The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been unveiled! It's a long-awaited change, but…

I can't shake the feeling that "I've seen this somewhere before"... The smartphones are similar in form and appearance to last year's, and their specifications turned out to be quite predictable. But maybe that's the key? Samsung appears to be a reliable, secure choice; it doesn't overdo it with innovative solutions. The buyer knows exactly what to expect and that they'll receive solid, reliable hardware that won't impress them too much. But maybe they don't have to...? Leaving the assessment to you – let's move on to the smartphones themselves.

All three models run Android 16 with One UI 8.5, feature stereo speakers, Corning Gorilla Armor 2 screen protection, and eSIM support. They feature 5G connectivity, NFC, Wi-Fi 7, Bluetooth 5.4, GLONASS, GPS, Galileo, QZSS, BDS, and under-screen fingerprint readers. Each is available in black, white, purple, and sky blue, and, exclusively at the Samsung store, you can also purchase gold and silver versions. Furthermore, Samsung has enhanced the Galaxy AI capabilities with a new agent, Perplexity. Perplexity can be accessed using the "Hey Plex" voice command or through quick shortcuts, such as holding the device's side button. The Perplexity agent is deeply integrated with select Samsung apps, including Notes, Clock, Gallery, and Calendar, as well as with select third-party apps. This gives users a wider selection and eliminates the need to be limited to Gemini.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

The most interesting is, of course, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. It has a 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with a resolution of 3120 x 1440 px and a 120 Hz refresh rate, as well as a Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite for Galaxy processor. It's supported by 12 or 16 GB of RAM and internal storage ranging from 256 GB to 1 TB. Power is provided by a 5000 mAh battery with 60-watt charging – the first major change in this model. There's also 25-watt induction. Unfortunately, on the other hand, the stylus still lacks Bluetooth and additional features, and its body is available in only two shades – dark and light, regardless of the smartphone's color. A key new feature is the Privacy Screen. This feature allows you to protect the content on the display from prying eyes. This option changes the pixel readability angle, so the image is only visible when looking directly at the screen – not at a slight angle. This comes at the cost of a slight color degradation, but I found it effective. The intensity of the effect can be adjusted in two stages, and the option can be permanently enabled or activated when specific apps are opened. Furthermore, there's the option to "cover" only selected areas of the screen, such as notification bubbles. The selfie camera is the same as before and identical in all three models – a 12-megapixel camera with an f/2.2 aperture. On the back, we find four lenses and a few more changes. The first, with an improved f/1.4 aperture and 24mm focal length, features optical image stabilization and works with a 200-megapixel 1/1.3" sensor with 0.6μm pixels. Next, we have a 50-megapixel wide-angle camera with a 120-degree field of view, an f/1.9 lens, a 1/2.5" sensor and 0.7μm pixels. Two cameras with optically stabilized telephoto lenses complete the package. The first has 50 megapixels (1/2.52", 0.7 μm), an improved f/2.9 aperture and a 111 mm focal length, providing 5x and 10x lossless zoom. The second zooms 3x and has a 10-megapixel 1/3.94" format sensor and an f/2.4 aperture. This model measures 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9 mm and weighs 214 g. The pricing is as follows:

• 12+256 GB - €1,449
• 12+512 GB - €1,649
• 16 GB + 1 TB - €1,949

Pre-orders (for all three models) include a discount offer where you can buy a more powerful memory variant at a fraction of the price of the lower one, for example, 12+512 GB for 12+256 GB. There's also a "Buy-Back" program, where consumers can get a refund of up to 2,000 PLN (for the S24 Ultra). By returning an older device, Samsung will refund a minimum of 200 PLN, in addition to the hardware's valuation. Furthermore, you can return two devices. Additionally, all buyers who pre-order (before the end of the sale) will receive a voucher worth 150 PLN, and there's also an additional discount of 100 PLN on ecosystem devices (e.g., Buds).

Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+

The more basic models, the Samsung Galaxy S26 and Samsung Galaxy S26+, share most of their specifications – differing only in dimensions and batteries. In our region, they are equipped with ten-core Exynos 2600 processors with one C1-Ultra 3.9 GHz core, three C1-Prox 3.25 GHz cores, and six C1-Prox 2.75 GHz cores. The processors are supported by 12 GB of RAM and either 256 or 512 GB of flash memory. In both - similarly to the Ultra - we have 12-megapixel selfie cameras with 1/3.2" sensors and 1.12 μm pixels, f/2.2 apertures and 26 mm focal lengths, as well as PDAF and video recording up to 4K at 60 fps. On the back, there are triple cameras, with 50-megapixel main sensors (1/1.56", 1 μm), PDAF, optical image stabilization, f/1.8 aperture and 24 mm focal length. Next to it are 12-megapixel wide-angle cameras with a 13 mm focal length, f/2.2 aperture, and a 120-degree field of view, with a 1/2.55" sensor and 1.4 μm pixels. The set is completed by a 3x telephoto camera with optical stabilization, a 67 mm focal length, f/2.4 aperture, and a 10-megapixel 1/3.94" sensor with micrometer pixels. These models film on the rear in up to 8 K at 30 fps or 240 fps in FHD. The basic Galaxy S26 has a 6.3-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X screen with Full HD+ resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate, and (increased compared to its predecessor) a 4300 mAh battery with 25-watt charging. The model measures 149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm and weighs 167 g. The Galaxy S26+, in turn, has a similar screen - but with a size of 6.7 inches and a resolution of 3120 x 1440 px, as well as a 4900 mAh battery with 45-watt charging. This model measures 158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm and weighs 190 g.

• Samsung Galaxy S26 12+256 GB - 999 euros
• Samsung Galaxy S26 12+512 GB - 1199 euros
• Samsung Galaxy S26+ 12+256 GB - 1249 euros
• Samsung Galaxy S26+ 12+512 GB - 1449 euros

Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro

Besides the smartphones, the new Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 and Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 Pro were also unveiled. These headphones offer features such as head-motion control and active noise cancellation with ambient sound and voice filtering. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro have cases with a semi-transparent cover and a similar style, with a metallic finish on the outside. The earphones differ in design: the basic Galaxy Buds 4 are hard, without silicone tips, while the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro are typically in-ear, with silicone tips in three sizes. Furthermore, they differ in battery capacity: the Galaxy Buds 4 have 45 mAh in the earphones and 515 mAh in the case, while the Buds 4 Pro have 61 and 530 mAh, respectively. The basic earphones have an 11 mm single driver, while the Pro variant has two-way drivers, 11 mm and 5 mm. Both models feature three microphones, but lack support for the LDAC codec. The Samsung Galaxy Buds 4 is priced at179 EUR, and the Galaxy Buds 4 Pro is priced at 249 EUR.