Launched February 25, 2026 | Starting at ₹1,39,999 in India
You know that awkward moment on the Delhi Metro when you’re messaging someone while the aunty next to you is *clearly* seeing your screen? Or when you’re in a coffee meeting and your banking app notification appears for the entire table to see. Samsung has recently released a phone that does precisely that, and it’s only the beginning of what the Galaxy S26 Ultra can accomplish.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra was unveiled on February 25 at Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event in San Francisco, and it’s packed with features that feel less like incremental advancements and more like Samsung has finally listened to every gripe we’ve had over the last three years.
The Privacy Display: A World First That Actually Matters
Let’s start with the headline feature, which has never been done before on a mobile phone.
The **built-in Privacy Display** utilizes pixel-level technology to render your screen invisible to anyone observing it from the side. When staring straight on, everything is clear; however, when someone looks at an angle, the screen dims and blurs from their perspective. There is no privacy film with an adhesive backing. There is no crappy workaround. It’s built straight into the display hardware.
You can specify what is hidden, such as the complete screen, selected apps, upcoming notifications, or even your PIN while typing it in a busy location. Whether you’re on a Mumbai bus or a London tube, this function is a quiet revolution for anyone who values privacy in public places. It is the type of feature that makes you question why it took so long.
Performance: A Chip Built for AI, Not Just Speed
The S26 Ultra is powered by the **Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5**, a processor designed particularly for Samsung Galaxy handsets. The figures tell a clear story: the NPU (the chip that handles AI operations) is 39% faster, the GPU produces 24% better graphics, and the CPU is 19% faster than last year’s S25 Ultra.
What exactly does that mean in practice? Galaxy AI features run more smoothly and quickly. The technique of ray tracing is used throughout applications to produce light and shadows, giving them a cinematic appearance. And multitasking—running many demanding apps without a hiccup—feels truly effortless.
Samsung also changed the Vapor Chamber inside the phone, which increased thermal performance by 21%. If you’ve ever experienced phone throttle during a long gaming session or video conversation, here is the solution. The S26 Ultra is designed to provide optimal performance while remaining cool enough to be comfortable.
Camera System: The One You’ll Actually Use in the Dark
Samsung’s S26 Ultra camera technology is the brightest it has ever put on a phone. The headline statistic is the **200MP Wide camera at f/1.4**, which has a much wider aperture than previously, allowing in 47% more light. In reality, night photos and low-light footage are far cleaner.
The quad-camera system divides down as follows:-
– **200MP Wide** at f/1.4 (main sensor)
– **50MP Ultra Wide** at f/1.9
– **50MP Telephoto** at f/2.9 with 5x optical zoom
– **10MP Telephoto** at f/2.4 with 3x optical zoom
Space Zoom goes all the way to 100x, and while the extreme end remains digital zoom, Samsung’s AI stabilization makes it practical in ways it wasn’t previously.
The selfie camera also receives a significant upgrade: an AI image signal processor that scans skin tone, hair, and brow characteristics in real time to create selfies that appear natural rather than over-processed.This is particularly great news for Indian users who have previously struggled to take authentic warm-toned selfies in indoor lighting.
The new **Super Steady Horizontal Lock** is also worth highlighting, since it employs sensors to keep your video level even when you twist the phone 360 degrees while shooting. Ideal for Reels, travel vlogs, or recording anything on the go.
Galaxy AI: The Assistant That’s Getting Smarter
Samsung’s AI ambitions have grown significantly with the S26 Ultra. Several features stand out.
**Photo Assist** now allows you to modify photos using text prompts. When you type “make this his birthday party” into a photo of your dog, the AI automatically adds balloons, decorations, and a festive atmosphere to the image. It’s not a gimmick; it’s truly useful for the type of casual, creative editing that usually requires a separate tool.
A new feature called **Now Nudge** provides shortcut along with reads what’s on your screen.Now Nudge understands the context and will ask you to view the appropriate photographs if a friend texts you with photographs from your trip to Goa, saving you the trouble of searching through your gallery.
**Now Brief** operates like a smart daily digest – surfacing flight data, birthday reminders, pet walk reminders (if you have a Samsung SmartTag on your pet, it tracks their behavior), and more, delivered as bite-sized cards throughout the day.
Bixby has also received a significant boost. It now runs on a multi-AI environment — Bixby, Gemini, and Perplexity — and responds to natural language for everything from setting changes to web searches. When you ask it to turn on Privacy Display, it simply does so.
Design: Slimmest Ultra Yet, and It Shows
At just 7.9mm thick and 214g, the S26 Ultra is Samsung’s slimmest Ultra to date.The disparity is stark: last year’s S25 Ultra weighed 218g and measured 8.2mm. It doesn’t seem like much, yet the change is immediately obvious.
The camera island has been rebuilt with a glass flow-through appearance that better integrates with the device’s rear. The corners are slightly more rounded than previously, so it sits easier in the palm and doesn’t scrape into the hand after extended use, which has been a serious complaint among Samsung Galaxy enthusiasts for years.
It is available in six colors: **Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Silver Shadow, and Pink Gold**, with the latter two being exclusive to Samsung’s online shop.
Corning Gorilla Armor 2 on the front, Gorilla Glass Victus 2 on the back, Armor Aluminum frame, and IP68 water and dust protection (up to 1.5 m for 30 minutes).
Battery and Charging: Finally, 60W Wired Charging
The 5000mAh battery provides up to 31 hours of video playback, matching last year’s model, which was already great. What’s new is **Super Fast Charging 3.0**, which increases wired charging from 45W to **60W**, allowing you to reach 75% in around 30 minutes. Wireless charging at 25 watts is also supported..
For a country where power interruptions aren’t exactly unusual, that fast-charge potential is a true relief.
Price and Availability in India
**₹1,39,999** — 12GB RAM and 256GB storage.
**₹1,59,999** — 12GB RAM and 512GB storage.
**₹1,89,999** — 16GB RAM and 1TB storage.
Pre-orders began on February 25, with deliveries commencing **March 6** and general sales beginning **March 11**. The phone is available on Samsung’s website, Flipkart, and Amazon India. Early pre-reservation customers received a gratis free storage upgrade.
The phone runs **Android 16 with One UI 8.5** and promises **7 major Android updates**, which means it will be relevant until at least 2033.
The Verdict
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is not a complete redesign, but rather a well-executed improvement. The Privacy Display alone is a feature worth discussing for years. With a faster chip, a brighter camera system, significant AI advancements, and the smallest Ultra design to date, this is a flagship that justifies its price.
If you’re upgrading from an S23 Ultra or before, the difference will feel massive. Even S25 Ultra customers will be interested in the Privacy Display, better charging, and camera aperture enhancements.
Samsung’s 2026 Ultra is the phone that knows where it is, who is watching, and what you require before you ask. That’s not a tagline; that’s simply what it does.
*Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is available now for pre-order in India.The general sale begins March 11, 2026.*
