Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series has appeared in several leaks in the past few weeks. A report said Samsung will host an AI-centric Galaxy S26 Unpacked launch event on February 25 in San Francisco, several weeks later than expected. A different rumor claimed Samsung will increase the Galaxy S26 prices as key smartphone components cost more than before. Moreover, reports keep mentioning the Exynos 2600 chip, which appears to be a groundbreaking innovation from Samsung.
Fast-forward to Wednesday, and Korean news site MT exclusively reports that Samsung has set a bold target for 2026. The Korean giant wants the Galaxy S26 series’ sales to be better than the Galaxy S25 series, with a total of 35 million units. Combined with strong sales of the Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Flip 8, the Galaxy S26 should power a record year for Samsung’s mobile division with revenue unseen since 2013.
Samsung reportedly wants to sell 240 million phones and 27 million tablets next year. Annual revenue should reach $90.7 billion, or about 130 trillion won. The mobile division saw record sales in 2013, hitting 133 trillion won in revenue. However, sales have stagnated since then, plateauing around 100 trillion won every year. The report also notes that Samsung’s mobile division aims to pull in 120 trillion won in sales this year. As of the third quarter of 2025, Samsung Mobile hit 98 trillion won in revenue.
Will new Galaxy AI features drive Galaxy S26 sales?
Whatever signature features the Galaxy S26 series might introduce next year, there’s always the matter of price to consider. Increasing the starting prices for the three models might impact demand. But Samsung doesn’t want to hit its record revenue target by raising prices for new products. The MT story indicates that Samsung aims to sell 24 million Galaxy S26 units in the first six months, compared to 22 million sales for the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung can’t achieve that goal without offering some significant upgrades, but those major Galaxy S26 features have yet to leak.
Rumors say Samsung plans to launch three Galaxy S26 models that will be virtually identical to their predecessors. Leaks showed the Galaxy S26 Ultra will get a few design changes that will make the handset more comfortable to hold, but the standard and Plus versions should remain relatively similar to their predecessors. If design won’t be a major factor, then some hardware features might convince buyers to upgrade. The phones could feature better battery life, faster charging, and improved cameras — as expected from any new flagship phone. Add the Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 chips, and consumers have more reasons to upgrade to a Galaxy S26 version next year.
As for the software, Samsung doesn’t control the underlying Android operating system, but it builds its own user interface on top of it (One UI). Importantly, Samsung makes its own Galaxy AI platform, though it relies on partnerships with other AI service providers, like Google. New AI features could be key to convincing some users to upgrade. Rumors do say Samsung will focus on new agentic AI experiences, without offering specifics.
