---
layout: post
title: "Samsung's Galaxy S26 Is Coming, and It Better Impress"
description: "Samsung unveils the Galaxy S26 on Feb 25. Here's what we expect, what we hope for, and why the stakes are higher than ever."
date: 2026-02-21 16:00:27 +0530
author: adam
image: 'https://images.unsplash.com/photo-1768663319879-e6a2b4c7408f?q=80&w=2070'
video_embed:
tags: [news, tech]
tags_color: '#2196f3'
---
In just four days, Samsung is taking the stage in San Francisco to show off the Galaxy S26 lineup. After years of predictable January launches, the company is shaking things up with a February reveal, and honestly, the timing feels deliberate. Whether that's a smart move or a stumble remains to be seen.
The Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra are coming. We're almost certain of it. But here's the thing: certainty isn't the same as excitement. With so many leaks flooding the internet and a release schedule that's become almost robotically predictable, Samsung faces a real challenge. How do you make people care about an incremental upgrade when everyone already knows what's coming?
## The AI Question
Let me be direct. If I see another phone marketed primarily on AI features that nobody actually uses, I'm going to lose it. But Samsung seems committed to the agentic AI path, which is at least interesting in theory. The idea of AI that can actually do things for you, like booking flights or scheduling meetings with a single prompt, is genuinely different from the "enhance my photo" features we've been seeing for two years.
That said, Samsung needs to prove this actually works. Not in a demo video where everything is perfectly lit and scripted. In real life, where your flight has weird routing options and your calendar is a mess.
The OneUI 8.5 beta version of Bixby shows some promise. A voice assistant that understands natural language and can pull information from the web doesn't sound revolutionary, but it's the kind of foundation that agentic AI needs to build on. If Samsung can make Bixby feel less like talking to a toaster and more like talking to an actual person, they're onto something.
## Camera Features That Actually Matter
Here's where I'm hoping Samsung delivers something meaningful. The camera is the fourth most important factor people consider when buying a phone, according to CNET's survey. Price dominates at 62%, battery life and storage follow, but cameras still matter to 40% of buyers. That's significant.
The teaser videos Samsung released show AI being used to edit photos in creative ways. A cow getting abducted by a UFO. A bitten cupcake being restored to wholeness. It's fun, sure. But for a photographer like me, what I really want to see is hardware that competes with the best. A bigger sensor. Better HDR capture across challenging lighting. Real improvements that let me take better photos in the first place, not just fix them after the fact.
Xiaomi is pushing 1-inch sensors. Google's Pixel phones have been crushing it with computational photography. Apple just added a square sensor to the iPhone 17 Pro that actually solves a real problem. Samsung's camera game has felt stagnant for a while now, and the S26 Ultra is the place to change that narrative.
## The Magnetic Accessory Gap
I've stood in front of a MagSafe charger with my Galaxy S25 Ultra, watched it slide off the pad, and felt genuinely stupid. In 2026, a premium flagship phone without magnetic charging is inexcusable. I don't care what Samsung calls it. GalaxyMag, PixelSnap ripoff, whatever. Just add the magnets.
This isn't about following Apple. It's about basic functionality. Wallets that stick to your phone. Chargers that don't require your undivided attention to stay in place. Car mounts that don't require a death grip. These aren't luxuries anymore. They're table stakes.
## Pricing in a Broken Market
The RAM shortage is real, and it's going to hit phone makers where it hurts. Samsung's current pricing structure is solid: $800 for the base S26, $1,000 for the Plus, $1,300 for the Ultra. But there's genuine concern that we'll see price hikes across the board this year.
Here's what's interesting though. Samsung is in a much better position than most Android manufacturers to absorb cost increases. Their size and supply chain leverage means they won't get squeezed quite as hard. But that doesn't mean they'll eat the cost. Some of it will probably flow to consumers.
The real question is whether people will pay it. And honestly, if the upgrades are meaningful enough, I think loyal customers will. Trade-in programs and financing have changed the game. A $1,400 Ultra doesn't feel as painful when you're trading in your three-year-old phone and spreading payments over 24 months.
## The Features Nobody Asked For But Might Actually Use
Samsung's privacy shield feature, which blocks your display from side angles so onlookers can't see your notifications, is the kind of thing that sounds gimmicky until you realize how often you hold your phone at an angle while sitting next to someone. On a bus. In a coffee shop. At work. Suddenly it's less of a party trick and more of something genuinely useful.
And the unified camera app that combines capture, editing, and sharing into one space? That's good design. Most people don't want to juggle three different apps to snap a photo and make it look decent. Streamlining that workflow makes sense.
## What's Missing
I keep thinking about the Galaxy Ring lawsuit. Samsung can't announce Galaxy Ring 2 while Oura is suing them into oblivion over patent disputes. That's frustrating because wearables are actually where Samsung has a chance to do something interesting. But for now, the S26 will have to carry the show alone.
And honestly, I wish Samsung would take a page from Apple's book and offer an S26 Ultra in a smaller size. The 6.9-inch display is genuinely unwieldy for people with normal-sized hands. Why should flagship performance be locked behind a screen size that's almost unusable as a phone? Give me the Ultra processor and camera in a 6.3-inch package and I'm sold. Lose the S Pen if you have to. I've never used it anyway.
## The Real Stakes
Samsung has momentum with the Galaxy Z TriFold and a product lineup that's genuinely interesting. But momentum dies fast in the smartphone industry. The iPhone 17 series set a high bar. Google's Pixel 10 Pro is lurking. OnePlus proved you can pack a flagship processor into a compelling package.
The S26 series needs to feel like a step forward, not just a step sideways. AI features are nice, but they need to be useful. Camera improvements need to be obvious. Design changes need to feel intentional, not arbitrary. And pricing needs to feel fair given what you're getting.
In four days, we'll know if Samsung stuck the landing. Until then, all we have is speculation and hope that the company remembered: people don't buy phones because of hype. They buy them because they make their lives better.
