We’re nearing the end of 2025, but the pace of Android smartphone releases has barely let up since the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S25 range way back in January. One of the biggest names in phones used the first month of the year to release its top-tier devices, unveiling the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus and S25 Ultra, which have been challenged by the OnePlus 15, Oppo Find X9 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL.
We’ve also seen the May release of the Galaxy S25 Edge, a super-slim version positioned to show off Samsung’s hardware engineering as well as compete with the slender iPhone Air.
If Samsung repeats its usual annual schedule in 2026, we are only two months away from a Galaxy S26 series announcement, which means leaks and rumours about the new phones are picking up speed.
Though some of these rumours should be taken with a pinch of salt, one important one to consider is the alleged cancellation of the S26 Edge. This slim phone sequel was said to be replacing the S26 Plus in the S26 line up, wedged in between a regular S26 and top-of-the-line S26 Ultra.
But one report from Korean publication Newspim said the S26 Edge has been cancelled, with Samsung deciding to “discontinue” the Edge line altogether. That strikes me as a rash decision given the S25 Edge is only six months old, but it will be interesting to see if that is the case. The report cites “lower-than-expected sales” as the reason for Samsung’s decision.
Earlier this month, Android Headlines published what it said were official CAD (computer aided design) renders of the Galaxy S26 Plus. The phone looks incredibly similar to the S25 Plus, the most noticeable change being the vertically aligned triple cameras are now housed on a raised island instead of being three protruding lenses from an otherwise completely flat back.
The outlet said the phone will have a flat 6.7-inch OLED screen with flat edges and a frame that’s 7.35mm thick. In all, incredibly similar to the S25 Plus, and would represent yet another year of Samsung barely changing the design of its flagship Galaxy S phone.
There are also rumours the company may split the use of its own Exynos processors with Qualcomm chips. The S25 line up all used the Snapdragon 8 Elite.
One can assume the regular S26 will take the same design cues but in a smaller form factor. There have also been conflicting reports suggesting Samsung was going to slim down the thickness of the S26 to 6.9mm, but will now not do that, sticking to a thicker dimension.
Newspim reported this was down to the price of the iPhone 17 not increasing over the iPhone 16, leading Samsung to change the design of the Galaxy S26 “at the last minute” to produce a design close to the S25 to make sure its pricing matches the iPhone 17. Apparently making a slimmer S26 with an increased battery would have cost Samsung much more, and may have resulted in a higher price for the consumer.
Samsung reportedly opted not to try and sell the S26 at a higher price, so have changed the design to keep the US price of the regular S26 at $799.
We are really in the weeds of smartphone rumours here, but it’s interesting to hear about the decisions that go on inside these firms, as well as how much sway Apple holds over its competitors.
If 2026 shows us that Samsung not only cancelled its iPhone Air rival Edge series but also declined to slim down the S26 and improve its battery in order to price match Apple, it might end up being a stale year for Samsung releases.
I don’t agree that a phone company should change its design each year – in fact, they probably shouldn’t release a new phone every year at all – but if Samsung turns out an S26 that is difficult to tell apart from 2023’s Galaxy S23, it will raise some eyebrows.
Perhaps Samsung will concentrate on differentiating with its S26 Ultra, which one rumour says will have a new “Flex Magic Pixel” mode that will be able to create a privacy screen on your phone using hardware and software, approximating the effect you can currently only get form specially made screen protectors.
