The Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely has lastly arrived and, as traditional, Samsung has packed this telephone with a plethora of brand-new options to check out. There’s the whole lot right here from productiveness instruments to inventive apps and a great deal of AI methods.
Should you’ve determined to spend money on Samsung’s newest flagship, this text will show you how to take advantage of it. I’ll show you how to discover and tweak all the new options, so you need to use them as typically or as little as you’d like.
On this article, I’ll be specializing in the S26 Extremely, as that’s the telephone I’ve, however loads of the following tips will work for the Galaxy S26 and S26+ as properly (aside from the privateness show and APV). With that stated, let’s get caught in.
1. Regulate the Privateness Show
Privateness Show is the headline characteristic of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely, and it’s like nothing we’ve seen earlier than. Wish to cease nosy neighbours from peeking at your display screen? Simply allow privateness show, and nobody will be capable of see your display screen from an angle.
Sadly, it’s not a characteristic that you simply’ll need to maintain enabled all the time, as your show received’t look as good when it’s turned on. Privateness Show solely makes use of about half of the accessible pixels, and as such, the display screen is decrease decision, dimmer, and has much less distinction than when it’s turned off.
Fortunately, Samsung makes it very simple to toggle on and off, and also you additionally get a bunch of choices to set off the characteristic mechanically.
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How? The quickest approach to get to the Privateness Show settings is to swipe down from the higher right-hand aspect of your display screen to open the short settings. There’s a button on the very backside of this panel that can allow you to alter the essential choices.
Tapping Particulars on the backside of this window will open the complete settings menu or, alternatively, you possibly can open the Settings menu, choose Show after which Privateness Show to get to the identical place.
On this menu, you possibly can flip the characteristic on or off, in addition to choose the energy of the impact. Regular Privateness Show could have higher decision and readability, however might be simpler to see from an angle. Most Privateness Safety will make the display screen look worse, but it surely’ll be nearly inconceivable to see from an angle.
You may as well set the situations for the Privateness Show to activate mechanically. I selected to make mine activate each time I open my banking app, however you might additionally defend your messaging apps in the identical approach. You may as well allow it to guard notification pop-ups and password entry.
2. Reorganise the Fast Settings
The S26 Extremely has a few of the most in-depth Fast Settings customisation I’ve ever come throughout. Say, as an example, you don’t like how far it’s important to scroll to get to Privateness Show, you possibly can simply transfer it to the highest.
You may as well resize the buttons and sliders, and even make the sliders vertical, moderately than horizontal.
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How? Simply pull down the Fast Settings shade by swiping down from the higher proper aspect of your display screen. There are three icons on the high proper. Faucet on the Pencil icon to begin modifying.
You’ll then see seize handles to make components bigger or smaller, a minus image to take away controls, and a plus image so as to add extra. You may make it as busy or as minimal as you want.
3. Enhance the decision
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely ships with the show operating at 1080p. There’s nothing new about that. It makes the battery last more, and it’s nonetheless greater than sufficient decision for most individuals.
That stated, if you wish to take advantage of the QHD+ panel, you’ll need to improve the decision in your settings.
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How? Simply open the Settings menu, go to Show, after which Display Decision. In right here, you possibly can choose between HD+, FHD+ and QHD+ resolutions.
4. Save time with Now Nudge
Now Nudge is a brand new characteristic that supercharges your predictive replies. For instance, if somebody texts you asking for images from final night time, Now Nudge will pop up with a helpful hyperlink to these images.
It might additionally lookup telephone numbers or calendar occasions, relying on the context. It’s an actual time-saver.
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How? Now Nudge is a characteristic that’s constructed into Samsung’s keyboard, so if you wish to use it, you’ll have to have Samsung’s keyboard enabled, moderately than Gboard or SwiftKey. To vary the keyboard, go to Settings, then Basic Administration, and choose Keyboard. Then set Samsung Keyboard as your default enter technique.
Subsequent, go into Settings, faucet on Galaxy AI, then select Now Nudge. Right here, you’ll discover a toggle to allow the characteristic, and in the event you faucet on Private Knowledge Intelligence, you can provide Now Nudge the required permissions to work appropriately.
As soon as that’s all arrange, Now Nudge will seem within the place of your predictive replies when it sees a related message in your display screen.
5. Make pictures with Artistic Studio
Artistic Studio is a brand new app that permits you to use AI to make stickers, wallpapers, invites and greeting playing cards to share together with your family and friends.
