Our Top 3 Features Of The New Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

2026-02-26 04:17:59

(MENAFN- Khaleej Times) Samsung just lifted the curtain on the Galaxy S26 series at its Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 25, and wow, this Ultra model is shaping up to be a true flagship reimagined for the AI era.

Having spent quality time with a preview unit ahead of launch, here are the three features we liked the most.

1. Built-in privacy screen

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If you're like me, you've wrestled with privacy screen protectors that make your display impossible to read unless you're staring at it dead-on. That ends with the S26 Ultra.

Samsung has introduced an integrated privacy display that works at the panel level, not an accessory, letting you control when and how privacy protection kicks in.

What's brilliant is that you can turn it on/off on demand, meaning there won't be any annoying tint when you don't want it. Better yet, you can apply privacy to specific apps or only parts of the screen that need protection, like whenever a notification pops up. And, you can also select specific apps on which you want to enable this feature. No more shoulder surfers reading your messages on the metro.

2. Horizontal lock

On paper, the S26 Ultra keeps the same core camera hardware layout as its predecessor. But Samsung says it has widened the aperture on the wide and telephoto lenses to improve light sensitivity.

But here's what really impressed me: Horizontal Lock. This new feature keeps your video's orientation fixed even if you rotate the device a full 360 degrees while recording. The composition stays locked exactly how you intended. Samsung has gone big on creators in the last couple of years, and this is huge if you shoot content on the move, removing one of the most annoying variables in mobile videography.

3. Unlimited AI photo editing right on your phone

The S26 Ultra promises on-device, advanced AI photo editing. You can generate new images with text or voice prompts, and edit existing photos with natural commands. Here's the fun part: ask the phone to change something in a photo and it will do it.

At a preview event, I prompted the AI to change the colour of my t-shirt to white, and within a few seconds, it gave me realistic results. You can also restore missing elements of a subject in a picture. For example, a slice of cake is missing, and with a single prompt you can restructure the cake, making it look at good as new.

And unlike most AI tools today that throttle usage behind paywalls, Samsung is positioning this with unlimited AI edits for Ultra owners. That's huge, not just for casual users, but for anyone who wants creative control without subscription barriers.

These are our top 3 features of the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. Pre-orders began on February 25, with in-store availability starting March 11. The pricing starts from Dh5,099, and can go up to Dh7,099 for the top-tier 16GB RAM + 1TB storage configuration, making it the most premium option in the series.