Okay, let’s be real for a second—we’ve all been waiting to see what Samsung pulls out of its sleeve this year. Well, the wait is officially over. Today (February 25) is the day of the first major Galaxy Unpacked event of 2026, and while we’re expecting a few cool gadgets like the new Galaxy Buds 4, the undeniable main character here is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
If the rumors hold up, we’re looking at some serious processing power, a display that literally stops people from snooping on your screen, and an AI integration that might actually change how we use our phones.
How to Watch the Live Stream
Samsung is throwing this massive event in San Francisco, but you definitely don’t need a plane ticket to catch the action. You can stream it from your couch for free.
Date: Wednesday, February 25, 2026
Time: 10:00 AM PT / 1:00 PM ET / 11:30 PM IST
Where to Watch: They’re broadcasting it everywhere—Samsung.com, their Newsroom, and of course, the official Samsung YouTube channel.
Pro-tip: Head over to their YouTube channel right now and hit that “Notify me” button so you don’t forget and miss the opening announcements.
Expected Price & Pre-Order Goodies
Look, premium materials and top-tier tech don’t come cheap, and it sounds like the Galaxy S26 Ultra is going to see a bit of a price bump this year.
Global Pricing: The leaks are pointing to a starting price of around $1,250 to $1,299 in the US for the base model (which should give you 12GB of RAM and 256GB of storage).
India Pricing: If you’re buying in India, expect to shell out somewhere between Rs. 1,38,000 to Rs. 1,39,999 for the starting variant.
The good news? Samsung is famous for its killer pre-order deals, and they’re likely bringing them back to soften the blow. If you buy early, you can probably score a free storage upgrade (getting the 512GB version for the price of the 256GB one), massive trade-in bonuses for your old phone, and heavy discounts on the new Galaxy Buds 4 Pro. Expect those pre-orders to go live the second the presentation ends.
Perplexity AI and On-Device Upgrades
We know, we know—every tech company won’t stop talking about AI. But what Samsung is doing with One UI 8.5 on the S26 Ultra actually sounds pretty incredibly useful.
The juiciest rumor right now is a huge partnership with Perplexity AI. Imagine having Perplexity baked right into your phone’s system. You just say “Hey Plex,” and you instantly get a hyper-smart, conversational search engine ready to help you out, right alongside Bixby and Gemini.
On top of that, expect the S26 Ultra to flex:
Generative Photo Magic: We’re talking next-level tools to seamlessly erase photobombers, replace backgrounds, or basically redraw parts of your pictures.
On-Device Speed & Privacy: Because of the crazy new processor, a lot of this AI magic happens right on your phone instead of floating up to the cloud. It’s way faster, and honestly, way better for your privacy.
Smart Productivity: Think real-time translation during your phone calls, AI that automatically summarizes that hour-long meeting, and a tool that helps you draft the perfect email when you have writer’s block.
Processor, Cameras, and that "Privacy Display
Powering all this is the beastly new Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. Word on the street is that this 3nm chip is specifically optimized “For Galaxy,” meaning it’s going to sip battery while running circles around older phones.
Now, let’s talk about the screen. The S26 Ultra is rocking a massive 6.9-inch Dynamic LTPO AMOLED 2X display that gets blindingly bright at 3,000 nits. But the feature everyone is buzzing about is the rumored “Privacy Display.” Imagine having a privacy screen protector built straight into the phone’s software.
Turn it on, and the viewing angles drop instantly—so the person sitting next to you on the train can’t read your group chats or see your banking app. How cool is that?
Finally, it wouldn’t be an Ultra without an absurd camera setup. Samsung seems to be sticking with its tried-and-true quad-camera layout, featuring that giant 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide, a 10MP 3x telephoto, and a 50MP 5x periscope lens so you can zoom in on literally anything.
The Verdict
Honestly, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra sounds like an absolute unit of a phone. It’s blending heavy-hitting hardware with AI features that actually seem practical for everyday life. Make sure you tune into the Galaxy Unpacked livestream today so we can find out together which of these rumors turn out to be true!
