Samsung Galaxy S26: everything we know about the series so far

Galaxy S26 will be Samsung’s flagship smartphone series next year. It is expected to be released in early 2026 — the company continues its traditional annual cycle of releasing top models. Since the end of 2024, leaks have revealed details about processors, charging, design, and even name changes. Now, there is enough information to form a complete picture of what the manufacturer is preparing.

New models and updated design

According to the GSMA databases (one of which was found by SammyPolice), Samsung can reduce the Galaxy S26 lineup to three models, abandoning the Plus version in favor of the Galaxy S26 Edge. Expected models: Galaxy S26 Pro, S26 Edge and S26 Ultra Android Authority also found references to these three versions in the One UI 8 firmware.

According to an insider Ice UniverseThe Galaxy S26 Edge may become one of the brand’s most modern smartphones, with a body thickness of about 5.5 mm. Samsung plans to further “tighten up” the back: a thinner camera module and a redesigned block.

The Edge model is supposed to replace the «mid-range» Plus, which was often lost between the basic and Ultra models. Thinness will be a key feature, although it can create problems with heat dissipation and affect battery capacity or camera set. The Galaxy S26Ultra, in turn, will also lose weight — about 7+ mm versus 8.2 mm for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. A global redesign is unlikely to happen, but new colors will appear.

There is still no clarity on the S Pen for Ultra. The first rumors hinted at Bluetooth support for the new stylus, but an insider PandaFlashPro reported that Samsung may remove the main touch layer of the display to enable Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. If this is true, the current S Pen will not work, and the company will have to create a new pen.

New OLED screens

According to Digital Chat StationThe S26 Pro will have a 6.27-inch screen, the Edge — 6.66-inch, and the Ultra — 6.9-inch. The Ultra will have the same size, but the bezels will be reduced from 1.2 mm to 1.15 mm.

An Ice Universe insider claims that Samsung will use CoE OLED panels with a new anti-reflective coating. This will improve light transmission, brightness, and efficiency. Flex Magic Pixel — an AI-controlled OLED system that reduces the brightness of individual pixels to maintain privacy while viewing content without compromising image quality will also be added. This will come in handy in the subway or public places.

All models will support an adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz. Rumors about a selfie camera under the display in the Ultra have not yet been confirmed: the Korean edition of Naver denies its appearance.

Processors

Samsung is likely to continue using two types of chips. According to DCSThe series will include Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 for Galaxy, manufactured on TSMC’s 3nm process with a maximum frequency of 4.74 GHz. A special version of the Snapdragon created for Samsung is also possible.

In some regions, the company will bring back its own Exynos 2600 chip, developed on the 2-nm SF2 process. It has a 10-core CPU: one X930 core at 3.55 GHz, three productive A730 cores at 2.96 GHz, and six energy-efficient A730 cores at 2.46 GHz. Insider Jukanlosreve recorded the results: 2155 points in Geekbench 6.4 (single-core) and 7788 points (multi-core). The Bell notes that in the early stages, Exynos shows good stability in production.

ZDNet Korea reports that Samsung will improve the cooling system with a copper Heat Path Block (HPB) insert and a 1.2 times larger evaporation chamber. Memory configurations will start at 128 GB, and the maximum capacity will reach 1 TB. Ultra is expected to have up to 16 GB of RAM.

Cameras

At first, there were rumors of a 200-megapixel Sony 1.1-inch sensor for the S26 Ultra, but Ice Universe said that the smartphone will retain the same 200-megapixel ISOCELL HP2 1/1.3-inch camera as the S25 Ultra.

The difference is in the aperture. The new optics will have an aperture of f/1.4 instead of f/1.7 in its predecessor. This will provide 47% more light, which is especially important for night photography. The prototypes also tested a variable aperture, which Samsung last used in the Galaxy S9.

Other cameras include a 50-megapixel ultra-wide module, a 12-megapixel telephoto module with 3x zoom, and a 50-megapixel periscope module. There are also other leaks: a second 50-megapixel telephoto with 3.5x zoom and a 50-megapixel periscope with 8x zoom. Laser autofocus and a new ProVisual Engine will be added.

Galaxy S26 Pro is likely to get a 50MP main sensor with a larger size, and Edge — 50MP ultra-wide. The entire lineup will be equipped with AI image processing algorithms.

New batteries and faster charging

Digital Chat Station

claims that the battery capacity will vary: 4300 mAh for the S26 Pro, 4200 mAh for the Edge, and 5000 mAh for the Ultra. There may be stacked battery technology and a silicon-carbon version that increase energy density without increasing size.

The Ultra, according to Ice Universe, will receive 60W fast charging. This is finally Samsung’s response to Xiaomi and OnePlus, which already offer 80-120W. For comparison: OnePlus 13 supports up to 100 watts, Xiaomi 15 Ultra — 90 watts.

One UI and artificial intelligence

The smartphones will run One UI 8.5 (based on Android 16). Samsung plans to integrate several AI assistants besides Google Gemini, creating a flexible integration platform. There are rumors that the company may cooperate with Perplexity AI to implement advanced generative tools. This means an even greater emphasis on AI functions in the system.

Release date

The Galaxy S26 will be traditionally unveiled in February 2026, and the smartphones will go on sale a few weeks later. Although there is no exact data yet, the price is expected to remain close to the Galaxy S25 series.

Source: 91mobiles