Joe Maring / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Galaxy S26 series may launch earlier than previously leaked, with an announcement by the end of January 2026, with mid-February availability.
- However, only the Galaxy S26 Ultra could come with a Snapdragon SoC. The base Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus could come with the Exynos 2600 instead.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra is also staring at an imminent price increase.
The Galaxy S26 series has been a hot topic of discussion, more so than recent Galaxy S series flagships. The big reasons for this are the leaks and demise of the Galaxy S26 Edge (and even a “More Slim” reincarnation), the death of the Galaxy S26 Pro, and the revival of the Galaxy S26 Plus — all before Samsung could make a public announcement. We’re receiving more leaks, bringing good news for early 2026 release and availability, but bad news for Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus’ SoC, and bad news for the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s price tag.
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Korean outlets previously reported that Samsung could hold a Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 25, 2026. A new report from the Korean outlet ChosunBiz reveals that Samsung may be preparing for an Unpacked event in late January, with the Galaxy S26 series expected to be available from mid-February. This “accelerated release” is being attributed to a “company-wide effort” that has seemingly offset some of the delay from product lineup changes.
The report quotes a Samsung Electronics insider as saying:
The hardware verification period was extended when the Edge model was removed and the Plus model was added, which almost delayed the launch, but this issue has been resolved, making a February launch possible next year.
Three-month sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge totaled 1.31 million units, representing a whopping 74% decrease compared to the Galaxy S25 Plus’s 5.05 million units. Note that the Plus model was Samsung’s lowest-selling model, so the Edge managed to sell even fewer units.
The report also mentions that Samsung will put the Exynos 2600 in the base Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Plus, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra will come with a Qualcomm Snapdragon SoC (likely the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, with a possible “for Galaxy” branding and accompanying overclock). The reason for this split is that the Qualcomm SoC is more expensive than the Exynos. While Samsung was able to maintain prices at the same level for the Galaxy S25, a price increase is inevitable for the Galaxy S26 Ultra due to rising component costs and tariffs.
The report doesn’t mention if all regions in the world will get the Exynos 2600 for the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, nor if these models will also see a price increase.
It remains to be seen how significant a difference in performance and features we will see from this Snapdragon-Exynos split, and how it affects sales of the base and Plus models, especially in light of Apple’s iPhone 17 series being a more noticeable upgrade from its last generation. Samsung is also in a tricky situation with the Ultra’s price increase, as the lack of real camera upgrades could force consumers to look elsewhere for a top camera flagship.
Still, the early release timeline is good news, as other OEMs have either already released their next-generation flagships or will do so in the coming weeks. Samsung would be the last major one to launch upgraded phones, so the sooner they arrive, the better.
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