New Galaxy S26 range pushes AI services and enterprise-compliant privacy

Samsung’s new Galaxy S26 range focuses on turning AI from a marketing feature into a sellable proposition, with a strong emphasis on service revenue and privacy-led enterprise demand.

Delpending on storage, the S26 costs £875 rising to £1,099 for the S26+, and £1,279 for theS26 Ultra.

The company’s main narrative around the S26 range is “agentic AI”,or deeper integration of on-device and cloud AI to automate tasks such as call screening, generative photo editing, transcription, translation and workflow automation.

For the channel, this creates bundling opportunities. Resellers can package AI services alongside tariffs, insurance, accessories and trade-in programmes. Operators can position AI call screening and scam detection as part of premium security bundles, at a time when Ofcom continues to push for stronger fraud protection.

Retailers can demonstrate AI photo editing, translation and productivity tools in-store to justify higher ASPs and upsell cloud storage. Enterprise resellers, meanwhile, can combine AI productivity tools with mobile device management and Microsoft 365 or Google Workspace contracts.

Privacy Display 

The S26 Ultra introduces a built-in “Privacy Display” mode that narrows viewing angles so only the user can clearly see the screen. This creates a new talking point for sales teams targeting NHS trusts, government departments and legal practices that require visual privacy compliance for staff using devices in public.

Upgrades

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s main hardware upgrade is its new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, delivering faster performance and stronger on-device AI capability than the S25 Ultra. Samsung has also refined the design, making the handset slightly thinner and lighter, improving ergonomics without changing the overall look.

Camera hardware remains largely unchanged, centred on the 200 MP main sensor and dual-telephoto setup, although Samsung says lens brightness and image processing have been improved for better low-light performance. The ~6.9-inch display keeps the same size and resolution but uses a more efficient, brighter OLED panel, while charging speeds and storage standards see incremental upgrades.

Overall, the S26 Ultra is an evolutionary hardware update rather than a major redesign. Battery capacity, core camera sensors and the design language are largely unchanged, meaning the biggest gains come from performance efficiency, minor camera refinements and a slightly sleeker build rather than any headline-grabbing hardware leap.

Three UK has announced it will stock the new Samsung Galaxy S26 range including the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy S26 with pre-orders offering double storage (512GB for the price of 256GB), trade-in savings of up to £914, and a £144 companion bundle featuring accessories such as Samsung Galaxy Buds4 Pro. 

The S26 range is available to pre-order on Vodafone, starting from £22.08 per month (£40 upfront) for the S26, £28.58 per month (£40 upfront) for the S26+, and £33.08 per month (£50 upfront) for the S26 Ultra, in Cobalt Violet, White Radiant, Black Depth and Sky-Blue Luminous. Customers can also save up to £914 on the S26 Ultra, or £886 on the S26 and S26+, with Vodafone’s Trade-in Guarantee, which offers an upfront price and applies the value instantly to  a plan or existing device balance.

Analyist Paolo Pescatore reckons Samsung is repositioning Galaxy AI as an orchestrator, not a single-assistant bet.

“Gemini stays core, but Perplexity, plus a refreshed Bixby, signals the best tool for the job, with the upside of fewer app hops and smarter handoffs, and the downside of fragmentation, messy defaults, multiple wake words, and tougher privacy questions. The bigger issue is that AI still isn’t a must-have for many users , a problem given that Samsung is leaning on Galaxy AI as its primary differentiator”.

Privacy Display is the sleeper hit. A standout feature in a sea of AI noise and memory stress — and potentially the real purchase trigger, if Samsung actually markets it loudly enough.

Key stats:

• 3rd-gen Galaxy AI – proactive, adaptive, context-aware

• Now Nudge / Now Brief personalised reminders & suggestions

• Upgraded Bixby, plus Gemini & Perplexity integration

• AI photo editing (Photo Assist, Creative Studio)

• AI document scanning & call screening

• Android 16 + One UI 8.5

• First built-in Privacy Display (S26 Ultra) – limits side viewing

• AI privacy alerts for sensitive app access

• Private Album built into Gallery

• Post-quantum cryptography protection

• Samsung Knox multi-layer security

• Seven years of security updates

• Custom chipset (Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in Ultra)

• Up to 19% CPU / 39% NPU / 24% GPU gains

• Redesigned cooling with larger vapor chamber

• Built for on-device AI workloads

• Super-Fast Charging (up to 75% in ~30 mins on Ultra)

• 200MP main camera (Ultra)

• Improved low-light photos & Nightography video

• Super Steady video with horizontal lock

• New APV professional video codec

• AI-powered photo editing tools

• Better selfie colour accuracy

• Dynamic AMOLED 2X with 120Hz adaptive refresh

• Vision Booster brightness tech

• Ultra model: first integrated privacy display

• Slimmest Ultra design yet

• Fast wired & wireless charging

• Wireless PowerShare

• 5G, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 6.0

• IP68 water & dust resistance

• Head-gesture controls on Buds4 Pro

• Broader Samsung ecosystem connectivity