Galaxy S26 Series Postponed to Early 2026; Plus Model Retained
Galaxy S26 release postponed; Plus variant stays, Edge canceled. Check expected Ultra specs, Snapdragon or Exynos chip, and early 2026 launch updates.
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According to sources from the industry, Samsung has decided to delay the launch of its Galaxy S26 series of flagship smartphones, which are now expected to be available in the late February or early March 2026 timeframe. The decision to delay was made after the company changed its mind regarding the new phones' lineup, with the South Korean brand keeping the Plus version instead of the previously rumored Edge variant.
Rumors had it that Samsung was going to get rid of the Plus variant and instead introduce an Edge model while renaming the vanilla phone as Pro. In line with that, the Galaxy S26 series would comprise Galaxy S26 Pro, Galaxy S26 Edge, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. But according to 9To5Google, quoting the South Korean media NewsPim, Samsung has killed the Edge version altogether. The halt in production comes after the poor sales of Galaxy S25 Edge, which, in turn, led the company to give up on its ultra-thin Edge designs.
The new confirmed models now are three: Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. Although not yet made public by Samsung, the specifications and final models are expected to be leaked. It is said that the Ultra will be the flagship and will keep up with the brand's tradition of premium performance.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely to come with a 6.9-inch AMOLED display with third-gen anti-reflective glass and Colour-on-Emitter (CoE) depolarizer. Performance may be either with Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Exynos 2600 chip. The device can be paired with 16GB RAM and 1TB storage, running One UI 8 from Samsung. Reported camera upgrades are, 200MP main sensor with wider shutter account, 50MP periscope lens, 50MP ultrawide, and 12MP telephoto. There could be a 5000mAh battery, 60W wired and Qi2 magnetic wireless charging, and a 7.9mm thickness for the device.
Samsung's flagship mobile phone launch schedules have not been consistent over the years. To give a specific example, the Galaxy S22 family of phones was launched at the very end of February 2022, whereas the Galaxy S23 was released in the middle of February 2023. Again, both the S24 and S25 lines came out in January, the start month of their respective years. With the S26 now being postponed, the launch plan becomes more in line with the S22 era.
The exact release date and the final variants of the series are yet to be revealed officially. Samsung might still make some changes to the base model or Plus model as it moves on to the finalizing stage. The Ultra model, on the other hand, is expected to stay as the premium choice, still having its position at the top of the series.
