C. Scott Brown / Android Authority
Just a few short months ago, I was ecstatic about Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series. The base model S26 was getting replaced by a much more powerful S26 Pro, the awkward Plus variant was being killed in favor of another thin and light Edge phone, and the Ultra would remain as the highest-end, all-out flagship.
At least, that’s what we thought.
As more information about the Galaxy S26 lineup has trickled in, the vibes for next year’s Galaxy S release have shifted considerably — and not in a good way. It looked like Samsung was on track to give us one of the most interesting Galaxy S lineups in years, but it’s become increasingly apparent that we’re in for another year of disappointment.
Based on the latest rumors, are you looking forward to the Galaxy S26 series? 114 votes Yes, I'm still hopeful the phones will be good. 36 % Maybe. I'm waiting for more leaks / the official announcement. 21 % I was initially, but not anymore. 17 % No, I'm not / was never interested. 26 %
This isn’t the Galaxy S26 Pro we were hoping for
When we first heard about the Galaxy S26 Pro, it was easy to become hopeful about what the phone could mean for Samsung. The company has long reserved its best specs and features for its Ultra handsets, so the possibility of the S26 Pro bringing a higher-end experience to a more compact phone was truly exciting.
We speculated a lot about what Samsung could do with the S26 Pro. More RAM and storage? Significant camera upgrades? A larger battery? Faster charging? The base Galaxy S has been neglected for so many generations that a shift from Galaxy S25 to Galaxy S26 Pro had enormous potential.
And yet, it seems that’s what it will remain as: potential.
Multiple rumors have teased a 4,300mAh battery for the S26 Pro, which is a respectable upgrade over the 4,000mAh cell inside the S25. Great! But we’ve also heard repeated rumors that Samsung is using its own Exynos 2600 chip instead of the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, which is less great.
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