What we find out about Samsung Galaxy S26: Leaks, rumors, specs

Samsung normally launches its subsequent wave of flagship gadgets 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 similar time in 2026.

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

What is going to the Galaxy S26 telephones appear to be?

Not too long ago, leaker @onleaks posted a gallery and video on X that claims to indicate dummy items of the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely. We won’t confirm the authenticity of the video, however it seems believable, at the least.

Total, it seems 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 facet of the telephone, it’s going to make the telephone wobble when positioned down on a desk or desk. As compared, the most recent iPhone 17 Professional Max has a extra symmetrical form and thus no wobble.

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Nonetheless, we might be a little bit skeptical of this leak. Android Police just lately posted its personal alleged S26 Extremely leaks, solely with out the digital camera bump.

What fashions will probably be included within the S26 lineup?

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

Attributable to Apple’s success in providing important year-over-year upgrades to the bottom iPhone 17 (resembling 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. Based on that report, you possibly can count on a retread of the standard S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Extremely lineup in 2026. Which may 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 monitor 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 lifeless, or it’d come out later within the 12 months as a separate launch just like the S25 Edge did. On condition that telephone’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 notably stunning. The Galaxy S26 collection is at present 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 currently.

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 characteristic 16GB of RAM, a 4GB enhance from the previous few years, and probably the most a Galaxy telephone 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 accessible as an possibility. 

Galaxy S26: Is a worth hike coming?

We’re within the midst of a significant international reminiscence scarcity, and this may very well be very unhealthy information for smartphone and laptop computer customers (you possibly can blame the AI trade for hogging all of the RAM). And in keeping with leaker @kro_roe, this might not solely result in an S26 worth hike, but additionally the top of a well-liked launch supply.

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Usually, when Samsung launches a brand new telephone, prospects who pre-order or buy at launch can declare double the storage at no further value. However with RAM in brief provide, that will not be the case. The latest rumors counsel that Samsung hasn’t landed on a last worth for the S26 telephones, nevertheless.

TL;DR: Not solely may S26 telephones value extra, however you might have to pay a premium for extra storage as properly.

Battery and charging

Primarily based on early rumors, this can be one of the attention-grabbing modifications coming to the S26 lineup. Samsung has been engaged on a stacked battery design that might permit for extra dense batteries in the identical bodily house. This might convey a long-awaited bump to battery dimension. Based on early rumors, the S26 Extremely is slated to return with a 5,500 mAh stacked battery, a ten % enhance 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 an even 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 system) has been adjusted all the way down to a extra modest 4,300mAh cell.

For charging, it’s unlikely that the Galaxy S26 collection will get a critical improve. Samsung is undoubtedly engaged on 60W wired charging, however up to now, plainly Samsung will look ahead to the Galaxy S27 collection (or later) to implement it. This might change as we get nearer to launch for the S26 collection, however for now, plainly 45W will probably be round for at the least another 12 months. There are additionally rumors that wi-fi charging may even see a bump to the Qi2 normal

Galaxy S26: What concerning the cameras?

The digital camera system within the Galaxy S26 collection could change fairly a bit, and there are a number of totally different rumors that say various things. Leaping proper in, one older rumor says that the S26 collection could have the identical megapixel rely however will characteristic a brand new, as-of-yet unannounced sensor from the identical ISOCELL GN collection 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 possible that Samsung will do the 200MP with a brand new sensor, however all leaks are being thought of proper now. 

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

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

Nonetheless, many of those rumors come from the time once we thought Samsung was considerably altering the S26 lineup. Newer stories point out that, at the least for the bottom S26 and S26 Plus, issues will not change that a lot from earlier years. Based on 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. When you had been hoping for giant modifications within the cheaper S26 fashions this 12 months, you’ve got 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 collection will possible get One UI 8.5, which is slated for a relatively giant redesign together with a number of recent options, together with the aforementioned privateness display screen characteristic. Based on 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 how a lot (if any) of that is true in only a matter of weeks, going by earlier Samsung announcement timelines.