What we learn about Samsung Galaxy S26: Leaks, rumors, specs

Samsung often launches its subsequent wave of flagship units over the winter, and all indicators level to an early 2026 launch for the Samsung Galaxy S26 — and the Galaxy Z TriFold. The Galaxy S25 was launched in early February, and the Galaxy S24 earlier than it got here in late January. Thus, it stands to motive that the Galaxy S26 will come across the identical time in 2026.

Whereas Samsung hasn’t introduced any upcoming Galaxy Unpacked occasions, we absolutely count on the brand new technology of Samsung telephones to make their debut within the months forward. And if the quantity of S26 leaks is any indication, it is sooner reasonably than later.

What is going to the Galaxy S26 telephones appear like?

Lately, leaker @onleaks posted a gallery and video on X that claims to point out dummy items of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely. We will not confirm the authenticity of the video, however it seems to be believable, no less than.

General, it seems to be similar to the S25 Extremely, as anticipated, with one notable change — it has a digital camera bump just like the Galaxy Z Fold 7. As 9to5Google factors out, as a result of this bump is on the left aspect of the cellphone, it should make the cellphone wobble when positioned down on a desk or desk. Compared, the most recent iPhone 17 Professional Max has a extra symmetrical form and thus no wobble.

This Tweet is at the moment unavailable. It could be loading or has been eliminated.

Nevertheless, we’d be somewhat skeptical of this leak. Android Police not too long ago posted its personal alleged S26 Extremely leaks, solely with out the digital camera bump.

What fashions shall be included within the S26 lineup?

Only a few months in the past, rumors and leaks pointed to a major shakeup within the Galaxy S26 line. It was mentioned that Samsung would rename the bottom mannequin to S26 Professional, drop the Plus mannequin that sat in the midst of the annual lineup for years, and change that with a brand new Edge cellphone modeled after final 12 months’s S25 Edge (which was one thing of a flop). Nevertheless, that is apparently not occurring, and you’ll thank Apple for that, per Korean outlet NewsPim (through 9to5google).

As a result of Apple’s success in providing important year-over-year upgrades to the bottom iPhone 17 (corresponding to a 120Hz show) with out elevating the worth, Samsung has reportedly dropped the Professional branding for the bottom mannequin and reverted it again to simply the Galaxy S26, which was corroborated by a separate report from SamMobile. In response to that report, you may count on a retread of the standard S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Extremely lineup in 2026. That could be disappointing to anybody who was anticipating a giant shakeup based mostly on earlier reporting, but when nothing else, it makes it simpler to maintain observe of what is going on on.

As for the beforehand rumored S26 Edge, it is unclear what is going on to occur with that. It could be useless, or it’d come out later within the 12 months as a separate launch just like the S25 Edge did. Provided that cellphone’s relative lack of success, it could be sensible to imagine there will not be an S26 Edge at this level.

Galaxy S26 rumored specs

For specs, the rumors aren’t significantly shocking. The Galaxy S26 sequence is at the moment rumored to have the most recent Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 chip, which Qualcomm rebranded to the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. There may be additionally a rumor that Samsung will equip some S26 fashions with an Exynos chip, which Samsung followers hope is the Exynos 2600, which has additionally been making some noise within the rumor mill these days.

By way of the small stuff, like storage and RAM, there have been some small rumblings. One rumor says that the Galaxy S26 (all fashions) will function 16GB of RAM, a 4GB improve from the previous couple of years, and essentially the most a Galaxy cellphone has had because the Galaxy S21 Extremely. By way of storage capability, there aren’t any rumors that something will change, so the 128GB base (256GB on the Extremely) is prone to stay in place for now, with upgraded storage out there as an choice. 

Galaxy S26: Is a value hike coming?

We’re within the midst of a serious international reminiscence scarcity, and this might be very dangerous information for smartphone and laptop computer buyers (you may blame the AI business for hogging all of the RAM). And in line with leaker @kro_roe, this might not solely result in an S26 value hike, but additionally the top of a preferred launch supply.

This Tweet is at the moment unavailable. It could be loading or has been eliminated.

Sometimes, when Samsung launches a brand new cellphone, clients who pre-order or buy at launch can declare double the storage at no further price. However with RAM briefly provide, that will not be the case. The newest rumors recommend that Samsung hasn’t landed on a last value for the S26 telephones, nonetheless.