All it’s essential do is kind your concept in plain English, for instance: “A giraffe carrying a beret and holding an S26 Extremely” and Artistic Studio will make it seem in a matter of minutes.
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How? Go into your Settings menu, faucet on Galaxy AI, then Artistic Studio. There’s a toggle to allow the characteristic, and as soon as it’s enabled, a brand new app will seem on your property display screen.
Open the Artistic Studio app and choose the kind of art work you require. Then you possibly can both kind your concept or draw a doodle, and AI will do the remainder.
6. Change up your voice assistant
One of many massive modifications with this technology is that Bixby has returned, and it’s a lot smarter than earlier than. However in fact, you possibly can nonetheless use Gemini or Perplexity in the event you want.
The massive benefit of Bixby is that it might probably take extra management over your telephone’s settings, because it’s native to Samsung. So, in the event you don’t know how you can do one thing, you possibly can simply ask Bixby to do it for you. Nonetheless, in my expertise, Gemini remains to be higher for locating data.
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How? Go to Settings, seek for “Bixby” after which faucet Bixby Settings. On this menu, you possibly can set Bixby to reply to your voice or a press of the ability button.
You may as well swap your voice assistant to Perplexity if you wish to attempt one thing else completely. To do that, open Settings, go to Apps, then Select default apps. On this menu, use the Digital Assistant app choices to change between voice assistants.
7. Activate Name Screening
One other glorious new characteristic of this S26 fashions is the power to display screen calls from unknown numbers. Should you get a suspicious-looking telephone name, you possibly can have an AI assistant reply the telephone and ask the caller who they’re and what they’re calling about.
You’ll see all the interplay transcribed in your display screen, after which you possibly can determine whether or not you need to reply or not. It’s a game-changer in the event you get loads of spam calls – and who doesn’t today?
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How? Go to Settings, then Apps, then Samsung app settings, and select Name settings. Faucet the Name screening choice, and allow it with the toggle on the high.
On this menu, you can too select a voice, default language, and whether or not you need it to mechanically display screen suspect rip-off calls or not.
8. Use Audio Eraser on YouTube, Netflix and Instagram
Audio Eraser was launched final yr as a approach to clear up background sound on movies recorded together with your telephone. Now, although, you need to use this helpful characteristic on different content material, too.
Should you’re watching a YouTube video and are struggling to listen to the dialogue over background sounds, Audio Eraser can save the day, reducing undesirable noise and boosting voices.
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How? When a video is taking part in on a suitable app (akin to Netflix, YouTube, or Instagram) swipe down from the upper-right aspect of your display screen to open the Fast Settings shade.
It’s best to see a brand new button on the high of the settings menu that claims Audio Eraser. Faucet on that, and also you’ll be capable of toggle the characteristic on and off, alter the energy, and allow or disable Voice Focus.
9. Create easy movies with Horizontal Lock
The brand new Horizontal Lock stabilisation mode is one other crowd favorite. It means your movies will maintain the horizon degree, irrespective of how a lot you tilt the telephone. You’ll be able to even spin the telephone 360 levels, and the ensuing video might be completely degree.
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How? To allow Horizontal Lock, open the Digital camera app, swap to Video mode, and search for a logo that appears like a operating man on the high of your display screen. Faucet on the operating man image, and also you’ll be capable of choose between Tremendous Regular mode and Horizontal Lock mode.
It’s value noting that the Horizontal Lock mode is just accessible when Log recording is disabled, and the ultimate decision might be lowered to QHD.
10. Use APV for skilled video
The opposite massive addition to the digicam app is a brand new codec known as APV (Superior Skilled Video). That is just like Apple’s ProRes format, and it’s designed for skilled video productions, moderately than informal clips.
APV offers you a lot greater picture constancy with a wider color gamut for modifying flexibility. One of many key advantages is that APV clips will retain their high quality, even after a number of edits. However be warned: the file sizes are humongous (as much as 1.5GB per minute of recorded video). That is actually just for skilled capturing.
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How? First, you’ll want to make sure that APV is enabled in your settings. Go to the Digital camera app, faucet the 4 dots icon to entry further settings, then faucet the Cog icon to enter the complete settings menu. In right here, faucet Video format after which toggle on APV.
You may as well use this menu to change between HDR and Log profiles, in addition to choose both 422 HQ or 422 LQ compression. There’s even a helpful hyperlink on this menu that may allow recording to exterior SSDs; you’ll in all probability need that enabled, too.
As soon as that’s achieved, APV could be turned on or off through a devoted button on the high of your display screen within the digicam app, subsequent to the Log choice.