For the first time ever, I actually enjoyed watching Samsung Galaxy Unpacked 2026, during which the South Korean company announced its latest lineup of devices, part of its flagship phones.
Samsung launched the S26 series, which includes the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra variants, and also announced the Galaxy Buds 4 and Buds 4 Pro. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, in particular, has some of the most interesting new features, including a new display technology that acts as a privacy screen.
Because we’ve been briefed already, during the event, it’s unlikely that we as journalists are fully paying attention because we know everything that’s going to be announced. But even then, we watch, just to be safe, in case there’s breaking news.
Most years, I’ve sat back and complained about how boring the event is; how it doesn’t feel different than what Samsung has done in the past, and how I don’t think it’s worth their time to keep doing these events.
But during Wednesday’s event, I actually said to my team that I really enjoyed watching the event and found the new devices to be impressive, specifically the S26 Ultra.
From Korea to SF… this event was not one to miss
I know that being in person at an event is different from live-streaming it. The last time I was at an in-person event with Samsung was when they hosted in South Korea three years ago. I remember saying that the event felt pretentious and boring.
That was absolutely not the case this year. Samsung’s ability to remain humble, but at the same time show off an impressive set of phones, is a testament to how they decided to start the new year.
I think Samsung also made the right decision to forgo a flashy spectacle by bringing out a celebrity to tout how good their phones are, instead opting for something far more relatable and likable by bringing out someone like Miles Franklin, aka MilesAboveTech.
And while they did have a clip of South Korean singer SUGA of BTS, it was subtle and classy, and it didn’t distract from the event as a whole.
My managing editor, Derrek Lee, who was at the event, concurred that having someone like MilesAboveTech demonstrate how the new Privacy Display works on the Ultra model was a smart move.
Instead of having a detached, meaningless celebrity cameo to distract from the event and products, Samsung put the spotlight on “someone who talks about this stuff for a living and who we in the tech sphere recognize,” Derrek told me, noting how Franklin likely has some mainstream appeal as well.
Short, sweet, and to the point
One thing I noticed that Samsung did differently this year was focus only on the one device that had significant updates, rather than having a disorganized show.
Derrek agreed, saying that by focusing on just the one phone, the event felt like it went by quickly and “the show was pretty efficient.”
Jitesh Ubrani, research manager for IDC’s worldwide device trackers, said that the overall event seemed less like a Samsung showcase and more like a victory lap for Google and Perplexity, in which “Samsung provided the vessel, but much of the innovation clearly belonged to their partners.”
That being said, he noted that Samsung’s hardware prowess “remains undeniable.”“I agree the new privacy screen is a genuine breakthrough that serves as a reminder of what Samsung can achieve when they aren’t leaning on someone else’s software.”
Despite not having many major design or hardware changes and keeping the focus on the evolution of AI, Samsung is keeping in line with the likes of Google and what it’s done with the Pixel 10, a device that we know to be the roadmap for Google’s AI.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra may still fall behind devices from Chinese OEMs in some areas, such as battery and charging tech, but a tightly focused Unpacked event shows that Samsung still has a few tricks up its sleeve, while focusing on what it does best. And that’s what we want to see more of from a company like Samsung.
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