Samsung rolls out more AI, new privacy shield mode with the new Galaxy S26 lineup

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) — Samsung on Wednesday unveiled its latest Galaxy smartphones, which boast an even bigger toolbox of artificial intelligence technology than the previous two generations and introduce a new privacy shield mode that blocks snoopy bystanders from sneaking a peek at the display screen.

The upgrades on the Galaxy S26 lineup — arriving in stores March 11 — will also include price increases of 10% to 13% on the basic and mid-tier models while the Ultra device will cost the same as last year's version. The standard Galaxy S26 will sell for $899, while the Plus model will cost $1,099. That's $100 more than what Samsung charged for the comparable devices released in each of the past two years. The Galaxy S26 Ultra remains at $1,299.

As has become commonplace for all new smartphones, Samsung has improved the camera and battery for the Galaxy S26 because those features weigh so heavily on consumers' decisions on whether it's worth upgrading from the devices they already have.

Samsung is also dangling a new reason to pony up for its most expensive Galaxy S26 with a built-in feature called “Privacy Display” that will only be available on the Ultra.

When the privacy protection option is turned on, the pixels on the Ultra change in a way that enables the display screen to only be seen when looking directly down at it. The screen appears off when viewed from the side, preventing “shoulder surfing” from people standing or sitting nearby. The controls can be set up so specific apps, such as those dealing with financial information or other sensitive information, will always open in the Privacy Display mode.

PP Foresight analyst Paolo Pescatore predicts Privacy Display could turn out to be “the sleeper hit, a standout feature in a sea of AI noise.”

But Samsung continues to highlight AI as a marquee attraction on its Galaxy phones, amplifying on a theme that it began harping on two years ago when the company began to embrace the technology as a way to make its devices even more versatile and compelling.

“AI must become part of our infrastructure,” said TM Roh, Samsung's CEO of device experience, during a showcase held in San Francisco. “You should be able to enjoy its benefits through the devices you use every day.”

Samsung is promising this year's Galaxy lineup is loaded with AI that will act as multipurpose agents that fetches information and content so users won't have to spend time doing it on their own.

“This is the agentic AI phone,” Roh said of the Galaxy S26.

As it has in the previous years, Samsung is leaning heavily on Google's Gemini technology for its AI, but also is adding another assistant option from Perplexity, a rising star that is best known for running its own “answer engine” for finding online information.

The Galaxy S26 phones will also include more tools that can doctor photos taken on the devices, including one that automatically softens a subject's skin tone if the selfie is taken with the phone's front camera.

AI technology is being deployed on many other smart devices, including those made by Apple and Google, but it's unclear if the strategy is resonating with consumers.

Although Apple has been promoting its own AI suite for nearly two years, the trendsetting company still hasn't been able to deliver on all the features it has been promising. Apple's AI shortcomings have become so glaring that it's depending on Google to help smarten up i ts often bumbling virtual assistant Siri.

Despite all that, Apple's iPhone has remained the world's top-selling smartphone for the past three years — a mantle that Samsung last held in 2022, according to the research firm International Data Corp.

“AI is still not a sought-after feature among users,” Pescatore said. "The big opportunity is making AI feel like a daily habit rather than a party trick, with tighter integration across core apps. AI must be boringly useful. Less ‘look what it can do,’ more ‘this saves me time every day.’ ”

FILE - The logo of the Samsung is seen at the Samsung Electronics' Seocho building in Seoul, South Korea, Friday, July 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Lee Jin-man, File)

Samsung unveils its latest Galaxy smartphones during a showcase in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Samsung unveils its latest Galaxy smartphones during a showcase in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

Samsung unveils its latest Galaxy smartphones during a showcase in San Francisco on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026. (AP Photo/Haven Daley)

LOS ANGELES (AP) — The FBI was serving search warrants Wednesday at the Los Angeles Unified School District’s headquarters and the superintendent’s home as part of a federal investigation.

Rukelt Dalberis, a spokesperson for the FBI’s Los Angeles field office, confirmed that agents were at the properties to serve warrants but declined to comment further because affidavits laying out details for the basis for the searches were under seal. A third location in Florida was also being searched.

The nature of the investigation and what allegations were being examined was not immediately clear.

The district and the superintendent’s office did not immediately respond to emails and a voicemail requesting comment.

TV news footage showed agents in FBI shirts and jackets outside Superintendent Alberto Carvalho's modest home in the San Pedro neighborhood about 20 miles (32 kilometers) south of downtown LA. There was no visible sign of agents outside the district headquarters as of mid-morning.

Carvalho has been the Los Angeles public schools superintendent since February 2022. Before that, he oversaw Miami-Dade County Public Schools, Florida’s largest school district, from 2008 to 2021, when he was credited with improving graduation rates and academic performance.

The sprawling Los Angeles Unified School District is the nation's second largest, with more than 500,000 students and covering more than two dozen cities. Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass’s office said it had no information about the search of the district's headquarters and noted that the public school system operates independently of city government.

James Marshall, an FBI spokesman in Miami, told the AP that agents searched a residence in Southwest Ranches, which is in Broward County west of Fort Lauderdale, on Wednesday morning and “have since cleared the scene.” He said no further information was available.

Officials with the Miami-Dade school system did not immediately respond to emails seeking comment on whether the FBI or other federal agencies have contacted them regarding Carvalho.

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Tucker reported from Washington. Associated Press writers Freida Frisaro in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and Julie Watson in San Diego also contributed to this report.

outside the home of Los Angeles Unified School District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho on Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in San Pedro, Calif. (AP Photo/William Liang)

Photos of board members decorate the walls inside LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The exterior of LAUSD headquarters is shown Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

The exterior of LAUSD headquarters is shown Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

People stand in the lobby of the LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

Media stages outside LAUSD headquarters Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes)

FILE - Los Angeles District Superintendent Alberto Carvalho, at podium, holds a news conference as SEIU Local 99 Executive Director Max Arias, left, and Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass, right, listen, in Los Angeles City Hall, Friday, March 24, 2023. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)