Samsung's February 25 Galaxy Unpacked event will showcase a camera revolution powered by artificial intelligence rather than hardware upgrades. The Galaxy S26 series arrives with what Samsung describes as a unified Galaxy AI camera experience that transforms daytime shots into convincing night scenes and restores missing details through computational reconstruction.
This software-first approach marks a departure from traditional smartphone camera development. Instead of chasing megapixel counts, Samsung is betting on EdgeFusion technology to handle multi-photo merging and aggressive computational reconstruction directly on device.
The company previewed these capabilities ahead of its San Francisco event, signaling that AI-driven post-processing represents its competitive edge against Apple and Google.
The S26 lineup maintains familiar hardware configurations across standard, Plus, and Ultra models. All three phones will feature Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processors in US and Chinese markets, with the Ultra model reportedly offering up to a substantial figure of RAM and 1TB storage options.
Camera hardware remains largely unchanged from previous generations, with ultrawide sensors potentially receiving upgrades, though reports vary on whether they'll reach a notable figure.
Samsung's event timing places it just one week before Mobile World Congress in Barcelona, positioning the company to set the premium Android agenda for 2026. The Galaxy Unpacked showcase comes amid pressure to differentiate its flagship phones following Apple's iPhone 17 launch last year.
Generative AI features have become table stakes in premium smartphones, forcing Samsung to develop exclusive applications that justify premium pricing.
New privacy features will use AI to selectively render display content based on viewing angles. This zero-peeking technology blocks notifications and app content from side observers while maintaining full visibility for primary users.
The implementation runs entirely on-device through Samsung's partnership with Nota AI, which optimizes generative AI processing without cloud dependency.
Accessory launches accompany the phone announcements. Galaxy Buds4 and Buds4 Pro earbuds will debut alongside the S26 series, featuring redesigned stems with burnished metal accents.
European pricing suggests €249 for Pro models and €179 for standard versions, while US customers can expect a significant amount and a significant amount respectively according to retailer leaks.
Camera capabilities extend beyond basic photography through multimodal interaction systems. Users can employ text prompts, context-aware suggestions, and smart post-processing within a single workflow that eliminates app switching.
Samsung claims this unified capture-edit-share pipeline reduces friction more effectively than incremental hardware improvements.
The company faces market challenges beyond technical specifications. Recent Galaxy S25 Edge sales reportedly disappointed Samsung executives, potentially influencing decisions about whether to continue the ultra-thin form factor or revert to traditional Plus models.
Pricing pressures also loom as memory chip costs drive potential price increases across the smartphone industry.
Samsung's seven-year software update commitment creates additional pressure for future-proof specifications. Current Galaxy S25 models offer 12GB of RAM across all variants, but competing devices from brands like RedMagic already provide up to 24GB in gaming-focused phones.
Long-term usability demands sufficient memory headroom as applications grow more resource-intensive over extended ownership periods.
The February 25 event streams live at 10 a.m. Pacific Time from San Francisco, with hands-on coverage beginning immediately after announcements conclude.
