Samsung’s 2025 was filled with new folders, a new slimmer form factor and the introduction of Google’s XR platform. After making announcements at CES 2026, the company is expected to host its first annual Galaxy Unpacked in February to unveil the Galaxy S26 lineup.
Engadget will be covering Galaxy Unpacked live, and we’ll likely be getting hands-on with Samsung’s new smartphones soon after they’re announced. While we wait for the official invitation, here is everything we expect Samsung to present at the first Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event.
Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra image is hands-on (Photo by Sam Rutherford/Engadget)
Samsung’s conservative approach to updating its phones is likely to continue with the Galaxy S26. Based on the leaked images of the new model, the company is not expected to completely restore the look of the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ or Galaxy S26 Ultra, and will instead stick to the same design that it used on the Galaxy S25. The phones will have a flat front screen and bezel, with rounded corners and cameras placed in a flat pill-shaped area on the back. Unlike Apple’s move from the iPhone 16 Pro to the iPhone 17 Pro, the biggest difference here will likely be the internals such as screens, chips and camera sensors used by Samsung.
Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip is expected to be in all Samsung Galaxy S26 phones, although a Korean news site Yonhap News reports that Samsung’s new Exynos 2600 chip could be used in other phones in the lineup depending on the region, a tactic Samsung has used in the past. Either way the new phones should perform better than the previous generation, and in the case of models with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is excellent for processing AI on the device.
One notable difference between the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S25 would be the phone’s screen. The new phone will reportedly have a 6.3-inch FHD+ display according to the details shared by the Ice Universe leak, making it slightly larger than the 6.2-inch display used on the Galaxy S25. The S26 will also 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: leaks suggest it will include a 50-megapixel main camera, a 12-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and a 12-megapixel selfie camera like the previous generation. The changes appear to be even smaller on the Galaxy S26+. Aside from 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 lineup used on the base Galaxy S26.
The difference between the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the Galaxy S25 Ultra has reportedly become clearer. In accordance with Android News ArticlesThe cameras of the new phone will be slightly raised, and stand out due to the new metal finish. Samsung may also return to using an aluminum frame on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, after using titanium frames on both the Galaxy S24 and S25 Ultras. Most importantly, to make the phone support Qi2 rather than working with the technology and level when the case is attached, rumors suggest that Samsung will remove the S Pen digitizer layer from the phone and use a new way to accept stylus input. It’s not clear what that new method will actually be, but it could allow the Galaxy S26 Ultra to easily work with Qi2 accessories without losing its stylus.
Galaxy Buds 4
Galaxy Buds 3 Pro just in case. (Engadget)
Samsung released the Galaxy Buds 3 and 3 Pro in 2024, with a major redesign that brought them more in line with Apple’s AirPods. The Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro Samsung is rumored to announce soon will not change that, although it will include a compact case with small angular stems, according to leaked images from the Samsung Tips app.
Support for head gestures to accept and reject calls, a feature that Apple includes in AirPods Pro 3 and AirPods 4, is also rumored to work in both versions of the new Galaxy Buds. SamMobile reports that the Galaxy Buds 4 and 4 Pro may also ship with a new Ultra Wideband chip that will make it easier to find them through Google’s Find Hub network.
Galaxy Z Trifold
Yes, the TriFold has a crease, two in fact. But they are still not experienced. (Sam Rutherford of Engadget)
Samsung has announced the Galaxy Z TriFold in late 2025 without firm details on when the new tablet will be available in North America. That information came on January 27, when the company announced that the TriFold will be available in the US on January 30, for a whopping $2,900. Considering we’ve already seen the device in person at CES 2026 and people may have had a chance to look at it, if they’re not buying the foldable when Unpacked rolls around, we don’t expect Samsung to spend much time dwelling on it, if at all.
Galaxy S26 Edge
At just 5.8mm, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge is one of the thinnest smartphones ever made. (Sam Rutherford of Engadget)
When the Galaxy S25 Edge was announced in 2025, it seemed possible that Samsung could change its “Plus” smartphone to a unique form, just like Apple chose to do with the iPhone Air. There have been conflicting reports on this matter, but it seems that Samsung will not do that with the Galaxy S26 Edge.
Instead, the smartphone will reportedly remain another option, similar to the folding of customers who are not influenced by Samsung’s traditional smartphones. The Galaxy S26 Edge is rumored to feature a slightly different design than last year’s model, according to Android News Articleswith a large rectangular camera platform reminiscent of Google Pixel phones, and the raised circular one Apple uses on the iPhone Air. Apart from that, the phone is expected to remain slightly thinner at 5.5mm than the 5.8mm Galaxy S25 Edge.
Bixby and other AI features
Samsung is already serving as a starting point for Google to showcase new AI features for Android, but the company is reportedly exploring other AI partnerships, too. In June 2025, Bloomberg reported that Samsung is nearing a deal with Perplexity to integrate an AI-powered search engine across OneUI and its home mobile browser. Perplexity already has a deal with Motorola for its Razr phones, so the only thing that would make a deal with Samsung unusual is the close relationship the company already has with Google.
The company also accidentally announced a new version of its Bixby AI assistant, which may also be integrated with Perplexity and could serve as an alternative to Google Gemini. Both the new Bixby and deeper integration with Perplexity are seen as new software features that will be shown at Galaxy Unpacked.
Update, January 27 2026, 11:55AM ET: This story has been updated to reflect the latest news about Galaxy Z TriFold pricing and availability in the US.
