Hands on: the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus are more of the same for more money
TL;DR
The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus offer minor software updates like Audio Eraser and Gemini AI, but lack new hardware features and cost more than previous models, unlike the Ultra which gets a Privacy Display without a price increase.
There's a cool new hardware feature debuting at Samsung's annual Unpacked event - but you won't find it on the Galaxy S26 or S26 Plus. While the Ultra model gets a new Privacy Display and avoids a price hike, Samsung's base models are largely software updates that cost more than the outgoing models.
Don't get me wrong, some of those software updates are pretty neat. You can apply Audio Eraser to third-party apps to make voices easier to hear and filter out background noise. Google's Gemini AI will start doing agentic things - like booking an Uber for you - which is a step toward fulfilling the promise of an assistant that actually assists. …