Galaxy S26 Series Leak: Brighter Screens Might Not Arrive This Generation

Samsung's future Galaxy S26 series, which is expected to be released in early 2026, might not offer the display brightness increase that many people were waiting for. A recent leak indicates that the peak brightness for all models—Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra—will be 2,600 nits, which is the same as the Galaxy S25 lineup. This lack of progress is very different from the past flagship trend where Samsung used to increase screen brightness over generations.

A leaky source, PhoneArt (@UniverseIce), has confirmed at an online post that the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphones will come with the new M14 OLED panels, but the brightness will be the same as with the previous generation. M14 is supposed to make the displays not only more efficient but also more durable and purer in color; however, these advantages will not be reflected in the nit ratings. Samsung could be keeping the nits level constant for thermal management or to save on manufacturing costs. This is in spite of Apple, Xiaomi, Oppo, and Vivo having already launched brighter OLED displays in 2025, making it harder for Samsung to compete.

By way of illustration, the iPhone 17 has a peak brightness of 3,000 nits, the Xiaomi 17 is at 3,500 nits, the Oppo Find X9 comes to 3,600 nits, and the Vivo X300 has a maximum of 4,500 nits. Despite being 2,600 nits, Samsung's new flagship series still expect users to consider the very same level of brightness as the previous generation of phones, which is definitely a downer in terms of the company's strategy.

However, despite the lack of peak brightness increase, the M14 technology would still bring benefits to the S26 series. The material is expected to be more efficient, robust against degradation, and thus, more beneficial for display performance, meaning longer life and stable brightness during prolonged usage.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra might be equipped with a variant of Corning Gorilla Armor with even better anti-reflective quality thereby making the display more viewable during the day. Besides, Samsung is said to be experimenting with a Privacy display mode that will automatically dim sensitive content in public places.

The upgrade of the display is not the only thing that is being planned. The Galaxy S26 Ultra is rumored to be handling 60W wired charging that is fast as much as 60W wired charging while the in-wireless charging could be at 25W. Other devices in the series like S26 and S26 Plus might get a 20W wireless charging boost as well.

Samsung is said to be adopting a gradual pace of internal cooling, taking care of batteries and cameras which may lead to keeping the pricing of their products close to that of the iPhone 17 series. The complete Galaxy S26 series is awaited to be launched in January 2026, although there are also hints at February or March release dates.

The Galaxy S26 series will likely bring more features in a smaller form factor rather than big leaps in display quality. Even though there are new M14 OLED panels with improved efficiency and longevity, customers who are after brighter screens may soon be disappointed as the enhancements will probably be in terms of structure and function rather than peak brightness.