Samsung’s Biggest Phone Launch of 2026 Brings a Privacy Screen, Three AI Assistants, and a Foldable No One Saw Coming
Quick Reads
- Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S26 series, Galaxy Buds4 lineup, a triple-folding phone called the Galaxy Z TriFold, and its first AI smart glasses at Galaxy Unpacked 2026 in San Francisco.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra debuts the world’s first built-in Privacy Display, a screen that blocks side-angle viewing directly at the hardware level, with no screen protector required.
- All three S26 phones run three AI assistants simultaneously: Bixby, Google Gemini, and Perplexity, each handling different types of tasks.
- Independent reviewers largely agree that the standard S26 and S26 Plus are solid phones but offer minimal upgrades over last year’s models, making the price increases harder to justify.
- In Nigeria, the Galaxy S26 starts at approximately ₦1,135,000, with the S26 Ultra estimated at ₦1,705,000, and local stock is expected to arrive between April and May 2026.
Samsung unveiled a new phone you can hide from prying eyes, a foldable tablet in your pocket, and AI that acts without being asked
Samsung held its first major hardware event of 2026 in San Francisco on February 25, unveiling a broader lineup than most people expected. Alongside the familiar Galaxy S26 smartphone series, the South Korean company announced a triple-folding phone, its first AI-powered smart glasses, and a new generation of earbuds, all tied together by a software platform Samsung is calling “Agentic AI,” software that is designed to act on your behalf rather than simply respond to your commands.
The Three AI Assistants
Each Galaxy S26 comes with three AI assistants pre-loaded: Bixby for device-level commands, Google Gemini for broader creative tasks, and Perplexity for web research, activated by saying “Hey Plex” or long-pressing the side button. Each handles a different category of task. A practical example from the Samsung keynote: asking Bixby to “send the budget report from my recent email to the WhatsApp group, and then remind me to follow up in two days” prompted Bixby to execute all of that across three different apps without the user having to open any of them manually.
Google’s contribution to the event was also significant. Google previewed a new agentic version of Gemini that can perform multi-step tasks on a user’s behalf, including reading a group chat to figure out what everyone wants to order and then placing the delivery request on Grubhub. Google also updated Circle to Search, a feature that lets users highlight things on screen to search instantly, so it now supports multiple objects in a single gesture. Each Galaxy S26 comes with three AI assistants pre-loaded: Bixby for device-level commands, Google Gemini for broader creative tasks, and Perplexity for web research, activated by saying “Hey Plex” or long-pressing the side button.Each handles a different category of task. A practical example from the Samsung keynote: asking Bixby to “send the budget report from my recent email to the WhatsApp group, and then remind me to follow up in two days” prompted Bixby to execute all of that across three different apps without the user having to open any of them manually.
The Surprises: A Triple-Fold Phone and Smart Glasses
The Galaxy Z TriFold made its global commercial debut at Unpacked 2026. Using a dual-hinge design, it unfolds from a standard smartphone into a large AMOLED display that works as a mobile workstation with standalone Samsung DeX support, no external screen needed. It packs a 5,600 mAh battery, the largest ever in a Galaxy foldable, and a 200-megapixel main camera matching the S26 Ultra’s sensor. techcabal It is priced at $2,500, approximately ₦3,500,000 in Nigeria. Samsung also announced smart glasses built in collaboration with Google and Qualcomm, with design input from Warby Parker and Gentle Monster. They weigh 50 grams and come in two versions: one for basic voice AI assistance, and one with a display that overlays digital information onto the lens. A built-in 12-megapixel camera lets the Gemini AI see what you see, enabling real-time translation of street signs and identification of objects in your field of view. These are not yet on sale; a global release is expected later in 2026.
The New Buds
The Galaxy Buds4 Pro underwent a complete redesign, with Samsung using data from over 100 million global ear-shape profiles and 10,000 fit simulations to optimise comfort for extended wear. The buds support 24-bit/96kHz high-resolution audio and feature adaptive noise cancellation that adjusts based on ear shape and environment. A new “Head Gestures” feature lets users answer calls with a nod or decline them with a head shake, no hands required.The Buds4 Pro are priced at $249.99 (approximately ₦239,800 in Nigeria), with the standard Buds4 at $179.99 (approximately ₦175,000).
For readers in Nigeria and across Africa, the pricing requires clear-eyed thinking. In Nigeria, the S26 starts at approximately ₦1,135,000, the S26 Plus at ₦1,441,000, and the S26 Ultra at ₦1,705,000. Samsung is offering a “double the storage” pre-order deal where buyers pay the 256GB price and receive the 512GB model.Because of import logistics, local stock is expected to reach shelves between April and May 2026, available through Samsung Experience Stores and retailers including Rifugio, Jumia, and Pointek. At these prices, the S26 Ultra in particular is a significant purchase, but Samsung is backing every device in the series with seven years of Android OS updates and security patches, extending support through 2033. In a market where phones are used for far longer than a single upgrade cycle, that software commitment is worth factoring in.
