Samsung has officially revealed the Galaxy S26 Ultra ahead of its Galaxy Unpacked event on February 25, and the upgrades are significant. The device arrives with Edge Fusion AI, an image generation tool that works completely offline, and 60W fast charging, a massive leap for the Korean brand.
The confirmed leak through specialized media shows Samsung is going all-in on artificial intelligence as a differentiator in an increasingly mature smartphone market.
Edge Fusion AI: image generation without internet
How it works
Edge Fusion is Samsung's new generative AI engine that runs entirely on-device, with no internet connection required. It can generate images from text, edit photos with natural language instructions, and create custom wallpapers in seconds.
Unlike similar tools from Google or Apple that rely on the cloud, Edge Fusion processes everything locally thanks to the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which includes a dedicated NPU with 45 TOPS of performance.
Practical use cases
- Photo editing: say "remove the background and put me at the beach" and Edge Fusion does it in 3 seconds
- Creative generation: describe an image and the phone creates it without sending data to any server
- Visual notes: convert hand-drawn sketches into professional illustrations
- Wallpapers: generate unique backgrounds based on your mood or time of day
60W charging: Samsung finally speeds up
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces 60W fast charging, double the 30W of the S25 Ultra. According to Samsung, the device goes from 0 to 50% in approximately 18 minutes. A full charge takes around 50 minutes.
While 60W is far from the 100W+ offered by Chinese brands like Xiaomi or OPPO, it's a significant advance for Samsung, which had been criticized for its conservative charging speeds.
Full Galaxy S26 Ultra specifications
Display and design
The S26 Ultra keeps its 6.9-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with QHD+ resolution and 1-120 Hz adaptive refresh rate. The frame is now Grade 5 titanium, slightly lighter than the previous model.
Processor
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers 30% more CPU performance and 40% more GPU performance compared to the S25 Ultra's chip. Energy efficiency improves by 25%, translating to better battery life.
Cameras
The camera system includes a 200 MP main sensor, 50 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP 3x telephoto, and 50 MP 5x periscope telephoto. The novelty is AI-powered photo processing that automatically enhances every shot.
Battery and software
5,500 mAh battery with 15W wireless charging. Ships with One UI 8.5 based on Android 16, with enhanced Galaxy AI features.
Expected price and availability
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will be officially presented on February 25 at Galaxy Unpacked in San Francisco. The expected price starts at $1,299 for the 256 GB model. Pre-orders would open immediately after the event.
In Latin America, the device is expected to arrive by late March with prices varying by local market.
Is it worth waiting for the S26 Ultra?
If you have a Galaxy S24 Ultra or older, the improvements in AI and fast charging justify the upgrade. Edge Fusion AI is genuinely innovative and 60W charging addresses one of the most common complaints from Samsung users.
If you have the S25 Ultra, the differences are more incremental. The decision will depend on how much you value on-device AI capabilities.
