Yesterday, my Android Authority colleagues broke the news that Samsung might be shaking up the Galaxy series with the S26 next year. According to our sleuthing, the three product names for the upcoming phones will be Galaxy S26 Pro, Galaxy S26 Edge, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. And wow, do these tell a story or what?
The Ultra is here to stay, clearly. As the crown jewel of the series, it’s predicted to have a massively upgraded main camera, faster charging, Qualcomm’s highest-end Snapdragon Elite processor, a slimmer profile, and a bigger display. It might ditch the S Pen as we know it, but that’s a compromise many of us are willing to live with if it means a thinner and easier phone to hold.
All is well and good so far, but it’s the other two phones that have us scratching our heads. Me? I’m specifically wondering what on earth Samsung is thinking by skipping the Galaxy S Plus for an S Edge instead. That could be the biggest mistake of this new line-up.
Galaxy S26 Plus or Galaxy S26 Edge, which one appeals to you more? 110 votes Plus. I need more battery, not less. 53 % Edge. I want that thin and light profile. 5 % Edge, but only if the battery and thermals are up to par. 16 % None. Give me a smaller Pro or the bigger Ultra. 25 %
The Plus was the unsung hero of Samsung’s Galaxy series
C. Scott Brown / Android Authority Samsung.com Colors
It’s been 10 years since Samsung started making Plus versions of its Galaxy S phones. Over 10 generations, the Plus series has had some solid early wins (S8 Plus and S10 Plus), but it dwindled a bit and lost its purpose when the Ultra was introduced to the lineup. Forced to be good but not as good as the Ultra, the Plus had a bit of an identity crisis and some not-so-good moments (S20 Plus and S22 Plus), but slowly rose back to win our hearts again.
I still remember how good the Galaxy S24 Plus was. We gave it 9/10 in our review, and loved its excellent display, fast processor, versatile camera setup, and fantastic battery life. Putting aside the slower charging and lack of a long-range zoom lens compared to the Ultra, the Galaxy S24 Plus ticked all the boxes, so much so that my colleague C. Scott brown said you should buy the S24 Plus instead of the S24 Ultra. More than half of you agreed with him — a tall order for a less-powerful phone battling the hordes of Ultra / Note / S Pen fans. For me, this was the real crown of Samsung’s series, not the larger, thicker, unwieldy Ultra with an integrated S Pen that might not appeal or be essential to everyone.
Galaxy S Plus phones have suffered from an identity crisis for years, but the S24 Plus proved that they could still win hearts.
Sadly, with the Galaxy S25 series, Samsung went back to the drawing board with the Plus and stripped it of its newfound purpose. The Galaxy S25 Plus is uninspired and lacks any significant upgrades compared to the S24 Plus. There’s almost no reason the S25 Plus should exist when the S24 Plus exists, and if Samsung is looking at those sales numbers and seeing little interest for the Plus phone this year, then perhaps it should look in the mirror and ask itself why.
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