Lanh Nguyen / Android Authority
The Galaxy S26 series isn’t even official yet, but the mood around Samsung’s next flagship launch already feels unusually flat. New Galaxy S day used to be the standout event of the Android phone launch calendar. However, between leaks pointing to modest upgrades and early reactions to the phones’ overall direction, there’s a growing sense that 2026 might be another conservative year for the device lineup, at best. If Samsung has picked up on this vibe, it must be setting off some alarm bells at HQ.
That backdrop is what led us to ask you a blunt question about your expectations in a recent opinion piece by my colleague Rita. Specifically, we wanted to know if you think that the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will underperform their competitors in 2026. For her part, Rita argued that Samsung’s smaller flagships look set to lag behind rivals on specs, value, and ambition, even if they still sell well. Judging by your responses to the poll, a lot of you aren’t convinced Samsung is going to keep pace this time around.
Let’s take a look at the results.
Do you think that the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will underperform their competitors in 2026? Just under two-thirds of respondents said they expect the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus to underperform their rivals next year, with 44% answering “yes, for sure” and another 20% saying “probably.” That’s a pretty decisive lean toward skepticism, especially given that this is about relative performance rather than whether the phones will sell well. A smaller group pushed back, with 23% saying the phones probably won’t or definitely won’t fall behind, while 14% said it’s still too early to judge.
That said, it’s worth taking these results with a pinch of salt. The poll ran in an opinion piece that laid out a strongly argued case for why Samsung’s base flagships look stagnant, and that framing will naturally shape how people respond. Even so, the results give a useful snapshot of the current sentiment around the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus — and it’s not an especially optimistic one.
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A lot of the discussion under Rita’s article lined up with the poll’s results. Many commenters suggested that Samsung appears to be getting complacent with the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus, particularly in terms of battery, charging, and camera hardware. A few people pushed back on the idea that Samsung has run out of ideas, arguing instead that the company is simply comfortable doing the minimum while competitors, particularly Chinese brands, move faster. The Plus model in particular drew criticism, with more than a few readers questioning why it exists at all if it’s so close to last year’s phone.
Not everyone agreed, though. Some felt that the article was placing too much emphasis on leaks and rumors, arguing that real-world performance would matter more than spec comparisons. Others defended Samsung’s approach, saying AI performance and long-term support are being undervalued, or that the entire phone industry is slowing down, not just Samsung.
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