Summary
- My ideal version of the S26 Pro would destroy Apple’s telephoto cameras, delivering a large sensor that can shoot well in low-light conditions.
- A silicon-carbon battery with a two-day battery life would make every iPhone feel archaic. Unfortunately, rumors don’t support that as a possibility.
- I expect an assortment of MagSafe-style Qi2 accessories, including stands, batteries, grips, and wallets. With Pixelsnap on the Pixel 10, there’s no excuse.
The word is that for the Galaxy S26 lineup, Samsung is working on a significant overhaul, with the aim of reducing its next flagship phones to just three models: the Edge, the Ultra, and a new “Pro” device. No more Plus, no more vanilla models, though of course the Pro might as well be that, based on rumors so far. Versus the S25, it’s expected to upgrade to a slightly bigger 6.27-inch display, and a similarly bumped 4,300mAh battery. No luck convincing Samsung to match something like the 6,260mAh silicon-carbon battery in the OnePlus 13T, I’m afraid.
My daily driver at the moment is actually the iPhone 16 Pro. I do sometimes toy with the idea of going back to Android, however, and for both that and work reasons, I like to keep tabs on where the best Android phones are at. There’s a list of specific upgrades the S26 Pro would need for me to jump ship from the iPhone world, some of them more plausible than others.
Consider it food for thought while we wait for Samsung’s next Galaxy Unpacked event, which is likely to happen in late January 2026.
1
A majorly upgraded telephoto camera
A fix to one of the linchpins of any smartphone
The Galaxy S25 already has an advantage over most iPhones simply for having a telephoto camera. Apple has never bothered putting one on any of its non-Pro devices, instead limiting those products to wide and ultra-wide lenses, at best. It’s a little ridiculous, considering that people more often need to get closer to a subject rather than further away. That’s one of the main reasons I bought an iPhone 16 Pro — I was sick of missing out on shots that even cheap DSLRs and mirrorless cameras can take.
Samsung might well have to take that route if it’s going to market a phone as “pro.”
The 16 Pro’s telephoto camera still leaves something to be desired. While it has 5x zoom with optical image stabilization, its low-light sensitivity is weak, such that noise and blur start to creep into pictures under anything less than bright conditions. An S26 Pro with a larger telephoto sensor better matching its main one would be amazing. That would entail bumping up the megapixel count to at least 50 megapixels, but it would provide knock-on benefits, namely better cropping and digital zoom. Samsung might well have to take that route if it’s going to market a phone as “pro.”
Samsung may also need to push optical zoom past the S25’s 3x mark. 3x is fine in many situations, yet even 5x often feels too short, say if you’re trying to take a shot of the lead singer at a concert instead of the whole stage. I doubt Samsung will make the leap to 10x, though.
2
A two-day battery
A man can dream, can’t he?
A 4,300mAH battery should be enough to last a day, and possibly beat my iPhone 16 Pro, if Samsung’s performance optimization is on-point. But something smartphone owners have been demanding for decades is a product that can last two days or more on a charge without enabling any special battery-saving features.
It’s not just a matter of convenience, either. In emergency situations, such as hurricanes and wildfires, a single-day phone can become a serious liability, forcing users to scramble for power when they should be concerned with more important things. It’s a sad commentary that relief agencies sometimes make charging outlets a key feature of their aid stations.
In emergency situations, such as hurricanes and wildfires, a single-day phone can become a serious liability.
We already do have two-day phones in the form of products with silicon-carbon (Si-C) batteries, like the OnePlus 13T I mentioned. What I’m really saying, then, is that I’m not happy with Samsung’s overly conservative battery specs, assuming the rumors are true. It’s not only ignoring something every phone buyer wants, but a clear opportunity to make iPhones seem archaic.
Indeed, some of us were surprised that the S25 Edge shipped without Si-C, never mind something coming out in 2026.
3
Qi2 magnetic charging (and a bunch of accessories)
The new minimum for wireless charging
Once you’ve got used to MagSafe on an iPhone, it’s hard to go back. USB-C charging is faster, but MagSafe allows for extremely convenient wireless charging stands, not to mention other quick-release accessories like wallets, batteries, and grips. An Anker travel charger I own is capable of topping off my iPhone, Apple Watch, and Jabra earbuds without any cables beyond the wall adapter, and props my iPhone up in landscape mode so I can watch fullscreen videos.
Now that Google has embraced Qi2 for the Pixel 10, Samsung doesn’t have an excuse for leaving it out of the S26 series.
Qi2 — based on MagSafe — has technically been available to Android phone makers for a while, but largely ignored for reasons that aren’t quite clear. Now that Google has embraced it for the Pixel 10, though, Samsung doesn’t have an excuse for leaving it out of the S26 series. Thinking about it, it’s strange that the company didn’t seize on Qi2 the moment it became available, since much of its success is based on intentionally imitating or leapfrogging Apple.
4
Less reliance on proprietary software
Let’s put a stake in Bixby
Speaking of imitating Apple, one of the things Samsung has always had its eye on is a walled garden that deters people from switching platforms. You’re prompted to use Samsung Wallet instead of Google Wallet, SmartThings instead of Google Home, and even Samsung Health instead of Google Fit and Google Health Connect. In fact, you can’t even wear a Galaxy Watch without Samsung Health installed.
One of the main appeals of Android is the freedom to switch brands not just at will, but easily.
You might think that wouldn’t bother me, since I’m used to stricter barriers on my iPhone. For me, though, one of the main appeals of Android is the freedom to switch brands not just at will, but easily. Some phones might have specific features, but the essentials carry over in a heartbeat — a Nothing or OnePlus device won’t ask you to switch away from Google Wallet. If I’m going to make the leap someday, I don’t want to find myself right back where I started in terms of the ecosystem landscape.
While I’m at it, it’s time that Samsung finally admitted defeat and did away with Bixby. The voice assistant was never popular, and has become increasingly irrelevant in the age of Google Gemini. It’s only good for executing on-device commands, and in fact, that’s about all it does on the S25.
If Samsung can exorcise Bixby entirely, I’ll know it’s on the right track for prioritizing users rather than its control over them. In the long run, I’d rather every phone support multiple assistants — no matter the brand.
