The Galaxy A57 proves Samsung gave up on its flagship Galaxy S phones

Rumors around Samsung’s upcoming midrange Galaxy A57 have been circulating for months, but the last few weeks gave us more clarity about what to expect, including a full-blown spec sheet that shows an impressive set of features like 45W charging and a large 4,900mAh battery in a slim 6.9mm body. All of this is excellent news for the Galaxy A57, but guess what? These upgrades trample all over the upcoming Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus.

This got me thinking: Has Samsung essentially given up on its Galaxy S series? Not the Ultra, of course, but the basic S and S Plus models? Is innovation dead for these phones?

Last year, Samsung shocked us all when it released the Galaxy A56 with one of the features that every Galaxy S or S Plus owner had been asking for for years — faster and more efficient charging. Rated at 45W, the phone promised to fill up at nearly double the speed of a 25W Galaxy S25, but that was partly mitigated by its larger 5,000mAh battery compared to the Galaxy S25’s 4,000mAh.

Although in practice it was only a minute or two faster to completely fill up than the Galaxy S25, it did fare better overall. It reached the 50% mark in 22 minutes (vs. 27 for the S25), and the 75% mark in 36 minutes (vs. 46). More importantly, though, it only reached a maximum temperature of 29.2°C while charging, whereas the Galaxy S25 struggled and got very hot, peaking at 40.6°C.

This was a huge win for Galaxy A56 owners. It meant that they could quickly top up their dying phone to 50% in 20 minutes or so when in a hurry, and also rely on it lasting for many hours thanks to the larger battery. Of course, the Galaxy A56 isn’t a better phone than the S25, all things considered, but it won with this one particular aspect.

This win was also a sign of Samsung’s neglect-slash-complacency on its Galaxy S phones. It proved that the company could provide faster and more efficient charging at a low price point if it wanted, but that it was artificially gatekeeping it for the Plus and Ultra. Samsung seems just content doing the minimum effort on its base Galaxy S because… what?! Apple wasn’t doing more?! But it did go the extra mile on the Galaxy A56 because competition from Xiaomi, OPPO, and others was already providing fast charging in that midrange segment.

This is unforgivable in my book. It’s a sign of a company that does the bare minimum to keep its margins and fight its competition, and only steps up when the competition forces it to. The upcoming Galaxy A57 proves that again. It appears that Samsung has managed to slim down the phone from 7.3mm to 6.9mm and reduce its weight from 198g to 162g, all while keeping the large 45W-charging 5,000mAh battery. That’s a slap to the face of the thicker 4,300mAh rumored Galaxy S26 as well as the meagre 3,900mAh-touting S25 Edge.

There’s also a chance that the Galaxy S57 will start with 256GB of base storage, similar to the Galaxy S26. RAM should be upgraded from a base 6GB option to 8GB. Once again, I need to clarify that the Galaxy A57 won’t be better than the S26, but it’s a more meaningful upgrade over the Galaxy A56 than the S26 is compared to the S25.

All of this makes me think that Samsung can still make meaningful changes to its Galaxy S series. It can provide faster charging, larger batteries, slimmer phones, with more storage, but it’s simply choosing not to. My colleague Joe said it better when he asked: How long can Samsung get away with doing so little?

I don’t know the answer to that, but my bet is: not long. The jig is up. Even the most loyal Samsung fans and apologists can’t look at what’s happening and think it’s normal for the Android leader to rest on its laurels and bask in its past glories for so long. Especially not when we have tangible proof that the company has the technical know-how, the will, and the business acumen to introduce missing features when its back is against the wall. Not before, though.

Or, perhaps, the correct assessment is that Samsung has given up on the Galaxy S and S Plus. It’s been years since these two received any real upgrades, and years since they were anywhere near exciting. What was once Samsung’s exemplary flagship smartphone and the pinnacle of its innovation is now a footnote at Galaxy Unpacked, with all the focus going to the Ultra. It’s as if Samsung gave up on the segment, treating the S and S Plus like Apple treats its basic iPhone: a phone that sells in the millions because of carrier deals, familiarity, a good aura, but not one that deserves meaningful upgrades every year. Not that it needs them. It sells by proxy with the Ultra, not by itself.

What’s exciting and what’s earning Samsung’s innovation nowadays is the foldable line-up, the Edge, the new Galaxy Z TrtiFold, and all of these more exciting ventures. The Galaxy S and S Plus are just good, boring, and reliable. Samsung gave up on making them more interesting.