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On Wednesday, February 25th, Samsung will hold an event in San Francisco where it’s expected to reveal the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra phones, among other things.
Based on leaks and Samsung’s own ads, we’re expecting at least one of the phones to come with a display that can black out sensitive content based on viewing angle, which is genuinely cool and useful. They might also finally have Qi2! We are also, alas, anticipating a whole lot of questionable AI photo- and video-editing features. Samsung truly is a land of contrasts.
Samsung Unpacked starts at 1PM ET / 10AM PT. It’s streaming live on YouTube (embedded below), and we’ll be live blogging here. Stay tuned.
Live: Samsung unveils new Galaxy phones
Image: Samsung
We’re here in San Francisco, where Samsung is set to unveil its new Galaxy S26 series phones and probably some accessories to go with them starting at 1PM ET. Keep in mind this isn’t Samsung’s foldy phone event, which usually occurs in the summer.
One of the things we’re most curious about is whether the RAMageddon has impacted prices for these phones. And, of course, whether there are any new AI features to discuss. Stick around for the news and banter.
I’m super impressed with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s new Privacy Display
It’s kind of a Galaxy S26 Plus Plus.
Maybe it’s a reflection of just how slow hardware innovation has been, but the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s new Privacy Display, which limits the screen’s viewing angle to keep any would-be peepers away, left me totally impressed.
It’s not a brand-new technology — we’ve seen it before in laptops — and it was leaked thoroughly before Samsung’s announcement. But seeing it work on the S26 Ultra for the first time was cooler than I expected, especially given that hardware thrills are hard to get these days.
Gemini is getting its first agentic capabilities
Google’s Gemini AI is getting one step closer to being more like an actual assistant. Starting with some Pixel 10 phones and the Samsung Galaxy S26 series, Gemini will be able to hail an Uber or put together a DoorDash order on its own.
It’s called task automation, and it starts with a prompt to Gemini — something like “Get me an Uber to the Palace of Fine Arts.” Gemini then launches the app in a virtual window on your device and goes through the process step-by-step. You can watch it all happen, with options to stop the automation or take control if necessary, or just let it run in the background while Gemini does its thing. The assistant will notify you if it needs your attention to choose between two options, or if something you asked it to look for is out of stock. Once your ride or grocery cart is all set, Gemini will alert you to take a look and submit the final order yourself.
You can still get $30 in Samsung credit when you reserve a Galaxy S26 phone
Image: Samsung
Samsung is set to introduce its new Galaxy S26 lineup at its next Unpacked event on February 25th, potentially alongside a new pair of earbuds and other wearables. If you’re thinking about picking up any of the new devices, it’s worth claiming Samsung’s $30 promotional credit before it expires, which you can do by registering your interest on Samsung’s website before 1PM ET / 10AM PT tomorrow.
If you’re even remotely considering an upgrade, there’s not much to lose by signing up. You don’t need to pay anything or even offer your credit card details to take advantage of the offer. You just need to reserve a device by signing up with your name and email address on Samsung’s website or the Shop Samsung app ahead of the event. Once the devices are officially announced and preorders open, you’ll be able to apply the $30 credit at checkout. Sadly, you can’t use the $30 credit to reduce the cost of your phone or any other Samsung device announced during Unpacked; however, you can use it for all kinds of accessories.
Samsung is on slop watch at Unpacked
Another Unpacked is nearly upon us. On February 25th, Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S26 series of flagship phones — potentially including the S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra — with another round of AI-based features. That will come as a surprise to nobody. But as more AI creeps in on Samsung’s AI phones, there’s one important consideration: the slop factor.
I’m talking, of course, about AI slop. Last week, Samsung put out a blog post promoting a new “seamless Galaxy camera experience” on its newest phones. Based on the examples in the article, that experience includes turning a picture of a puppy into cute little stickers, filling in the part of a cupcake you took a bite out of, brightening video in low light to make it more lively, and editing a picture of a cow in a field to make it look like it’s being abducted by aliens.
Samsung is adding Perplexity to Galaxy AI
In addition to summoning Bixby or Gemini, Galaxy S26 users will be able to call on Perplexity by saying “hey, Plex.” The integration of Perplexity into Galaxy AI is just one element of the company’s embrace of a “multi-agent ecosystem.”
Often, people will use different AI agents for different tasks, depending on where their strengths lie. So Samsung is opening up the ability to integrate different agents into the OS. Hey, Plex isn’t just some transparent version of the app baked into a Galaxy phone to quickly get answers to questions. Perplexity will have access to Samsung Notes, Clock, Gallery, Reminder, and Calendar, as well as select third-party apps, though which ones specifically Samsung didn’t say.
Samsung is slopping AI ads all over its social channels
After cramming AI into every inch of its smartphones, appliances, and other devices, Samsung is now increasingly slapping it across social media. Several videos posted to the company’s YouTube, Instagram, and TikTok accounts in recent weeks were made or edited using generative AI tools, including its latest teaser for the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
The “Brighten your after hours” video features two people skateboarding at night, and supposedly shows off the low-light video capabilities of the upcoming Galaxy S26 devices. Fine print appears at the bottom of the screen toward the end of the video, flagging that it was “generated with the assistance of AI tools,” but there are obvious signs even without the disclosure. The vegetable-laden shopping bags look artificial and unnaturally weighted, for example, and cobblestones in the road appear to shift around.
Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup might look familiar.
Based on renders from Android Headlines, it doesn’t seem like Samsung will change things up too much with the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, or S26 Ultra. Samsung is rumored to launch the phones at an Unpacked show on February 25th, though the company hasn’t actually announced an event yet.
Samsung Galaxy S26 battery pack leak points to Qi2 charging support
It looks like Samsung is preparing to launch a new Qi2 battery pack for the upcoming Galaxy S26, which is rumored to support the upgraded charging standard. A report from Winfuture shows off leaked images of what appears to be the new accessory, outfitted with a magnetic Qi2 charging ring that delivers up to 15W of power, along with a USB-C cable offering up to 20W.
Winfuture suggests that the wireless power bank itself will have a 5,000mAh battery capable of charging at up to 25W. The battery pack also appears to come with an arm that you can fold out to use as a stand. This isn’t the first time we’re hearing about this accessory; last December, 9to5Google spotted a Samsung “Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack” in the Wireless Power Consortium’s database.
