This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
AI is magical, but perhaps only if you are a phone manufacturer. For the rest of us, it's the excuse companies lean on to justify a lack of year-on-year improvement. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be the prime example of this trend.
The blanket reason for everything
The Galaxy S26 Ultra's hardware upgrades will reportedly be limited to a customary new chipset, new display tech, faster charging, and some minor design updates. Its main attraction will be AI, and Samsung has alluded to as much.
The AI features themselves may not necessarily unlock new user experiences, based on leaks.
One of the better uses of AI will be powering the Flex Magic Pixel tech, the foundation of the phone's privacy display. Samsung has already started teasing the feature, and it is said to be one of the phone's highlights. Samsung will use AI to control OLED pixels to adjust viewing angles, hiding the display from shoulder surfers.
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While AI-driven features might have passed for a significant update two years ago, the novelty has worn thin. Yet phone makers like Samsung seem convinced that slapping an AI label on a phone and calling it a day is enough.
Using AI as a crutch
Galaxy S26 Ultra | Image credit — Evan Blass
AI and ML (Machine Learning) are not new concepts. Google's Pixel cameras have been leveraging the technologies since the first generation of Pixel phones to improve photography. Apple's Siri has been using ML for nearly a decade to better understand natural language.
Until a few years ago, AI was used to amplify features without us getting serenaded about the underlying tech. Fast forward to now, and stamping AI on devices is acceptable.
Are you looking forward to the Galaxy S26 Ultra's AI features?
Pay more for less
The demand for memory components from AI companies is driving up prices for everyone. Phone manufacturers, including Samsung, have warned that their products might not remain immune to these changes for long.
If AI isn't your primary reason for buying smartphones — and surveys show it isn't for most customers — you might be paying a premium for more of what you don't want (fancy AI features) and less of what you actually need (better cameras and a bigger battery).
AI might one day start being interesting. For now, it's just something we have been saddled with, and manufacturers like Samsung are milking the hell out of it.
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Anam Hamid is a computer scientist turned tech journalist who has a keen interest in the tech world, with a particular focus on smartphones and tablets. She has previously written for Android Headlines and has also been a ghostwriter for several tech and car publications. Anam is not a tech hoarder and believes in using her gadgets for as long as possible. She is concerned about smartphone addiction and its impact on future generations, but she also appreciates the convenience that phones have brought into our lives. Anam is excited about technological advancements like folding screens and under-display sensors, and she often wonders about the future of technology. She values the overall experience of a device more than its individual specs and admires companies that deliver durable, high-quality products. In her free time, Anam enjoys reading, scrolling through Reddit and Instagram, and occasionally refreshing her programming skills through tutorials.
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