Samsung's S26 and S26+ offer familiar designs, Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chips and new software features

"Unlike the S26 Ultra, the S26 and S26+ represent mostly iterative updates. Samsung has tweaked the design of the two devices, making it so they share the same rounded corners of their more expensive sibling. Additionally, the S26 has a slightly larger 6.3-inch AMOLED display and a higher capacity 4,300mAh battery inside."

"Samsung is depending on new and expanded software capabilities rather than updated hardware to give the S26 and S26+'s cameras an edge over the competition. The company says its new Object Aware Engine will allow the front-facing cameras to deliver more pleasing portrait mode shots, with better rendering of skin tones and hair textures."

"For videos, Samsung has updated its Super Steady tech, making it capable of maintaining a 360-degree horizontal lock. The upgraded feature should make it easier to maintain a consistent level horizon while trying to record a video of a moving child or pet. A new feature named Auto Framing uses a machine learning algorithm to automatically tighten the frame while filming 4K and 8K clips."

Samsung unveiled its S26 and S26+ smartphones at its Unpacked event, representing incremental improvements over previous models. Both phones feature redesigned rounded corners matching the Ultra variant, with the S26 offering a 6.3-inch AMOLED display and 4,300mAh battery, while the S26+ maintains a 6.7-inch screen and 4,900mAh battery. Camera hardware remains unchanged with 50MP main, 12MP ultra-wide, and 10MP telephoto lenses, but software enhancements provide competitive advantages. New features include an Object Aware Engine for improved portrait mode, upgraded Super Steady video stabilization with 360-degree horizontal lock, and Auto Framing using machine learning for 4K and 8K recording. North American and Japanese models use Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processors.

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