In summary
- Galaxy S26 to launch January after all
- Galaxy S26 Ultra rumoured to have a huge selfie hole
- Galaxy S26+ CAD renders leak
The Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone might be on schedule for an early 2026 launch after all, despite recent rumours to the contrary.
Last week we reported on claims that the Samsung Galaxy S26 launch had slipped from its customary January window into late February, which would likely shift the release date into March.
Fresh reports claim that reports of the Galaxy S26’s delay have been greatly exaggerated. South Korean news outlet Chosun Biz reckons that Samsung will again hold an Unpacked event in January, while the phones themselves will hit shops in mid-February.
January launch is back on
All the murmurings about a potential delay may relate to the ‘on again, off again’ status of the fledgling Edge series.
Terrible sales for the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge have apparently prompted the company to reappraise its skinny phone plans.
This latest report, which relies on the testimony of unnamed industry sources, reaffirms the rumour that Samsung has ditched the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge from its roster altogether – at least for now. Back into the team comes the Samsung Galaxy S26+.
Mattias Inghe
This roster switch-up was initially expected to cause a delay to the hardware verification process. However, Samsung is an experienced hand at this stuff by now, and has quickly managed to reinstate the Plus without issue.
Reports that Samsung’s custom Exynos 2600 was causing the delay are apparently unfounded. Once again, the basic and Plus models will be powered by the Exynos, with the Ultra getting the off-the-shelf Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra rumours
Talking of Samsung’s next flagship phone, we’ve got a fresh batch of rumours to bring to you.
According to regular tipster Ice Universe, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a selfie cam hole that’s “noticeably larger” than usual – 4mm in diameter – even though the camera spec itself is unchanged.
The screen bezel will also reportedly remain the same, which means that it won’t match those of rival phones such as the Oppo Find X9, the OnePlus 15, and the Xiaomi 17.
“It really seems like Samsung is cutting costs on the display and overall design,” the tipster concludes.
Continuing the negative news, the same source claims that all three models will use the same underwhelming 10MP ISOCELL 3x telephoto camera.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ renders
Let’s go back to that reinstated Galaxy S26+ model for a second. Thanks to OnLeaks and Android Headlines, we now have some shiny renders of Samsung’s super-sized middle child.
And it looks… much like the Samsung Galaxy S25+ , funnily enough.
The biggest difference is the use of a pronounced camera module, rather like that of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge. Last year’s Plus went with discrete camera islands.
Measurements for the new phone (upon which these CAD renders will have been based) are 158.4 x 75.7 x 7.35mm, which is barely any different to the Galaxy S25+.
Again, we’re talking about a hastily reinstated model here, so any expectations of a radical redesign would have been rather unreasonable.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Plus
Author: Jon Mundy, Contributor, Tech Advisor
Jon is a freelance journalist who got his start covering mobile games at the dawn of the App Store. He has since covered everything from smart home tech and laptops to food and culture, but always seems to return to his fascination with smartphones.
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