Note<\/i><\/b>: This article has been updated on 26 February 2026 with our hands-on experience and some sample images.<\/i><\/p>\n
Samsung has just launched the new Galaxy S26 series flagship smartphones, and while the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the darling of the lineup with that new Privacy Screen and improved cameras, the Galaxy S26 and S26+ also get the new AI features that are set to improve the overall experience.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s what you need to know about the Galaxy S26 and S26+, from hardware to software.<\/p>\n
A step into the (2nm) future<\/h2>\n
We were excited by the entire Galaxy S25 series lineup getting the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite processor last year, but it seems like it\u2019s a one-off decision. This year, the Samsung Galaxy S26<\/b> and Galaxy S26+<\/b> are shifting back to using Samsung\u2019s own Exynos chip, with the phones powered by the Exynos 2600<\/u>, which marks the first 2nm chip to be used in a smartphone.\u00a0<\/p>\n The world\u2019s first 2nm smartphone processor<\/p>\n Image: Samsung<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Samsung claims this new chip will bring major improvement in AI performance, with the NPU offering a 113% improvement in generative AI performance, 50% better ray-tracing performance. The chip also offers up to 16% better thermal performance, with 28% improved heat dissipation thanks to the newly designed vapour chamber with a tailored thermal interface material.<\/p>\n More than just AI, the Exynos 2600 is able to support AI-based processing, with new Visual Perception System (VPS) and Deep learning Video Noise Reduction (DVNR) features. The chip itself can also support cameras up to 320MP, which means we might one day get cameras on a Galaxy S series phone that\u2019s larger than the current 200MP shooters.<\/p>\n This ties in with Samsung\u2019s focus on AI and the company\u2019s desire to \u201cmake your life easier\u201d with these new phones.<\/p>\n The ProScaler<\/b> AI image enhancement technology has been upgraded, with boosted image and video quality for a more detailed viewing experience on the Galaxy S26 and S26+\u2019s 6.3-inch and 6.7-inch Dynamic AMOLED displays.<\/p>\n The display is clearly legible on a sunny morning in Singapore even though the peak brightness hasn\u2019t increased from 2,600 nits, and we foresee no issues using it even under very harsh sunlight.<\/p>\n The base Galaxy S26 model also gets a slight upgrade to a larger 4,300mAh<\/b> battery, although the Galaxy S26+ remains the same at 4,900mAh.\u00a0<\/p>\n Samsung Galaxy S26 and S26+ in Cobalt Violet<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n After getting our hands on the new phones, we found that the S26 and S26+ are very similar to the S25 series in terms of design and how they feel in the hand. The rear cameras seem to be identical as well, with a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultrawide, a 10MP 3x optical zoom telephoto lens and a 12MP selfie camera. <\/p>\n You\u2019ll have to wait for our review for more thorough testing, but based on the initial sample shots we got, the image quality from this year\u2019s phone appears to be largely the same as its predecessors.<\/p>\n Samsung Galaxy S26<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n It wouldn\u2019t be a Galaxy smartphone without AI features, and Samsung has packed plenty of new ones into the Galaxy S26 series.\u00a0<\/p>\n Finder<\/b> is the new global phone search feature, which is able to retrieve information such as upcoming meetings, your calendar, flight details and more. It\u2019s able to get all these details from apps, images, messages and emails, which means you won\u2019t have to go into apps individually to search for something that you need.<\/p>\n The Now Bar and Now Brief get new context-based insights, and the new Now Nudge<\/b> feature can offer you suggested replies using information from places like your schedule, photos, and auto-fill details. It\u2019s supported in Samsung Messages, Google Messages and WhatsApp, for now.<\/p>\n We tried Now Nudge out on a demo unit, but it could only offer to open the calendar app when asked about our schedule on a particular day. We\u2019ll have to try this out in more situations in the upcoming days, to see if it can actually give us suggested replies with pertinent information.<\/p>\n Notifications<\/b> get a functional upgrade in the form of Highlights, with notifications received being able to be prioritised, grouped if they\u2019re from the same person or app, and summarised.<\/p>\n Bixby gets some new smarts, too, with the ability to adjust phone settings without exact terminology. If you\u2019re not a fan of Samsung\u2019s Bixby, you can opt for Perplexity or Gemini.\u00a0<\/p>\n Filter out scam calls with the Call Screening function<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n One of the best uses of AI is to make your life easier, and the Call Screening function<\/b> is definitely one we’d all enjoy. Unknown calls are handled automatically to identify who the caller is and why they\u2019re calling, so users can choose to only pick up actual phone calls and avoid spam callers.\u00a0<\/p>\n If you\u2019ve found yourself using Circle to Search regularly, you might be pleased to know there\u2019s no need to \u201ccircle\u201d individual items to search anymore. There\u2019s now enhanced multi-object recognition<\/b>, and the AI will be able to break down a circled image into individual sections (individual pieces of clothing on a model, for example) and search for these sections separately.<\/p>\n Easy creation of stickers, wallpapers and more with generative AI<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n For photographers, there are a few nice quality-of-life updates too. Creative Studio<\/b> is the rebrand of Drawing Assist, which in turn was a rebrand of Sketch to Image. However, it\u2019s not just drawing anymore. <\/p>\n Creative Studio can now utilise text prompts for creative edits, as well as generate images, wallpapers, cards, invites, stickers and more from templates and existing images. <\/p>\n AI-powered photo edits with text prompts.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Photo Assist feature in the Gallery app also gets an upgrade to support text prompt editing<\/u>, with a new simplified user interface.<\/p>\n We found that it worked decently in our short test. However, there\u2019s a distinct loss of detail in the ultrawide shot of The Fullerton Hotel once it went through the AI editing process to add in the lion. <\/p>\n No more shadows on your scanned documents<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n Lastly, you\u2019ll be able to get cleaner scans of documents with the Document Scan<\/b> feature that can remove unwanted fingers, folded corners, wrinkles, shadows and more while organising multiple images into a single PDF.<\/p>\n Samsung Galaxy S26.<\/p>\n Photo: HWZ<\/p>\n<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n The Samsung Galaxy S26 series begins pre-orders on 26 February 2026<\/b> and will be available across all retail channels from 11 March 2026<\/b>. Pre-order here<\/u><\/p>\n Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+<\/b> retail from S$1,438 and S$1,628<\/b>, respectively, in Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black, and White. The online-exclusive colours are Pink Gold and Silver Shadow. Be sure to check out our detailed pricing and promotion story below, complete with all touchpoints and launch specials.<\/p>\n Our articles may contain affiliate links. If you buy through these links, we may earn a small commission.<\/b><\/p>\n<\/div>\nPlethora of new AI features<\/h2>\n
Singapore pricing and availability<\/h2>\n
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\n \nModel<\/th>\n Memory & storage<\/th>\n Price<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n \n Samsung Galaxy S26<\/td>\n 12GB RAM + 256GB storage<\/td>\n S$1,438<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Samsung Galaxy S26<\/td>\n 12GB RAM + 512GB storage<\/td>\n S$1,738<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Samsung Galaxy S26+<\/td>\n 12GB RAM + 256GB storage<\/td>\n S$1,628<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n \n Samsung Galaxy S26+<\/td>\n 12GB RAM + 512GB storage<\/td>\n S$1,928<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/div>\n