Galaxy S26 Rumor Roundup: Samsung May Be Shaking Up Its Lineup

We’re likely only a few months away from the next Samsung Unpacked event and rumors are swirling about the Galaxy S26 line of phones. And boy, have they been all over the place. A few months ago, there was talk that Samsung would be replacing its base phone with the Pro, the Plus would be dropped in favor of the S26 Edge (much like how Apple dropped its Plus phone for the thin iPhone Air) and the Ultra would stick around without any name change. 

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

Galaxy S26 line release date

Samsung usually holds a few Unpacked events each year, with the first 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, so we can expect a similar timeline for the Galaxy S26 series.

However, it’s possible that there might be additional S26 releases 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. 

Galaxy S26 Pro

For months, one of the biggest rumors about the Galaxy S26 was that there might not be one 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.

But according to a new report from SamMobile, the Galaxy S26 Pro might actually just be the standard Galaxy S26. Given that most other rumors suggest the phone will be pretty entry-level, that could very well be the case.

Leaked renders of the S26 (whether the base or Pro model) 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 get a 50-megapixel ultrawide camera, which is a big step up from the S25’s 12-megapixel ultrawide. There have been conflicting rumors about this, however, as 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. Android Headlines also reports that the S26 Pro 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, rumors suggest 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 about 20 percent faster and 35 percent more power-efficient than its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Edge and Plus

The Galaxy S25 Edge debuted to a lot of fanfare this year thanks to its ultra-slim form factor, so it’s not a stretch to imagine Samsung would 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 5.5 mm, making it 0.3 mm skinnier than the S25 Edge. That’s also 0.1 mm 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. We currently don’t know too much about the S26 Plus, but it’ll likely have the same 6.7-inch screen as its predecessor.

Galaxy S26 Ultra

With all the uncertainty surrounding the Galaxy S26 (or Pro) and the Galaxy S26 Edge (or Plus), the only handset seemingly free of confusion is the Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to renders uncovered by Android Headlines, the S26 Ultra looks to have a slightly different design than its predecessor.

The images appear to show the Galaxy S26 Ultra has curvier corners compared to its predecessor and a slightly different camera layout on the rear. The four cameras are in the same positions, but three of the cameras are housed in a raised vertical bump. There’s also speculation that the Ultra could be slightly slimmer at 7.9 mm thick, which is down 0.3 mm from 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. 

Unfortunately, current rumors point to very similar camera specs in the S26 Ultra. ETNews claims it will still have a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, a 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and a 50-megapixel 5x telephoto. The front-facing 12-megapixel camera also appears unchanged. 

Like with the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is said to ship with the aforementioned 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.