TL;DR: Not solely may S26 telephones price extra, however you could have to pay a premium for extra storage as effectively.

Battery and charging

Primarily based on early rumors, this can be one of the vital fascinating adjustments coming to the S26 lineup. Samsung has been engaged on a stacked battery design that may enable for extra dense batteries in the identical bodily house. This might deliver a long-awaited bump to battery dimension. In response to early rumors, the S26 Extremely is slated to come back with a 5,500 mAh stacked battery, a ten p.c improve from the S25 Extremely. Samsung reportedly experimented with eradicating a digital camera so as to add much more battery capability, however that does not imply it is sure to occur within the mass-produced mannequin. Whereas the S26 Professional was rumored to have a much bigger 4,900mAh battery in comparison with earlier base mannequin Galaxy telephones, NewsPim’s report claimed that the bottom S26 (now that it is not a Professional machine) has been adjusted right down to a extra modest 4,300mAh cell.

For charging, it’s unlikely that the Galaxy S26 sequence will get a severe improve. Samsung is positively engaged on 60W wired charging, however to this point, it appears that evidently Samsung will look ahead to the Galaxy S27 sequence (or later) to implement it. This might change as we get nearer to launch for the S26 sequence, however for now, it appears that evidently 45W shall be round for no less than yet one more 12 months. There are additionally rumors that wi-fi charging might even see a bump to the Qi2 commonplace

Galaxy S26: What in regards to the cameras?

The digital camera system within the Galaxy S26 sequence could change fairly a bit, and there are just a few totally different rumors that say various things. Leaping proper in, one older rumor says that the S26 sequence could have the identical megapixel rely however will function a brand new, as-of-yet unannounced sensor from the identical ISOCELL GN sequence as prior Samsung fashions. On the Galaxy S26 Extremely, a 200MP digital camera is rumored, as is a 324MP lens with a 50MP, 3x telephoto lens. It’s extra doubtless that Samsung will do the 200MP with a brand new sensor, however all leaks are being thought-about proper now. 

S25 Extremely with its 5 cameras.
Credit score: James Martin / Mashable

As well as, there are rumors that Samsung will deliver again its variable aperture on the primary shooter, which Samsung hasn’t included on its digital camera system because the Galaxy S10 sequence again in 2019. As beforehand talked about, Samsung could also be contemplating dropping the variety of cameras to 3 as an alternative of 4, like on prior fashions, to create space for a bigger battery. Different rumors in regards to the digital camera embody a twin periscope design that’ll amplify to 8x, however that’s simply hypothesis presently.

Nevertheless, many of those rumors come from the time once we thought Samsung was considerably altering the S26 lineup. Newer studies point out that, no less than for the bottom S26 and S26 Plus, issues will not change that a lot from earlier years. In response to Korean outlet The Elec, these two telephones could have the very same megapixel rely on the triple-lens rear array as earlier Galaxy fashions: a 50MP broad lens, a 12MP ultrawide lens, and a 10MP 3x telephoto lens. These have been the specs going all the way in which again to the Galaxy S22. For those who had been hoping for giant adjustments within the cheaper S26 fashions this 12 months, you’ve gotten our condolences.

Different options and {hardware}

A lot of the remainder of the Galaxy S26 lineup is predictable. It’ll include the most recent One UI out of the gate with the most recent model of Android. That’s no shock, and we don’t want rumors to foretell that one. The S26 sequence will doubtless get One UI 8.5, which is slated for a reasonably giant redesign together with a bunch of latest options, together with the aforementioned privateness display screen function. In response to rumor, the redesign emulates Apple’s Liquid Glass in some methods with clear UI parts. 

The one different piece of {hardware} we haven’t talked about is the S-Pen. Samsung seems to be set to do one thing huge with the S-Pen. The rumors speculate that the S-Pen is sticking round and can include some upgrades. The brand new performance could have one thing to do with how magnetic equipment work, and this appears to be linked to the aforementioned Qi2 wi-fi charging improve. 

We’ll learn the way a lot (if any) of that is true in only a matter of weeks, going by earlier Samsung announcement timelines.