- Samsung has set its next Galaxy Unpacked event for February 25, 2026
- The Galaxy S26 series is expected to be unveiled at the event
- Galaxy AI will again be a big focus
After months of rumors and speculation, Samsung has finally set the date for its first Galaxy Unpacked event in 2026 – and all signs point to the Galaxy S26 series.
It will be the first Galaxy Unpacked in 2026, which will take place on February 25 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (5am AEDT on the 26th), streamed live from San Francisco, California. Samsung is teasing that the event will usher in “its latest Galaxy innovations,” which we’re almost certain points to the Galaxy S26 series.
Samsung is expected to lead with the ultra-premium Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S26 Plus and standard Galaxy S26. This early-year Unpacked event traditionally focuses on Samsung’s flagship non-folding Galaxy S smartphone, though the company has occasionally dropped a surprise, like the first formal tease of the Galaxy Ring back in 2024.
If you’re hoping for the next Galaxy Z Fold, Z Flip or especially a new Z TriFold, don’t hold out hope. We likely won’t see any new foldable devices until the summer of 2026, and Samsung only just started shipping the Z TriFold in the US last month, in January.
Get in early
Still, if you’re looking for a fresh candybar smartphone, the Galaxy S26 lineup is shaping up to be a still-impressive—if more iterative—trio of devices. As in previous years, Samsung is already letting fans pre-order whatever it announces on February 25, and it’s completely free to do so.
You can pre-order the “next Galaxy” on Samsung’s website for a chance to win a $5,000 Samsung gift card, while also securing an exclusive $30 credit towards the devices it reveals. It’s a smaller incentive than previous years, but it can be stacked with up to a $900 trade-in credit, depending on the device and Samsung’s valuation.
Interestingly, Samsung is also offering a $150 no-trade-in credit—apparently on top of the $30 bonus—if you order directly from the company, which certainly sweetens the deal.
Given that pre-ordering costs nothing and doesn’t require a credit card, it’s definitely worth doing even if you’re only slightly interested in the Galaxy S26. Samsung has also teased that similar deals are coming upfront from Best Buy and AT&T, though details haven’t been shared yet.
Alongside the invitation, Samsung released a short teaser video for Galaxy Unpacked – and it seems the brand is feeling lucky. The invite image shows Samsung’s Galaxy AI logo emerging from a clear cube that looks like it’s been blown open, emitting prismatic shades of blue, pink and purple that could hint at new colors for the S26 series.
Beyond the “Galaxy Unpacked” branding, date, time, and live stream URL, the image doesn’t reveal much. The video teaser adds a bit more flair, showing the glowing Galaxy AI cube rolling across the screen before opening, with the four stars of the Galaxy AI logo in the center – reinforcing that Galaxy AI will play a big role in Samsung’s next flagship phones.
On the hardware side, the Galaxy S26 series is expected to deliver another performance bump thanks to a new processor – likely a Qualcomm Snapdragon for the Galaxy – while sticking pretty close to the design language of the current Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra. One rumored feature that stands out, however, is a new privacy mode for the Galaxy S26 Ultra that allows users to turn screen protection on and off instantly. It’s a small touch, but one that can be especially useful when you’re viewing sensitive information in public.
Either way, we’re just a few weeks out from Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, 2026, and TechRadar will be on the ground breaking down everything that’s revealed – er, unpacked – as it happens. Let us know if you plan to pick up the Galaxy S26, or what you think of the invitation, in the comments below.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews and opinions in your feeds. Be sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can too follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, video unboxings, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp also.
