Recently, Samsung held its Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event in San Francisco, where it unveiled the new Galaxy S26 smartphones. The lineup introduces several new features, most notably the Privacy Display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra and agentic AI capabilities.
During the event, we met with Mohammed Azzawe, Sr. Regional Marketing Director & Head of Consumer Market Insights at Samsung Electronics MENA, who spoke about the features of the new devices, the consumer segments Samsung aims to target, and the company’s long-term approach to artificial intelligence.
I believe the Privacy Display is one of the most significant features we introduced. It is the first of its kind in a smartphone and works extremely effectively, as we demonstrated today. I think it’s a remarkable innovation because it was developed based on a deep understanding of users’ privacy needs, elevating privacy protection to an entirely new level and safeguarding users in everyday situations.
It also gives users full control: they can enable or disable it whenever needed and even customize it for specific applications. Privacy is essential in daily life because we often find ourselves in situations where we need to protect our information from others’ prying eyes.
Whenever we launch a new feature in our devices, our primary goal is always to enhance the user experience and make people’s lives easier and more productive. We worked on the Privacy Display for a long time within our R&D division, relying heavily on user behavior insights to address privacy concerns. This feature is the result of extensive research and development, market research, and direct consumer insights and engagement. It is truly an innovative and distinctive solution.
Without a doubt, Horizontal Lock is extremely valuable for people working in creative content. It will help them significantly in their work and reduce the need for extensive video editing and post-production.
We began integrating artificial intelligence with the Galaxy S24 series, and we were among the first companies to adopt this direction. Since then, we have continued to develop it year after year.
You’ve also seen the partnerships Samsung has formed, such as integrating the Perplexity AI agent for search, and our collaboration with Google on the Gemini model. All of these steps highlight Samsung’s strength in AI.
Now, with the Galaxy S26 series, we are introducing a major leap forward. The phone is evolving from a traditional smartphone for communication into an agentic AI phone. I truly believe smartphones are undergoing a major transformation in relation to artificial intelligence, especially as AI now operates in the background to fulfill user requests. As a result, AI can replace many standalone applications.
Competition in the smartphone market is intensifying. However, today we are redefining the smartphone era by moving from traditional smartphones to AI-powered phones. I truly believe that by introducing these capabilities, Samsung has demonstrated its leadership in the smartphone market.
I believe the Galaxy S26 Ultra targets multiple consumer segments across the Middle East and North Africa.
The first group includes business professionals, executives, and senior officials, given how they rely on their devices for professional use.
The second group is content creators, who will benefit from the phone’s full range of capabilities, including AI tools, photo and video editing features, and integration with Gemini. In the past, producing content required multiple applications, tools, and devices, but this phone enables users to create high-quality content efficiently using a single device.
In addition, the S26 Ultra targets mobile gamers who enjoy smartphone gaming and are looking for devices that stay cool during extended use and offer long-lasting battery life.
Overall, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is designed to serve three primary groups: entrepreneurs, content creators, and gamers.
