TL;DR Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus are tipped to get a new 50MP ISOCELL S5KGNG main sensor and a sharper 12MP telephoto upgrade.
The S26 could also get a battery bump to 4,300mAh, while the S26 Plus could stay at 4,900mAh, with expected efficiency gains helping both phones last longer.
Both phones may support Samsung’s APV video codec at up to 4K/60 on both the front and rear, regardless of whether they ship with the Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5.
A new leak pins down major camera and battery changes for Samsung’s next mainstream flagships, and they’re more meaningful than the usual year-over-year tune-ups. As per details found by Smartprix in leaked firmware, both the upcoming Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus are poised to deliver noticeable improvements in imaging and endurance. Considering the S25 series drew criticism for modest hardware updates in these areas, the shift feels intentional.
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Per the firmware data, Samsung will likely replace the long-running 50MP ISOCELL S5KGN3 sensor with a newer 50MP ISOCELL S5KGNG main camera. The telephoto camera could also get an upgrade, moving to a 12MP ISOCELL S5K3LD from the previously used 10MP S5K3K1, while the ultrawide could stick with the existing 12MP Sony IMX564. If accurate, that trio should deliver sharper zoom shots and better primary performance. Though the unchanged ultrawide still leaves room for improvement.
Video features could also see a bump. Both phones are expected to support Samsung’s Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec at up to 4K/60 on both the front and rear cameras, which also suggests strong baseline capability from the underlying silicon. As usual, Samsung is expected to split chipsets by region by offering Exynos 2600 globally and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in markets like the US. The good news, however, is that APV support is reportedly consistent across both.
The new leak also suggests Samsung isn’t looking to shrink battery life this year. The Galaxy S26 is said to come with a 4,300mAh battery, which would be a slight upgrade from the S25’s 4,000mAh cell. The S26 Plus, meanwhile, reportedly sticks with the same 4,900mAh capacity found in the S25 Plus, meaning there’s no bump at that tier.
Even so, this generation could still feel more efficient in real-world use. Given Samsung’s recent push toward slimmer frames and possible Qi2 magnetic charging support, it’s promising to see capacity moving up rather than down. A 300mAh improvement on the standard S26 should help casual and moderate users get closer to true all-day stamina, especially when paired with a more efficient chipset. While the S26 Plus doesn’t see an upgrade on paper, better thermal management and silicon improvements from the rumored new processors should translate to slightly longer runtime compared to last year.
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