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There have been rumors about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 line of phones for months now. For a while, it seemed like Samsung could be replacing its base phone with the Pro. Then we heard that the Plus would be discontinued in favor of the S26 Edge, with the Ultra sticking around. And then there were reports that the S26 Pro would be the new S26 and that the S26 Plus would replace the S26 Edge. It quickly became confusing, to say the least.
Now that the launch of the Galaxy S26 is imminent, it seems like leaks are settling down, with a few speculations finally setting everything straight.
Here's a quick rundown of the latest Galaxy S26 talk to make sense of it all.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 and Galaxy S25 Plus. James Martin/CNET
Galaxy S26 series release date
Samsung typically hosts several Unpacked events each year, with the first usually taking place in either January or February. Most of this year's S25 handsets were announced at a Galaxy Unpacked event on Jan. 22, 2025, and released on Feb. 7.
This year, however, it seems there's a slightly delayed timeline. Multiple reports have said that there could be a Galaxy Unpacked event on Feb. 25 in San Francisco.
It's also possible that additional S26 releases may occur throughout the year. In 2025, for example, Samsung released two more S25 handsets -- the S25 Edge and the S25 FE -- at two separate events in May and September, respectively.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Galaxy S26 Ultra
With all the uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S26 (or Pro) and the Galaxy S26 Edge (or Plus), the Galaxy S26 Ultra is the only model that doesn't seem to be in flux. According to renderings uncovered by Android Headlines, the S26 Ultra looks to have a slightly different design than its predecessor.
The images appear to show that the Galaxy S26 Ultra has curvier corners compared to its predecessor and a slightly different camera layout on the rear. The four cameras are positioned in the same locations, but three of them are housed in a raised vertical bump. There's also speculation that the Ultra could be slightly slimmer, 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 would be brighter and more power efficient.
New rumors suggest that the S26 Ultra will have similar yet slightly upgraded camera specs. ETNews claims that it'll still include a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto lens and a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto lens. The front-facing 12-megapixel camera also appears unchanged. However, Android Headlines reports that the S26 Ultra could have a wider aperture, allowing for better low-light shots.
Like with the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to ship with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in the US and China, and with the Exynos 2600 chip in other markets. Other rumored specs include 16 GB of RAM, up to 1 TB of UFS 4.0 storage, a 5,000-mAh battery and faster 60-watt wired charging.
As for colors, Ice Universe recently reported that the S26 Ultra would come in "black shadow, white shadow, galactic blue, and ultraviolet (or purple)." Leaker Evan Blass said that the colors would be "black, white, silver shadow, sky blue, cobalt violet and pink gold." There were also earlier renderings that showed the S26 Ultra in a similar orange hue to Apple's iPhone 17 Pro, but that color doesn't appear to be in the lineup now.
This is the Galaxy S25's camera array. James Martin/CNET
Galaxy S26
For months, one of the biggest rumors surrounding the Galaxy S26 was that it might not exist at all. Internal build code uncovered by Android Authority suggested Samsung could be scrapping the base model entirely and replacing it with the S26 Pro. That might sound strange at first, but it could have signaled Samsung's plan to position the S26 lineup as a more premium offering than its predecessors.
Now, however, it seems like the S26 Pro rumors were not true. New reports indicate that Samsung is sticking to convention and will call its upcoming flagship the Galaxy S26 after all.
Leaked renders of the S26 show a design very similar to the S25, with one key difference: the rear camera. The S26 appears to have a vertical bump on the back housing three camera lenses, while the S25 has no bump at all, with its lenses fitted directly into the body.
According to Android Headlines, the S26 will have a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, representing a significant upgrade from the S25's 12-megapixel ultrawide camera. There have been conflicting rumors about this, though. Others have speculated that the S26's camera specs will remain unchanged from the S25.
Other speculations about the S26 include a slightly bigger 6.3-inch screen, along with an overall slightly larger and slimmer build. And Android Headlines reports that the S26 could have a 4,300-mAh battery, up to 12 GB of RAM and as much as 512 GB of storage.
As for the processor, Samsung's VP of its Mobile Experiences Division, Daniel Araujo, said in an earnings call that the S26 lineup will "revolutionize the user experience with user-centric, next-gen AI, a second-generation custom AP, and stronger performance, including new camera sensors." This focus on AI could be why Samsung might hold its Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco, which is widely regarded as the center of the AI movement.
This is a strong indicator that the Galaxy S26 series will be powered by the Exynos 2600 processor at least in some regions, according to Android Headlines.
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 about 20% faster and 35% more power efficient than its predecessor.
As for potential software updates, one particularly major leak is that Samsung's One UI 8.5 (expected to debut on the S26) could have a "Privacy display" feature that narrows viewing angles when on sensitive apps like banking so that passersby can't peek at your private information.
The thin Galaxy S25 Edge. Jesse Orrall/CNET
Galaxy S26 Edge and Plus
The Galaxy S25 Edge debuted with a lot of fanfare this year, thanks to its ultraslim form, 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 months, there were leaks suggesting Samsung would replace the Galaxy S26 Plus with the Galaxy S26 Edge. The S26 Edge was expected to have a super-slim profile of around 5.5mm, making it 0.3mm thinner than the S25 Edge. That's also 0.1mm thinner than the iPhone Air. There was further speculation that it would have the same 6.7-inch screen, a larger 4,200-mAh battery and the newer Snapdragon processor.
Now, however, this rumor looks to be on shaky ground. According to SamMobile and 9to5Google, the company could be dropping the Galaxy S26 Edge from its 2026 lineup due to poor sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge, especially in comparison to the rest of the Galaxy S25 series. Instead, Samsung could be replacing the S26 Edge with the Galaxy S26 Plus.
According to a leak received by Android Headlines, the Galaxy S26 Plus has a flat 6.7-inch display with thin bezels surrounding it. On the back, three cameras are set inside a raised vertical bump, similar to how the S26 is rumored to have them.
Android Headlines estimates that the S26 Plus will be 7.35mm thin, which is slim but certainly not as skinny 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.
