February 12, 2026 at 3:06 PM PST

It was two years ago when Samsung first teased the Galaxy Ring at its 2024 Galaxy Unpacked event. The announcement was done as a “one more thing” addition at the end of the keynote. And while the original ring has been in stores since July 2024, we might not see its follow-up (presumably the Galaxy Ring 2) at the Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25. And it’s all because of litigation.

Oura, the Finnish company behind the Oura Ring, is suing Samsung for illegally using its patents, according to a post on the company’s website. 

Samsung isn’t the only company named in Oura’s lawsuit. There’s also Zepp Health (Amazfit Ring), Reebok (Reebok Smart Ring) and Nexxbase (Luna Ring).

Samsung tried to preemptively sue Oura, as reported by the site IP Fray, but the claim was rejected, further heightening tensions in the litigation between the companies.

So even if Samsung has a new Galaxy Ring in the works, it makes sense that, until the company settles matters with Oura, we probably won’t see it announced.

February 12, 2026 at 8:24 AM PST

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is currently Samsung’s biggest and best phone, but it comes at a high price. If you look at the used market, however, you can pick up the S24 Ultra — just one generation old — for half the price of the current model. It’s a huge saving, yet you’re still getting a high-performance handset with a camera setup that easily rivals the current model. 

When the S26 Ultra is unveiled, I expect these prices to shift, making the S25 Ultra much cheaper on the used market versus the brand-new model. It may be that the S26 Ultra is such a wild overhaul that it’s worth spending that extra cash, but current rumours suggest we’ll see a more modest upgrade. It could be a more economical purchase to go for the previous model, especially since its long software support period means it’ll still be safe to use into 2031.

February 12, 2026 at 6:02 AM PST

The Galaxy S25 Ultra might be a powerhouse, but at 6.9 inches, it’s also immense. And despite being 6 foot, 2 inches tall, I have quite small hands, so I’ve always preferred smaller phones. I use the iPhone 17 Pro, not the 17 Pro Max, as I much prefer the 6.3-inch screen over the gargantuan 6.9 inches on the Max. But unlike Apple, Samsung has only ever offered its best technology in just one size, forcing you to choose between pocketability and performance.

I’d love to see Samsung take a cue from Apple here: Take the processor and camera skills that define the Ultra series, and deliver them in a more manageable size. I’d even be happy to see the S Pen go, if that could facilitate this. I never use it anyway.

February 11, 2026 at 12:50 PM PST

While I would pick Samsung’s Galaxy AI over Apple Intelligence for its overall AI feature set, the iPhone 17 series has one AI-enabled function that is a significant quality-of-life improvement.

Apple introduced a new 18-megapixel Center Stage camera, which houses a square sensor (nearly all phone camera sensors are rectangular). It allows you to hold the phone vertically and take a horizontal selfie. It can also use AI to automatically expand the framing in selfies when multiple people are in the shot. This might seem like a minor upgrade, but it’s one of those rare AI features that works reliably well for me. This new sensor also helps stabilize the image when recording videos or making a FaceTime call.

Being able to capture landscape group selfies without fiddling with the phone orientation or on-screen toggles is a godsend because the moment can be lost by the time you turn the phone to snap a photo. The iPhone 17’s Auto Zoom and Auto Rotate features are intuitive and kick in 9 times out of 10 without issue, in my experience.

I hope Samsung adds a square sensor to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s front-facing camera, as it would make everything more convenient and accessible (if done right).

Read more: For the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung Needs to Embrace These 3 iPhone 17 Pro Features

February 11, 2026 at 10:52 AM PST

Samsung’s Ultra phones have always been up there with the best when it comes to taking photos. But the camera hardware hasn’t changed much over the last few generations of Ultra phones, and it feels like it’s time to go big.

