Samsung Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+: what to expect | Infinium-tech

The launch of the Galaxy S26 series is officially taking place on February 25. As usual there will be three models – we already took a closer look at all the Galaxy S26 Ultra leaks, now it’s time to do the same for the other two models. This is what we know about Samsung’s upcoming flagship.

No Pro, No Age

Samsung never officially confirmed it, but it was reportedly developing the Galaxy S26 Edge to replace the Galaxy S26 Pro and Plus models to replace the vanilla models. Poor sales of the S25 Edge made sure that wasn’t happening. As far as the S26 Pro is concerned, we’re not sure what caused that project to be scrapped, but it could still be a simple re-branding. Whatever the case, the S26 Pro and S26 Edge aren’t happening.

last minute changes

The decision to cancel the S26 Edge came quite late and insiders claim that Samsung had to work hard to get the Galaxy S26+ ready on time. This means the Plus model will miss out on the display upgrade – the 2026 model should use an almost identical display to the S25+. It should get better glass (see below), but that’s it.

Samsung Galaxy S26+ (approximate renders)

The Galaxy S26 could be a little longer but lighter

Unlike its Plus sibling, the Samsung Galaxy S26 is getting an upgraded display. It will reportedly have a new 6.27” panel, up from the 6.16” panel of its predecessors (expect this to be rounded up to 6.3” in most spec sheets).

According to the yet-unconfirmed leak, the vanilla S26 will be about 3mm longer and 1mm wider than its predecessor. The thickness should remain the same. You can check the size details in the table below:

	Galaxy S25	Galaxy S26	Galaxy S25+	Galaxy S26+
Display	6.2″	6.3″	6.7″	6.7″
Height	146.9 mm	149.6 mm	158.4 mm	158.4 mm
Width	70.5mm	71.7 mm	75.8 mm	75.8 mm
thickness	7.2mm	7.2mm	7.3mm	7.3mm
weight	162 grams	137 grams	190 grams	190 grams
Battery	4,000mAh	4,300mAh	4,900mAh	4,900mAh

The vanilla model will come with a larger battery, but more on that in a moment. For now, let’s be light on expected weight – it’s been a while since we’ve seen a mass-market smartphone under 140 grams. Let’s assume these numbers are correct, of course. We’ve also seen 167 grams thrown around (that would be 5 grams more than the S25).

An unconfirmed report suggests that all three models will use Gorilla Armor 2 Glass, the special anti-reflective glass that was only featured on last year’s Ultra. However, take it with a grain of salt. Additionally, the new privacy screen will be exclusive to the Ultra.

Samsung Galaxy S26 (speculative render)

Battery and charging speed

As you see above, the Samsung Galaxy S26+ will have the same 4,900mAh battery capacity as its predecessor – a TÜV certification from a few months ago confirmed this. It will support the same 45W wired and slightly faster 20W wireless charging (up from 15W) as its predecessor.

As far as the vanilla model goes, Samsung reportedly managed to squeeze 300mAh more capacity into the Galaxy S26, bringing its total capacity to 4,300mAh. We’ve seen some rumors that the S26 will be boosted to 45W charging, but we’ll believe it when we see it.

Magnetic Cases for Galaxy S26 and S26+

Note that the S26 series will not have built-in magnets. This was confirmed by WPC certification, which listed all three phones with only Qi 2.2.1 base power profile support (no magnetic profile). Buyers who want to use magnetic charging and/or other magnetic accessories must first purchase a magnetic case.

However, this won’t stop Samsung from selling magnetic Qi2 chargers and magnetic Qi2 power banks. The charger advertises a 25W maximum speed, which the S26 Ultra will support, with the other two maxing out at 20W. The power bank will be able to send 15W to the phone and can be charged at up to 20W over USB-C.

25W Magnetic Qi2 Charger • 25W Magnetic Qi2 Charger • 15W Magnetic Qi2 Power Bank

Exynos 2600 in some markets, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in others

Recently, a Korean Galaxy S26 was spotted running on Geekbench with Exynos 2600. Earlier, a US-bound unit ran the benchmarks with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. In other words, be prepared for another regional divide. By the way, this also applies to the Galaxy S26+. Only the S26 Ultra will exclusively use Snapdragon chips.

Now, Snapdragon should look pretty familiar at this point. Chances are this will be a “for Galaxy” model, but that shouldn’t make much of a difference. At least the decisions are not being taken based on these benchmark results. Keep in mind that performance of pre-release hardware and software may not be indicative of retail unit performance.

Here are some key details about the Exynos 2600. This is the world’s first 2nm mobile chipset as it is based on Samsung Foundry’s 2nm GAA node. It has a 10-core CPU using ARM C1 cores (one Ultra at 3.8GHz, three Pro cores at 3.25GHz, and six low-power Pro cores at 2.75GHz). It is paired with Xclipse 960 GPU.

