Galaxy S26 rumor report: Samsung may change the series

Rumors have been circulating about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 line of phones. Months ago, many expected that Samsung would replace its basic phone with a Pro phone. After that, speculation was that the Plus would be discontinued in favor of the S26 Edge (much like how Apple dropped its Plus phone for the thin devices). iPhone Air), while Ultra will remain in place.

A few weeks ago, new reports emerged that the S26 Pro would be the S26, and that the S26 Plus could replace the S26 Edge.

Here’s a quick summary of the latest Galaxy S26 talks to make sense of it all.

Galaxy S26 line release date

Samsung usually hosts a few off-the-shelf events every year, with the first one usually 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 additional S26 versions will be released 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 it might not exist 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.

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 feature a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, which represents a significant upgrade 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, Samsung’s vice president of mobile experiences, Daniel Araujo, said in a recent earnings call that the S26 lineup “will revolutionize the user experience with next-generation user-centric AI, a second-generation dedicated access point, and stronger performance, including new camera sensors.”

This is a strong indication that the Galaxy S26 series will be powered by the Exynos 2600 processor at least in some regions, according to Android addresses.

However, rumors suggest that the S26 will use Qualcomm’s latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset in the US and China. 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-thin form factor, so it’s not a stretch to imagine that 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.

According to the leak she received Android addressesThe Galaxy S26 Plus has a 6.7-inch flat screen with thin bezels surrounding it. On the back, three cameras are placed inside a high vertical notch, similar to what is rumored to be on the S26.

Android Headlines estimates the S26 Plus will be 7.35mm thick, which is thin but certainly not as thin as the previously rumored Edge. Other rumors about the S26 Plus include the inclusion of Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor in some regions and Samsung’s own Exynos 2600 processor in others.

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 were placed in the same locations, but three of them were placed in a high vertical protrusion. There’s also speculation that the Ultra might be a bit 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 suggest that the S26 Ultra will have very similar camera specs. ET News It claims it will still have a 200MP main camera, a 50MP ultra-wide lens, a 10MP telephoto lens, and a 50MP 5x telephoto lens. 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.