Several reports from Korea said in the past few weeks that Samsung reshuffled the Galaxy S26 series during development — an unusual approach from the company. The leaks said Samsung changed the Galaxy S26 lineup, canceling the unreleased Galaxy S26 Edge in favor of the Plus. Also, the Android vendor decided to use the Exynos 2600 chip in some Galaxy S26 models. The Galaxy S26 series would be delayed as a result of these changes. But it turns out there might be another important factor that may have convinced Samsung to alter the Galaxy S26 series: The $799 iPhone 17 model, which is nearly as good as the $999 iPhone 17 Pro Max.
According to Korean news site NewsPim, Apple’s decision to keep the $799 price tag in place for the iPhone 17 despite giving the handset several upgrades shocked Samsung. The company decided that the $799 price will be a key factor for the base Galaxy S26. As a result, Samsung reportedly changed the Galaxy S26 design and specs even though the handset nearly completed the development cycle. Unfortunately, that’s bad news for buyers, as the Galaxy S26 design and specs have been nerfed so it can hit Samsung’s desired price points.
While the Galaxy S26 should start at $799 to match Apple’s cheapest iPhone 17 option, Samsung might increase the prices of the Plus and Ultra models. The report says these price hikes are unavoidable, given the higher costs for some components.
Big battery compromise for the Galaxy S26
NewsPim claims that Samsung’s initial Galaxy S26 version had a thickness of 6.9 mm, or 0.3 mm thinner than its predecessor. The battery capacity was set at 4,900 mAh. The phone was supposed to be a slim premium device. Samsung changed course abruptly last month, deciding to revert to the Galaxy S25 thickness and reduce the battery capacity to 4,300 mAh to save money. It’s still a slight increase over the Galaxy S25’s 4,000 mAh battery. The report notes that a Samsung official familiar with the matter said that it’s unusual for such adjustments to be made when the design of the phone is nearly finished. However, sticking with the $799 price is a priority at Samsung, considering the reception the iPhone 17 received. The base iPhone 17 has been sold out consistently since September, with NewsPim citing shipping delays of up to one month.
A more expensive regular Galaxy S26 model could become a problem, making it harder for Samsung to compete with Apple. It’s unclear what other specifications Samsung might have altered to hit that $799 price point. The report notes that the changes to the base specs for the Galaxy S26 Plus and Ultra are not significant. The Plus will have the same thickness and battery capacity as its predecessor. The Ultra will be 0.3 mm thinner than this year’s model but it’ll feature a similar 5,000 mAh battery. The Galaxy S26 and Plus models will come in Exynos 2600 versions in Korea and Europe, while the Ultra will feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon flagship chip worldwide. The Galaxy S26 Ultra will also get an exclusive display feature, Samsung’s Flex Magic Pixel which incorporates a feature that lets users turn on a privacy display mode.
