Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd. has officially launched the Galaxy S26 series, positioning it as its most intuitive and proactive AI-powered smartphone line to date.
The new lineup, Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra, marks Samsung’s third generation of AI phones, designed to simplify everyday tasks by reducing the number of steps required to get things done. From planning and searching to capturing and editing content, the devices handle complex processes in the background, allowing users to focus on results.
Evelyn Munene, Head of Product & Marketing, Mobile Experience Division, Samsung Electronics East Africa, said the company designed AI to work consistently for everyone without requiring technical expertise.
“With the Galaxy S26 series, we focused on making AI feel effortless, working quietly in the background so people can focus on what matters,” she said.
Powerful Performance Built for AI
At the heart of the series is a customised chipset engineered for advanced AI performance, power efficiency and improved thermal management.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is powered by the Snapdragon® 8 Elite Gen 5 Mobile Platform for Galaxy, delivering significant performance upgrades across CPU, GPU and NPU. Samsung says the Ultra records up to 19% CPU improvement, 39% NPU boost, and 24% GPU enhancement compared to its predecessor.
To maintain peak performance, the device introduces a redesigned Vapour Chamber cooling system that improves heat dissipation, ensuring smooth multitasking, gaming and video capture. The S26 Ultra also supports Super Fast Charging 3.0, reaching up to 75% charge in 30 minutes.
Samsung’s proprietary ProScaler technology enhances image scaling for sharper text and finer details, while its upgraded mobile Digital Natural Image engine (mDNIe) improves colour precision fourfold over the previous generation.
Galaxy Industry-Leading Camera System
The Galaxy S26 series integrates capturing, editing and sharing into a seamless creative workflow.
On the S26 Ultra, wider camera apertures allow more light into the sensor, delivering clearer low-light photography even when zoomed in. Enhanced Nightography Video improves clarity in dim settings such as concerts and evening outdoor scenes.
Upgraded Super Steady video introduces a horizontal lock feature for greater stability, while the device becomes the first Galaxy phone to support APV, a new professional-grade video codec designed for visually lossless quality during repeated editing.
AI-powered editing tools such as Photo Assist allow users to describe changes in natural language, including transforming scenes from day to night or restoring missing elements in photos. Creative Studio enables users to turn sketches, prompts or images into stickers, wallpapers and invitations without switching apps.
Document Scan automatically removes distortions and compiles multiple images into a single PDF, simplifying the digitisation of receipts and forms.
The Most Intuitive Galaxy AI Experience Yet
The Galaxy S26 series introduces more proactive AI interactions through features such as Now Nudge and Now Brief, which surface timely reminders, travel updates and contextual suggestions based on user activity.
Circle to Search with Google has been upgraded with multi-object recognition, enabling users to identify several elements in an image simultaneously.
The series also features an upgraded Bixby as a conversational device agent, allowing users to navigate settings and complete tasks using natural language. In addition, the phones integrate other AI agents, including Gemini and Perplexity, enabling multi-step tasks such as booking a taxi through a single voice prompt.
Samsung says these advancements lay the groundwork for more “agentic” AI experiences, where devices anticipate and respond to user needs seamlessly.
Privacy and Security at the Pixel Level
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces what Samsung describes as the mobile industry’s first built-in Privacy Display. The technology controls how pixels disperse light, limiting side-angle visibility when activated, while maintaining full viewing quality for the user.
Users can customise privacy settings for PIN entry, selected apps or notifications, with options ranging from Partial Screen Privacy to Maximum Privacy Protection.
The series also incorporates AI-powered Call Screening, Privacy Alerts that notify users when apps attempt to access sensitive data, and a Private Album within the Gallery app.
Security is further strengthened by Samsung Knox, Knox Vault and post-quantum cryptography (PQC) integration across key system processes. Samsung has committed to seven years of security updates for the S26 lineup.
Availability and Pricing in Kenya
Pre-orders for the Galaxy S26 series begin February 25, 2026, at Samsung Experience Stores and authorised retailers nationwide.
Recommended retail prices are as follows:
Galaxy S26 Ultra – KSh 197,300 (512GB), KSh 171,400 (256GB)
Galaxy S26+ – KSh 170,300 (512GB), KSh 144,400 (256GB)
Galaxy S26 – KSh 141,700 (512GB), KSh 120,900 (256GB)
The devices are available in Cobalt Violet, White, Black and Sky Blue.
Samsung Care+ will offer comprehensive coverage, including accidental screen repair, a 24-month warranty and certified support at authorised service centres nationwide.
With the S26 series, Samsung is positioning Galaxy AI as a dependable everyday assistant, combining performance, creativity and privacy into what it describes as its most powerful Galaxy experience yet.