Here’s what we know about the Galaxy S26 series so far
It’s early 2026 and the internet is full of rumors about the Galaxy S26. Some seem credible, others less so. But there are enough reliable rumors floating around that we can paint a pretty clear picture of what the Galaxy S26 series is expected to bring when it launches later this year.
Galaxy S26 series will be announced in late February
One of the few things that has been officially confirmed is that Galaxy Unpacked will take place on February 25th. Samsung sent out invitations on February 10 and also greenlit the launch window. Pre-order reservations will start on the day of the event and we know that the pre-order period will end on March 11th.
The phones are expected to arrive with Android 16 and One UI 8.5, which are expected to land on other Samsung Galaxy models shortly after the Galaxy S26 debuts.
Arguably the most interesting One UI 8.5 update, included in the One UI 8.5 Good Lock app, is a built-in privacy display feature that makes the screen difficult to read from an angle. The feature is tied to the Galaxy S26 series’ new OLED panel, so you shouldn’t expect it on older Galaxy S models. Apart from that, One UI 8.5 will also let you customize the Quick Settings panel and Home screen folders, along with a host of other improvements.
I’m excited about Samsung’s One UI 8.5 update for this feature.
Stop ads in their tracks.
The Galaxy S26 Edge will (probably) not arrive
The Galaxy S25 Edge once looked like the future of phones, but Samsung now seems to have written the experiment off as a failure. At the moment, it’s almost certain that the S26 Edge won’t arrive.
As reported by SamMobile, Samsung Colombia released a PDF detailing promotions for certain Galaxy models, then quickly removed it. According to the post, the Galaxy S26 lineup only includes three models: the base S26, the S26+, and the S26 Ultra.
The Galaxy S26 Edge is nowhere to be found, but the leak doesn’t completely erase it. It’s possible that Samsung will launch the phone at a later date, as it did with the FE models, but you shouldn’t expect the S26 Edge to be released alongside the three main Galaxy S26 variants.
5 reasons why the Galaxy S25 Edge is a step in the wrong direction
The S25 Edge is certainly thin, but its elegant form factor comes at a cost.
Tiny design updates, slightly larger screen on base S26
As has been the case for a long time, the Galaxy S26 family will not introduce major design updates. The S26 Ultra will have more rounded corners than the current model, and the vanilla Galaxy S26 is expected to feature a 6.3-inch screen, compared to the base Galaxy S25’s 6.2-inch screen.
Each member of the Galaxy S26 family is expected to receive a slight rework of the rear camera array, which will result in a more robust and substantial appearance, but will also make the camera bump thicker than before.
While there’s no exciting news in the design department, Samsung is expected to finally make 256GB the default storage option on the Galaxy S26 series. It seems a Finnish retailer has spilled the beans prematurely, sharing the color and storage options of the Galaxy S26, with the base S26 starting at 256GB. 128GB of storage hasn’t been enough in years, making this the best news about the Galaxy S26 family if you ask me.
In terms of colors, the Galaxy S26 lineup will be available in four color flavors: black, white, sky blue, and cobalt purple. The S26 Ultra could also come in Silver Shadow and Pink Gold, according to Evan Blass (@evleaks).
Since these two colors have not been released by the Finnish retailer, it is possible that the two additional color options are exclusive to Samsung’s online store or simply not offered in Europe. Oh, and you shouldn’t expect the iPhone-like orange colorway.
As for battery upgrades, don’t expect miracles. The S26 is expected to receive a slight increase to 4,300 mAh, compared to the S25’s 4,000 mAh battery. Meanwhile, the S26+ is expected to pack the same 4,900mAh battery as its predecessor.
The S26 Ultra retains the S25 Ultra’s 5,000 mAh battery or gets a small increase to 5,200 mAh. Despite previous rumors that Samsung would switch to silicon-carbon batteries, it appears that the Galaxy S26 family will be powered by proven Li-ion cells.
That said, the phones will likely have longer battery life thanks to the use of the new M14 OLED panels, which offer greater efficiency and slightly higher peak brightness.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to receive many iterative upgrades
Apart from the aforementioned updates, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to receive a few exclusive upgrades that will not be available on the other two models.
The S26 Ultra will reportedly support 60W wired charging and 25W wireless charging. The telephoto lens resolution will increase from 10 MP to 12 MP, while the main camera may receive a larger f/1.4 aperture to improve low-light performance.
Finally, you can expect the phone to sport a new generation of Gorilla Glass, which is tougher than ever and features an anti-reflective coating.
Improved Qi2 support? Probably not
Hannah Stryker / Practical Geek
The entire Galaxy S26 series gets Qi2.2 support, which means faster wireless charging which is expected to reach 25W on the S26 Ultra and 20W on the base S26 and S26+.
All three phones were initially expected to include built-in magnets, allowing them to work with magnetic accessories without the need for a Qi2-enabled case. However, we recently learned that magnetic charging will again require a compatible case. It will not be integrated.
A first-party 25W Qi2 charger and 5,000mAh Qi2 wireless power bank (15W wireless, 20W USB-C charging) are being prepared to launch alongside or slightly after the Galaxy S26 series.
Dear Samsung, “Qi2 Ready” means nothing without magnets
“Ready” without the most important component.
New chipsets and a Bixby powered by Perplexity
As of this writing, it is almost certain that the Galaxy S26 family will be powered by the Qualcomm Snapdragon Elite Gen 5. Samsung’s Exynos 2600, the first smartphone chip made on a 2nm process node, could power the Korean and European models.
Finally, Bixby is back with a bang, this time powered by Perplexity. This was confirmed by Samsung in an official post, which the company has since deleted for some reason.
According to the article, Bixby should sound more natural, be context-aware, and understand what you’re asking it to do, at least to the extent that LLMs “understand” the language. The assistant can change settings at the right time and provide answers to your questions thanks to its tight integration with Perplexity. We’ll see how it works.
5 reasons why I prefer Bixby over Google Assistant
What is best for most people is not best for everyone.
There are plenty of additional Galaxy S26 rumors floating around the web, but the ones mentioned above are the most credible. We’ll see if this is true very soon, once we get an official preview of the Galaxy S26 series in late February 2026.
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