Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority
We’ve heard that Apple is planning to shake up its iPhone lineup this year by dropping the Plus model in favor of a thinner iPhone Air — going from the least-hyped iPhone to what’s sure to be an attention grabber.
Samsung, too, introduced the Galaxy S25 Edge to show off a slimmer design on the Android side. But the rest of the S25 lineup? Boring with a capital B. There weren’t enough changes to justify it as a worthwhile early upgrade over the Galaxy S24 series.
But next year might be different. Samsung is reportedly planning a shakeup of its own, one that could turn out to be a bittersweet change.
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The Galaxy S26 Pro could be a reality
Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
The Plus model in the Galaxy S series has always been the ignored middle child. Power users gravitate toward the Ultra. The default buyer goes for the base model. That leaves the Plus, which appeals to those who want the simplicity of the standard phone but in a larger size and with a beefier battery, stuck in the middle and often overlooked. And now, it appears that the Galaxy S26 Plus is getting the axe. It’s supposedly being replaced by the Galaxy S26 Edge, which may or may not have an actual edge over the Plus, but we’ll see.
To me, the most interesting development is happening lower on the flagship ladder. Samsung seems to be working on a smaller Galaxy S26 Pro phone, which aligns with something my colleague Scott wished for last year. This handset could directly compete with the upcoming Pixel 10 Pro and the iPhone 17 Pro — two small phones that are true flagships in every sense, not just in name.
The only problem? It replaces the cheapest Galaxy flagship.
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