

That said, 60W would make the Galaxy S26 Ultra the fastest charging flagship among the major players, including Apple, Samsung, and Google. So yes, we’re glad to see Samsung finally taking a step forward here. Pair that with the expected 5,000 mAh battery, and we could be looking at noticeably shorter charging times.

This event isn’t just about the Galaxy S26, with Samsung slated to roll out the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro as well. Samsung tends to do a decent job with its buds, and the Buds 4 should get considerable upgrades this time around, including head gestures. Basically, you’ll be able to shake your head or nod to trigger actions, such as taking calls, dismissing alarms, notifications, and reminders.

That sounds pretty cool, and the buds are set to double as a remote shutter button when you use the Galaxy S26. Leaks also point to the ability to find your phone with the charging case, and general audio tweaks.

Software is a major part of a device. You could argue it’s the entire phone itself. We’ve known that One UI 8.5 is expected to play a massive part in today’s launch, but did you know Samsung’s been fueling it with more speed? Supposedly, that’s what early Galaxy S26 users are going to witness. A “smoother,” more “responsive” Galaxy S26 might await you with One UI 8.5. So, I’d reserve right now, before the event.

The Now Bar was an interesting addition to Samsung’s Galaxy S25 series. If you’re familiar with Google’s Pixels, it’s kind of like At a Glance. Samsung might look to separate itself by offering more with the Now Bar in One UI 8.5. Some leaks claim that the Now Bar could provide information on missed calls. If you’ve missed one or several calls, the Now Bar would display the appropriate icon alongside the number of calls missed.

If you forgot Bixby existed, I wouldn’t blame you. I did, too. There’s been nothing really attention grabbing about the assistant in a while. There was one major update for it, which, looking back, seems like the start of Samsung paying attention. Now, where we’re at are reports that the company could empower the AI with Perplexity. This won’t be something for all of Bixby’s services, as Perplexity’s intelligence might only impact its real-time searches online. Nothing’s been confirmed by Samsung yet. But, hey, Unpacked is almost here.

Regardless of whether prices go up or stay the same, you still have a few hours to reserve your Galaxy S26 before the event begins. This does not mean paying for the device right away. You’re simply reserving your spot to place an order later, and Samsung is offering a $30 discount along with improved trade-in offers for doing so.

It’s essentially just filling out a form with your name and email address, and you don’t need to enter any card details. If you are even slightly interested, or know someone who is, I would strongly recommend reserving the Galaxy S26 now before the launch kicks off.

Let’s talk pricing. With Apple keeping prices steady for the iPhone 17 lineup, will Samsung feel pressure to do the same with the Galaxy S26 series? Component costs, especially memory and chipsets, have been rising, so Samsung is walking a tightrope between margins and staying competitive.

We will find out about U.S. pricing in just a few hours, but early indications suggest the Galaxy S26 Ultra could even see a slight price adjustment in some European markets.

Pricing is going to be one of the biggest talking points today. Will Samsung address rising costs on stage?

Read what IDC’s Nabila Popal predicts!

To recap, we’re expecting three models today: the base Galaxy S26 with a 6.3-inch display, the mid-tier Galaxy S26 Plus with a 6.7-inch display, and the massive 6.9-inch Galaxy S26 Ultra. There were earlier rumors about Samsung launching the Galaxy S26 Edge, but the company reportedly shelved those plans after the Galaxy S25 Edge failed to perform well, sticking instead with the standard Plus variant.

That said, Samsung may not have completely given up on the Edge branding. Some reports suggest the Galaxy S26 Edge could still launch later this year, similar to how the Galaxy S25 Edge was introduced, though it is not expected today. That is something our senior contributor Brady Snyder would probably be happy to hear!

The big day has arrived, and in just a few hours, Samsung’s first Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026 will begin. The Galaxy S26 series is set to be unveiled in San Francisco, and we couldn’t be more excited to see if Samsung has any late surprises.

Last year, Samsung teased the Galaxy S25 Edge at Unpacked, so what could it have planned this time? My bet is on the smart glasses Samsung recently confirmed are arriving in 2026. Let us know what you’re expecting to see!