According to Samsung, the CPU on the new chipset is 39% faster than its predecessor, while the GPU offers 50% more ray tracing performance. The new NPU delivers a massive improvement of 113% for those all-important AI apps.

256GB base storage for Galaxy S26, no change for S26+

While the S25 eventually got up to 12GB of RAM, it still had 128GB as base storage. This is not good on any phone, at least not on a flagship. But that is in the past now. The leak suggests that the Galaxy S26 will be offered in 256GB and 512GB options, just like the Galaxy S26+.

Camera improvements… maybe?

Samsung has started teasing the upcoming Galaxy S26 series with several short videos that highlight camera improvements. However, they do not make any concrete promises.

Meanwhile, leaks paint a harsh picture of reality – the Galaxy S26 will reuse the Galaxy S25 cameras. This means a 50MP main with a 1/1.56″ sensor, a 10MP 3x telephoto with a 1/3.94″ sensor and a 12MP ultra-wide with a 1/2.55″ sensor. The S26+ will, as usual, have the same camera setup as its vanilla brother.

Some of you may be keen to point out that these aren’t actually the cameras of the S25 – they’re basically the same as the S24 and S23 cameras. And that’s indeed true, which could spell trouble for Samsung when it comes time to compare the new S-models with the iPhone 17 series.

satellite communication

Another thing Samsung lagged behind on is the adoption of satellite communications. The Galaxy S26 series will finally fix this as the FCC listing for the US variants of the S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra includes non-terrestrial networks (NTN) and supplemental coverage from space (SCS).

They can also receive satellite voice calls. Keep in mind that hardware capabilities also depend on local rules, regulations, and the availability of satellite services.

One more thing – the vanilla Galaxy S26 should finally feature UWB connectivity and bridge the gap between Plus and Ultra models. This is important because it enables the smart tag to find direction while tracking.

new prices

You didn’t think upgrading the base storage to 256GB on the Galaxy S26 would be free, did you? A report has claimed that the price of this model will be slightly higher. At the same time, the 512GB variant will be slightly cheaper.

The Galaxy S26+ should be priced similarly to its predecessor if you opt for the 256GB option, while the 512GB variant may see a small adjustment. Unfortunately, we don’t have hard data for either model.

Of course, during the pre-order period, Samsung will likely offer a free storage upgrade (i.e. selling a 512GB model at the price of a 256GB unit), as well as other perks like a trade-in bonus and a small discount ($30/€30) for those who join the pre-reservation program.

Galaxy S26 and S26+ specifications overview

Here’s a detailed spec sheet for the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ based on leaks so far. Needless to say, the information given below may be incorrect or incomplete.

	Galaxy S26	Galaxy S26+
DIMENSIONS	149.6 x 71.7 x 7.2 mm	158.4 x 75.8 x 7.3 mm
weight	167 grams -Or- 137 grams	~190 grams
Display	6.3-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1,080 x 2,340px, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Armor 2	6.7-inch, Dynamic AMOLED 2X, 1,440 x 3,120px, 120Hz, Corning Gorilla Armor 2
software	One UI 8.5/Android 16
Chipset 1	exynos 2600 1x C1-Ultra 3.8GHz, 3x C1-Prox 3.25GHz, 6x C1-Pro 2.75GHz Xclipse 960 GPU
Chipset 2	Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 2x 4.6GHz Orion V3 Phoenix L, 6x 3.62GHz Orion V3 Phoenix M Adreno 840 GPU
Memory and Storage	12GB; 256/512GB
rear cameras	First camera: 50MP main, f/1.8, 24mm, 1/1.56″, 1.0μm, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS Second camera: 10MP telephoto, f/2.4, 67mm, 1/3.94″, 1.0μm, PDAF, OIS, 3x optical zoom Third camera: 12MP ultrawide, f/2.2, 13mm, 120°, 1/2.55″, 1.4μm, Super Steady Video
features	Panorama, Portrait, 8K@24/30fps, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30/60/120/240fps, 10-bit HDR, HDR10+, Stereo Sound, Gyro-EIS
front camera	12MP wide-angle, f/2.2, 26mm, 1/3.2″, 1.12μm, dual-pixel PDAF, HDR, 4K@30/60fps, 1080p@30fps
sensor	Gyroscope, E-Compass, Accelerometer, Barometer, Fingerprint Sensor, Proximity Sensor
positioning	GLONASS, GPS, Galileo, QZSS, BDS
dual SIM	Yes, Nano/e-SIM
features	5G, USB-C, NFC, Wi-Fi 7 (BE), Bluetooth 5.4, UWB, Satellite Connectivity
Battery	4,300mAh Li-ion, wireless charging, 25W wired charging, possibly 45W	4,900mAh Li-ion, Wireless Charging, 45W Wired Charging
Colour	white, blue, black, purple
price	approximately €1,000	approximately €1,270