Galaxy S26 rumor report: Samsung may change its lineup

We’re likely just a few months away from the next Samsung Unpacked event and rumors are swirling about the Galaxy S26 line of phones. And boy, they were everywhere. A few months ago, there was talk that Samsung would replace its flagship phone with the Pro, and the Plus would be dropped in favor of the S26 Edge (just like Apple dropped its Plus for thin phones). iPhone Air) and Ultra will still exist without any name change.

But just a few weeks ago, new reports emerged. The S26 Pro is said to be just an S26, and the S26 Edge may be on its way out. If that sounds confusing, here’s a quick recap of the latest Galaxy S26 rumors to make sense of it all.

Galaxy S26 line release date

Samsung typically holds a number of off-the-shelf events each year, with the first one taking place in January or February. Most of this year’s S25 phones were announced in Galaxy Unpacked event on January 22, 2025, and released on February 7, so we can expect a similar timeline for the Galaxy S26 series.

However, it is possible that there will be additional S26 releases throughout the year. In 2025, for example, Samsung released two more S25 phones – namely S25 Edge and S25 FE – In two separate events in May and September respectively.

Galaxy S26 Pro

For months, one of the biggest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S26 was that there might not be a phone at all. Internal building code revealed by Robot body It was suggested that Samsung could scrap the base model entirely and replace it with the S26 Pro. This may seem strange at first, but it could have indicated Samsung’s plan to position the S26 lineup as a more premium offering than its predecessors.

But according to a new report from SamMobileThe Galaxy S26 Pro may actually be just the standard Galaxy S26. Considering that most other rumors suggest that the phone will be entry-level, it is possible that this is the case.

Leaked renders of the S26 (both the base model and the Pro model) show a very similar design to the S25, with one key difference: the rear camera. The S26 appears to have a vertical notch at the back that houses three camera lenses, while the S25 has no notch at all, as its lenses are mounted directly into the body.

according to Android addressesThe S26 will get a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, which is a big step up from the S25’s 12-megapixel ultra-wide camera. However, there have been conflicting rumors about this Others I expected that the S26 camera specifications would remain unchanged from the S25.

Other speculation about the S26 includes a slightly larger 6.3-inch display as well as a slightly larger and slimmer design overall. Android Headlines also suggests that the S26 Pro could have a 4,300 mAh battery, up to 12GB of RAM and up to 512GB of storage.

As for the processor, rumors suggest that the S26 will use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in the US and China, while most other markets will get Samsung’s own Exynos 2600. According to Qualcomm, the new Snapdragon chip is approximately 20 percent faster and 35 percent more power efficient than its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Edge and Plus

The Galaxy S25 Edge debuted to much fanfare this year thanks to its ultra-slim form factor, so it’s not a stretch to imagine Samsung will come out with a successor next year. However, there have been conflicting rumors about whether this will happen at all.

For several months, he was there Leaks Which indicates that Samsung will replace the Galaxy S26 Plus with the Galaxy S26 Edge. The S26 Edge was expected to have an ultra-thin profile at around 5.5mm, making it 0.3mm thinner than the S25 Edge. This is also 0.1mm thinner than the iPhone Air. There has been other speculation that it will have the same 6.7-inch display, a larger 4,200 mAh battery, and a newer Snapdragon processor.

However, it now appears that this rumor is on shaky ground. according to SamMobile and 9to5GoogleIt is possible that the company will drop the Galaxy S26 Edge from the 2026 lineup due to poor sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge, especially compared to the rest of the Galaxy S25 series. Alternatively, Samsung could replace the S26 Edge with Galaxy S26 Plus. We don’t currently know much about the S26 Plus, but it will likely have the same 6.7-inch display as its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Ultra

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S26 (or Pro) and Galaxy S26 Edge (or Plus), the one phone that seems clear of confusion is the Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to the offers revealed Android addressesThe design of the S26 Ultra seems to be a little different from its predecessor.

The images seem to show that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has curved corners compared to its predecessor and a slightly different camera design on the back. The four cameras are in the same positions, but three of them are located in a high vertical protrusion. There is also speculation that the Ultra may be slightly thinner at 7.9mm thick, which is 0.3mm thinner than the current S25 Ultra. Android Headlines also says that the phone’s 6.9-inch display could use new M14 OLED panels, which will be brighter and more power efficient.

Unfortunately, current rumors point to very similar camera specs on the S26 Ultra. ET News It claims it will still have a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP 3x telephoto camera, and a 50MP 5x telephoto camera. The 12-megapixel front camera also appears unchanged.

As with the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to come with the aforementioned Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the US and China, and with the Exynos 2600 chipset in other markets. Other rumored specifications include 16GB of RAM, up to 1TB of UFS 4.0 storage, a 5,000mAh battery, and faster 60W wired charging.