Samsung’s 2025 is filled with new foldable devices, new ultra-thin form factors, and the launch of Google’s XR platform. After making some announcements at CES 2026, the company has just announced that the first Galaxy Unpacked of the year will be held on February 25, where the Galaxy S26 series is expected to be launched. Official invitations have just been released, but actual information about the devices that will arrive by then is still unknown. But as always, we have a pretty good idea of what to expect from Unpacked.
Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we’ll likely have actual coverage of Samsung’s new smartphone shortly after it’s announced. While we wait for full details, here’s everything we expect Samsung to unveil at its first Galaxy Unpacked event in 2026.
When will Unpacked 2026 take place?
According to an official invitation released by Samsung on February 10, Unpacked will be held in San Francisco on February 25, 2026. The keynote will begin at 10 a.m. Pacific Time (1 p.m. Eastern Time) and will be broadcast live on Samsung.com as well as the company’s newsroom and YouTube channel. The February 10 announcement also says that the launch will mark “a new phase in the AI era as intelligence becomes truly personal and adaptable.” It’s not much, as we’ve heard versions of this from different companies over the past few years, but at least we won’t be shocked when we hear more about AI in just two weeks.
Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra hands-on photos (Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget)
Samsung may continue its restrained approach to phone updates with the Galaxy S26. According to leaked images of the new series, the company is not expected to completely reinvent the look of the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ or Galaxy S26 Ultra, but instead will stick with a similar design used on the Galaxy S25. The phones will have a flat front screen and frame with rounded corners and cameras housed in a vertical pill-shaped platform on the back. Unlike Apple’s move from iPhone 16 Pro to iPhone 17 Pro, the biggest difference here may be the internal components Samsung uses such as screens, chips and camera sensors.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is expected to appear in all Samsung Galaxy S26 phones, according to a Korean news website Yonhap News According to reports, Samsung’s relatively new Exynos 2600 chip may be used in some phones in the series, depending on the region, which is a strategy Samsung has deployed in the past. Regardless, the new phones should perform better than their predecessors, and in the case of models with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, they’re particularly good at in-device AI processing.
One notable difference between the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S25 may be the phone’s screen. According to specifications shared by tipster Ice Universe, the new phone will feature a 6.3-inch FHD+ display, which makes it slightly larger than the 6.2-inch display used on the Galaxy S25. The S26 will also allegedly come with 12GB of RAM, 256GB or 512GB of storage, and a slightly larger 4,300mAh battery. Samsung isn’t changing the cameras on the entry-level phone, though: sources say it will have the same 50-megapixel main camera, 12-megapixel ultrawide, 10-megapixel 3x telephoto, and 12-megapixel selfie camera as the previous generation. The changes appear to be smaller on the Galaxy S26+. In addition to the new Snapdragon chip, the phone will reportedly have the same 6.7-inch FHD+ screen, 4,900mAh battery, 12GB of RAM, and the same camera array as the base Galaxy S26.
The differences between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S25 Ultra are reportedly even more pronounced. according to Android headlinesthe new phone’s camera will be slightly raised and stand out thanks to the new metal finish. After using titanium frames on the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultra, Samsung may also return to using aluminum frames on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. On top of that, in order for the phone to actually support Qi2 and not just technically support the standard when attached to a case, Samsung is rumored to be removing the S Pen digitizer layer from the phone and adopting a new method of accepting stylus input. It’s unclear what this new method actually is, but it could make it easier to use the Galaxy S26 Ultra with Qi2 accessories without losing the stylus.
Android headlines Full image renders of the S26 series were also recently shared, and they are largely consistent with what has been rumored, leaked, and reported so far. If these images are accurate, we can get a clearer look at the S26 Ultra’s camera bump and two colors.
If the latest rumors are true, Magnet fans may continue to be disappointed with Samsung. Although the Qi 2 wireless charging standard was introduced years ago, adding support for convenient magnetic alignment, Samsung has yet to bring the feature to its phones. Although the S Series has higher speed charging rates that meet the specs, Nieuwemobiel.nl According to reports, the S26 series may not have built-in magnets, based on the received images of cases with magnetic rings. Samsung has made these cases in the past to add magnetic features to its S series, and the presence of images of these accessories reinforces the idea that the company will continue this practice.
Galaxy Buds 4
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro case. (Engadget)
Samsung released the Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro in 2024 with a major redesign to bring them more in line with Apple’s AirPods. Rumor has it that Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro won’t necessarily change that, but according to leaked images from the Samsung Tips app, they will feature more compact cases and less angular stems.
It is rumored that Apple has equipped AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4 with functions that support head gestures to answer and reject calls. It is also rumored that these two versions of the new Galaxy Buds can also be used. sam mobile According to reports, the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro may also feature a new ultra-wideband chip, which will make them easier to find through Google’s Find Hub network.
Galaxy Z 30% off
Yes, the tri-fold has one crease, actually two. But they still don’t ruin the experience. (Sam Rutherford, Engadget)
Samsung released the Galaxy Z TriFold in late 2025, but did not specify when the new smartphone, which folds into a tablet, will be available in North America. The information was released on January 27, when the company announced that the TriFold would be available in the United States on January 30 for a whopping $2,900. Considering we’ve already seen the device in person at CES 2026, and people will likely get a chance to see it in person, even if they don’t buy the foldable device themselves when Unpacked launches, we don’t expect Samsung to spend much, if any, time on it.
Galaxy S26 Edge
At just 5.8mm thick, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is one of the thinnest smartphones ever made. (Sam Rutherford, Engadget)
When the Galaxy S25 Edge is released in 2025, it seems likely that Samsung will replace its “Plus” smartphones with a unique form factor, much like Apple did with the iPhone Air. There are conflicting reports on the matter, but it doesn’t appear Samsung will be doing this on the Galaxy S26 Edge.
Instead, smartphones will reportedly remain another option, just like foldable phones for customers who aren’t influenced by Samsung’s legacy smartphones. The Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to have a slightly different design than last year’s model Android headlineswith a large rectangular camera platform that’s reminiscent of Google’s Pixel phones, as well as the raised oval shape Apple uses on the iPhone Air. In addition to this, the phone is also expected to be slightly thinner at 5.5mm than the Galaxy S25 Edge’s 5.8mm.
Bixby and other AI features
Samsung has become Google’s go-to venue for showcasing Android’s new AI capabilities, but the company is reportedly exploring other AI partnerships as well. June 2025, Bloomberg Samsung is reportedly close to reaching a deal with Perplexity to integrate its artificial intelligence-driven search engine into OneUI and its self-developed mobile browser. Perplexity already has a deal with Motorola for its Razr phone, so the only thing unusual about the Samsung deal is the close relationship the company already has with Google.
The company also unexpectedly released a new version of its Bixby AI assistant, which may also integrate with Perplexity and serve as a replacement for Google Gemini. The new Bixby and deeper integration with Perplexity both seem like natural new software features to be showcased on Galaxy Unpacked.
Updated, January 27, 2026, 11:55 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to reflect the latest news about Galaxy Z TriFold price and availability in the United States.
Updated, January 30, 2026, 12:45 pm ET: This article has been updated to include the latest leaked information about possible dates for Unpacked 2026.
Updated, February 2, 2026, 11:30 a.m. ET: This article has been updated to include the latest leaked full image renders of the three S26 devices.
Updated, February 3, 2026, 11:00 a.m. ET: This story has been updated to include the latest leaked information about the possible lack of magnetic support for the S26 series.
Updated, February 10, 2026, 7:15 pm ET: This story has been updated to include the official date for Galaxy Unpacked, which Samsung announced today. The synopsis has also been edited to reflect that detail.
