Everything We Think We Know About the Samsung Galaxy S26 Series

It's been more than a year since the Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 Ultra were unveiled, which means we're overdue some new flagship phones from Samsung. While nothing has been officially revealed about the Galaxy S26, a number of leaks and rumors that have appeared online, providing a pretty good idea of what to expect.

With the caveat that none of this is confirmed (though this information all comes from well-known tipsters with decent track records when it comes to future Samsung products), here's everything the rumors are telling us right now. We'll know how much of it is spot-on once the devices are announced—perhaps as soon as the end of this month.

What rumors say about the Samsung Galaxy S26 series' launch date and pricing

Samsung unveiled the Galaxy S25 phones on Wednesday, Jan. 22, 2025, and they then went on sale on Friday, Feb. 7. We're already into February 2026, and there's still no word about the Galaxy S26 series, so for whatever reason, Samsung hasn't been able to stick to the same schedule that it used last year for its flagship phones' launch.

Still, we should see these handsets appear before we're too much further into 2026. According to information obtained by the team at Dealabs, Samsung is planning to hold a launch event on Wednesday, Feb. 25—which would align with the day of the week that Samsung usually likes to hold its Unpacked events.

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That date has been repeated by veteran leaker Evan Blass, so it looks as certain as anything can be without any official confirmation. There will then be a short preorder period before the phones actually go on sale, as usual, and the Galaxy S26 series is being tipped to start shipping on Wednesday, March 11.

As for pricing, it would seem that these Galaxy S26 handsets are going to cost you as much as their Galaxy S25 counterparts did when they first came out. Several sources, including reports from South Korean media, predict the following starting prices: $799 for the Galaxy S26, $999 for the Galaxy S26 Plus, and $1,299 for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

What rumors say about the Samsung Galaxy S26 series' design

The three models we're expecting—the standard model, the Plus model, and the Ultra model—match up with what Samsung has done in previous years, including 2025. It's possible that we'll see a more affordable FE (Fan Edition) version of the Galaxy S26 later in the year—the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE launched in September 2025.

What we're probably not going to see is a Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge. The Galaxy S25 Edge, the thinnest Galaxy phone to date, broke cover in May 2025, measuring just 5.8mm front to back. However, multiple sources (including the well-respected Jukan) suggest that sluggish sales have led to the model being dropped this year. (It seems demand is weak for the iPhone Air as well.)

The rear camera design from the Galaxy Z Fold 7 is set to be used on the Galaxy S26. Credit: Samsung

When it comes to the designs of these phones, we're not expecting much to change at all. Android Headlines has posted renders for the 6.3-inch Galaxy S26, the 6.7-inch Galaxy S26 Plus, and the 6.9-inch Galaxy S26 Ultra: That's a slight increase in screen size (from 6.2 inches) for the standard model compared to the Galaxy S25, but the other two look like they'll have the same sized displays as their predecessors.

The only real change in terms of aesthetics is a pill-shaped camera island on the back. This was missing on the Galaxy S25 series, but did show up on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 7. Multiple colors have been rumored, in part through wallpaper leaks: They include gray, peach, purple, light blue, black, and silver for the standard model, and black, white, silver shadow, sky blue, cobalt violet, and pink gold for the Ultra model.

What rumors say about the Samsung Galaxy S26 series' specs and features

The Samsung Galaxy S26 phones will come with the standard processor speed bump: As reported by SamMobile, it looks as though the handsets are going to be fitted with a mix of the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 from Qualcomm, and Samsung's own Exynos 2600 processor, depending on region. If previous years are any indication, all the handsets sold in the US will have Snapdragon CPUs inside.

Don't expect massive leaps forward in terms of cameras: According to The Elec in South Korea, the Galaxy S26 cameras will match those on the Galaxy S25 (50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP 3x telephoto), as Samsung tries to keep costs down. However, the Ultra model may get treated to a new 10MP telephoto camera.

The Galaxy S25 series launch. Credit: Samsung

There may be better news when it comes to battery capacity, though this is only one of the contributors to battery life. As Wccftech reports, the Galaxy S26 is rumored to be getting a 4,300mAh battery, compared to the 4,000mAh battery of its predecessor—and the other two models are apparently getting similar bumps as well.

It seems as though this will be the year that Samsung adds MagSafe-style accessory snapping on top of wireless charging to its flagship Galaxy phones. WinFuture has managed to obtain details of some of the official magnetic cases that are apparently coming our way, together with the phones themselves.

The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Credit: Lifehacker

There is one feature that Samsung has officially teased, and that's a "new layer of privacy" for Galaxy phone screens. When this privacy feature is enabled, it will be much harder for anyone but you to see what's on your display—cutting down the risks of 'shoulder surfers' getting a glance at passwords, PIN codes, or other sensitive information.

Overall then, it seems we'll be getting rather modest upgrades from Samsung this time around, in terms of both the hardware design and the internal specs. On the software side there are several new features to look forward to with One UI 8.5, including improved security and sharing tools, and yet more AI functionality.

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