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 that blocks snoopy bystanders from sneaking a peek at the display screen. The upgrades on the Galaxy S26 lineup, coming to 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. Samsung also is dangling another reason to pony up for its most expensive Galaxy S26 with a new feature called "Privacy Display" that will only be available on the Ultra.
Apple on Monday charged into the artificial intelligence craze with a new iPhone lineup that marks the company's latest attempt to latch on a technology trend and transform it into a cultural phenomenon. The four different iPhone 16 models will all come equipped with a special chip needed to power an AI suite that Apple is hoping will reverse a recent slump sales. Among other things, Apple's AI features are designed to turn its often-blundering virtual assistant Siri into a smarter and more versatile sidekick. But the changes won't be available when the new iPhones hit the store September 20. Instead, they will come out in December as part of a free software update.
