Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Launched With Anti-Spy Display and Advanced AI Features: Price, Specs, and Availability
Samsung Electronics Co. unveiled its Galaxy S26 smartphone lineup at an event in San Francisco on Wednesday, introducing a range of artificial intelligence upgrades, privacy-focused features, and notable design changes across the series. The flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra is priced at $1,300, while the Galaxy S26 Plus comes in at $1,100 and the standard Galaxy S26 at $900.
A standout addition across the Galaxy S26 series is a built-in anti-spy screen guard that restricts screen visibility to the person directly in front of the device, effectively preventing shoulder surfing. The feature has been developed in collaboration with third-party accessory manufacturers including Spigen, Belkin, and Amazon Basics.
Galaxy S26 Ultra: Full Specifications
The S26 Ultra is powered by a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip customised for Galaxy, offering improved speed, battery efficiency, and enhanced on-device AI performance. The device sports a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a 3,120 × 1,440-pixel resolution and a 120Hz refresh rate. The panel includes 10-bit colour support, a Privacy Display that limits viewing angles beyond 30 degrees, and Corning Gorilla Armour 2 protection. The phone supports up to 16GB RAM and up to 1TB of internal storage, and runs One UI 8.5 based on Android 16.
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On the AI front, Samsung has packed in several Galaxy AI tools: Now Assist for contextual suggestions, Call Screen for managing unknown calls with live transcripts, Photo Assist for AI-powered image editing, Creative Studio for content creation, and Bixby Device Agent for voice controls. The device also includes Privacy Alerts and AI noise reduction.
The quad rear camera system is led by a 200-megapixel wide primary sensor with an f/1.4 aperture and optical image stabilisation, supported by a 50-megapixel periscope telephoto camera with 5x optical zoom, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide lens, and a 10-megapixel telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. The setup supports 8K video recording, HDR10+, and Super Steady Video stabilisation. The 12-megapixel front camera is capable of 4K recording.
Connectivity options include 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6, NFC, USB Type-C, and dual SIM support. The phone is backed by a 5,000mAh battery with 60W wired and 25W wireless charging, measures 163.6 × 78.1 × 7.9mm, and weighs 214g.
Pricing and Competition
The Galaxy S26 lineup goes head-to-head with Apple Inc.’s iPhone 17 series. The Ultra is priced similarly to its predecessor, while the S26 Plus and S26 are each $100 more expensive than their 2025 counterparts.
Alongside the S26 series, Samsung also announced two new earbuds — the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro at $249 and the Galaxy Buds 4 at $179. Both are available for pre-order immediately and are set to reach stores on March 11.
India Pricing and Availability
In India, the Galaxy S26 Ultra starts at Rs. 1,39,999 for the 12GB + 256GB variant. The 12GB + 512GB model is priced at Rs. 1,59,999, and the top-tier 16GB + 1TB variant is listed at Rs. 1,89,999. The device will be available in Black, Blue, Purple, and White colour options and can be purchased through Amazon and the Samsung India online store.