Samsung is hours away from unveiling the Galaxy S26 series globally in San Francisco. This launch carries more significance than a routine yearly upgrade and India Today is on ground zero for the launch of the new Galaxy smartphones. The company is entering 2026 with renewed pressure in the premium smartphone space, stronger competition from Apple and Google, and a rapidly evolving AI-driven mobile ecosystem.
The Galaxy S26 lineup, expected to include the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+, and the ultimate flagship, the Galaxy S26 Ultra, is being positioned not just as new hardware, but as Samsung’s next phase of AI-first smartphones. For India, where premium smartphone adoption continues to rise steadily, these devices could mark a defining moment for the company’s flagship strategy.
India a crucial market
India has quietly become one of Samsung’s most important premium markets. Over the past two years, consumers have shown a growing willingness to spend above Rs 80,000 on smartphones, a segment currently dominated by Apple.
Samsung’s challenge has been consistency. While its Ultra devices have earned strong reviews, the company has needed clearer differentiation and stronger ecosystem value to convert buyers consistently. The company’s President, South West Asia, JB Park, also emphasised that the premium smartphone market is growing in India which makes this launch pivotal for the company.
The Galaxy S26 series appears to address exactly that. Instead of chasing headline hardware upgrades, Samsung is reportedly focusing on refining the overall experience, productivity, and AI integration, signalling a shift from specs-driven marketing to real-world usability.
This approach aligns well with Indian buyers, who increasingly value longevity, camera reliability, and software intelligence over incremental hardware bumps. Since the competition is struggling with its AI integrations, this could be a great opportunity for Samsung to gain more dominance in the AI race.
What to expect: Design, display and performance upgrades
While official specs aren’t out yet, leaks suggest Samsung is opting for incremental upgrades this time around instead of a major overhaul.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to feature a slightly redesigned body with more rounded edges and a thinner profile, bringing visual consistency across the lineup. A unified camera design language may also appear across all models reminiscent of the Galaxy Z Fold 7 series.
Hardware you can expect:
— New Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor (only for Ultra)
— Possible Exynos 2600 variant in India
— Faster LPDDR5X RAM upgrades
— 120Hz AMOLED displays across models
— Better charging on the Ultra
The Ultra variant is expected to retain a 6.9-inch AMOLED display and is expected to showcase Samsung’s signature display leadership. Battery capacity may remain largely unchanged, with a 5,000mAh unit on the Ultra, but charging speeds could increase to 60W wired charging, addressing a long-standing demand from users.
If rumours come true, Samsung may not introduce some camera upgrades this year. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to continue with a 200-megapixel primary sensor alongside upgraded telephoto and ultrawide cameras.
Instead, improvements are expected in computational photography and image processing, particularly skin tones and low-light performance. This signals a broader industry trend where AI software, rather than sensor size, is becoming the key differentiator.
Samsung’s pre-launch teasers and leaks suggest cameras are moving “beyond capture,” allowing users to edit photos and videos using natural language commands, a shift that highlights how AI is redefining smartphone photography itself. You can also expect some new AI editing integrations as well.
Since AI is expected to be the primary driver on the new S26 devices, some of the new AI features expected include:
— Natural language photo and video editing
— Smarter on-device assistants and contextual suggestions
— Real-time productivity tools for writing, translation, and summarisation
— Enhanced privacy display technology
— AI-driven camera optimisation and scene reconstruction
Reports suggest Samsung is investing heavily in improving the on-device AI processing with an upgraded NPU performance chipset and rely less on the cloud.
For India, this matters significantly. Multilingual AI tools, live translation, and productivity assistance could become major selling points in a country where users frequently switch between languages and work contexts.
Samsung’s expectations from India
Importantly, India is no longer a volume market for Samsung. Over the years, the premium market has exploded and customers are looking for more options in the over Rs 80,000 segment.
Industry watchers expect Samsung to push aggressive pre-order offers, trade-in bonuses, and storage upgrades, strategies that have historically worked well in India. Pre-orders are reportedly set to begin immediately after the launch event on the 25 February, signalling strong confidence in demand.
Samsung’s broader goal appears clear: retain Android premium leadership while slowing Apple’s momentum in metro markets.
If Galaxy AI resonates with Indian users, Samsung could strengthen its ecosystem advantage across phones, wearables, and tablets.
Expected pricing in India
Based on current leaks and retail expectations, here are the expected prices for the upcoming Galaxy S26 phones.
— Galaxy S26: around Rs 79,999 – Rs 82,999
— Galaxy S26+: around Rs 99,999
— Galaxy S26 Ultra: roughly Rs 1,29,999 to Rs 1,38,999
Higher storage variants could cross Rs 1.6 lakh depending on configuration and offers.
Samsung may intentionally keep Ultra pricing close to last year’s levels to remain competitive against upcoming iPhone and Pixel flagships.
For India, the stakes are even higher. Expect upgrades in terms of the experience but not a lot when it comes to the hardware. If Samsung delivers meaningful AI experiences rather than gimmicks, the Galaxy S26 series could mark the beginning of a new flagship era, one where AI on smartphones begins to make sense.
Stay tuned for the live coverage of the launch on 25 February on India Today.