I want to see Samsung create a camera that’s truly tailored to pro photographers like myself. A bigger sensor, like the large 1-inch type chip seen on Xiaomi’s 15 Ultra, would help the S26 Ultra compete with the best camera phones and help the Ultra line distinguish itself from the S25 Edge and Z Fold 7. I’d even like to see Samsung adopt LOFIC HDR sensors, that can capture superior image quality no matter the lighting conditions. The Xiaomi’s upcoming 17 Ultra is expected to have this new type of image sensor which could well be the next big thing in phone camera technology.

February 11, 2026 at 8:00 AM PST

Looking at Samsung’s teaser video for its Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25, one thing is clear: We’re going to see AI. Specifically, the teaser “spells out” Galaxy AI, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series two years ago. When I reviewed the Galaxy S24, it was a Gallery-based Galaxy AI feature that removed reflections from photos. 

While the feature wasn’t something I used frequently, it did come in handy for photos like this unedited one (below), where light is reflected on the pastry case’s glass. When I used Galaxy AI on the image (above), it removed most of the reflections and glare.

The difference isn’t dramatic, and not every bit of the reflection was removed. But Galaxy AI reduced most of the reflections, resulting in a cleaner-looking image. I’m curious to see how Samsung improved Galaxy AI and what features and tools it adds. Fortunately, we won’t have to wait long.

February 11, 2026 at 6:02 AM PST

I’m embarrassed to admit that, on more than one occasion, I’ve placed my Galaxy S25 Ultra against an inclined MagSafe charger and watched it slide off because the phone doesn’t have magnets to hold it in place. I feel like a returned astronaut who forgets that he can’t just leave objects hanging midair as he could in zero-gravity space.

The S25 Ultra does have Qi wireless charging, but in 2026 that’s not enough, especially for a premium flagship phone. Whether Samsung calls it by the name of the charging standard, Qi2, adopts MagSafe (Apple’s term), PixelSnap (Google’s) or comes up with its own clever term (GalaxyMag? SamSnap?), a magnetic attachment is now long overdue. I expect any phone to snap onto a charger, a car mount, a tripod mount or hold a portable external charger or wallet.

February 10, 2026 at 4:54 PM PST

As has been the tradition with recent Galaxy device launches, you can reserve Samsung’s next phones before they are even announced. While the company didn’t say specifically which devices are being unpacked at its Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25, we expect it will be the rumored Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus and Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Reservations are now open for the latest Galaxy devices. If you reserve one, you get a $30 credit (it was $50 for the S25 series in 2025) to use when preorders go live and be entered to win a $5,000 Samsung gift card to use on Samsung’s website. You can also receive up to $900 off in additional savings when you trade in a device or a $150 credit without trade-in. Don’t want to make a reservation through Samsung, well, head over to AT&T or Best Buy and do it there. 

February 10, 2026 at 4:16 PM PST

Samsung announced on Tuesday that it will hold an event on Feb. 25 in San Francisco. While the company didn’t say for sure what will be announced, we assume it will be the rumored Galaxy S26 line of phones, including a Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung did put out a nifty animated video that might offer up clues and easter eggs about what we can expect.

The invite video starts with a white square that “comes to life” and transforms into a frosted translucent cube with a sparkle emoji, which has become the default symbol for AI. The cube starts hopping around, then rolls across the word Galaxy, and as it reaches the end of the word, the letters AI appear behind the cube. This sends the cube airborne, where it splits open and releases the AI sparkle emoji.

Next, the AI emoji sparkle levitates and self-enlarges, rising above the cube’s remains. (If you’re watching the video version, you’ll hear Samsung’s signature Over the Horizon ringtone melody play.) Then it cuts to a black screen with the text “Galaxy Unpacked,” the date, and a note that it will be live on Samsung’s website.

Obviously, we are likely to see a revamp or new additions to Galaxy AI, which debuted on the Galaxy S24 series in January 2024. The frosted cube, though, is confounding. Could this be a new look for the AI interface on Galaxy phones? Is Samsung adopting Apple’s Liquid Glass? Or might Samsung announce a Humane AI Pin-like device shaped like a cube? Also, there weren’t any hints about a phone in the invite and that bums me out.