Perhaps more than any of their forerunners, the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra remain covered in secrecy from numerous key standpoints with just a few months ahead of their official announcement. But at least according to a new Korean media report (translated here), Samsung may have finally clarified some of the last uncertainties surrounding the company’s “next big things”… in all the best ways.
Expect Unpacked movement “as early as late January”
Yes, it appears all those rumors of a March 2026 launch for the Galaxy S26 trio were greatly exaggerated, as a “late January” unveiling is now purportedly on the table, followed by a commercial debut (presumably, around the world) in “mid-February.”
The S25 family was unveiled on January 22, 2025. | Image Credit — Samsung
Of course, nothing is etched in stone just yet, but Chosun Biz (which happens to be part of a very reputable news organization in Samsung’s homeland) claims that the February release of the S26 series has been “confirmed” by the device manufacturer itself.
That clearly means something, and although these schedules are often subject to change until (close to) the last minute, I highly doubt that Samsung’s next Unpacked event might slip from late January to March now. Worst case scenario, it will take place in February, and the same is likely to be true for the handset family’s commercial debut.
No Exynos for the S26 Ultra after all
Following an all-Snapdragon Galaxy S25 family, Samsung was rumored for a little while to go the all-Exynos route for the Galaxy S26 trio. That was… concerning (to say the least) for a lot of the company’s speed-addicted fans, but now the S26 Ultra is (once again) expected to pack a state-of-the-art Qualcomm chip, while the “vanilla” S26 and the S26 Plus are likely to settle for in-house Exynos 2600 silicon.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra could use probably the best mobile processor in the world today. | Image Credit — Qualcomm
Naturally, it’s way too early to know for sure that the as-yet-unreleased Exynos 2600 will fall short of the recently unveiled Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor, but I’m pretty certain many Android power users have already made up their minds on the two chips based on previous experiences with Snapdragon and Exynos hardware.Unfortunately for Samsung, the name Exynos is synonymous with compromise for the vast majority of longtime Galaxy device owners (justified or not), and no amount of promising pre-release benchmark results is going to change this perception.That means the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus are destined to enter the market with a big disadvantage compared to their bigger brother, so it remains to be seen just how much more successful the Galaxy S26 Ultra will prove compared to its smaller and cheaper siblings.
Does Samsung have a massive box-office hit on its hands?
I think so. At least on paper, the S26 Ultra seems to have (almost) everything it needs to sell like hotcakes. Maybe even better than its predecessor. No, the leaked design is clearly not to everyone’s liking, but when has that ever stopped a new Samsung super-flagship from becoming a blockbuster?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to come with a… divisive design, but I still think it’s going to sell well.
What’s perhaps more worrying is that recent rumor of a price hike over the already extravagant Galaxy S25 Ultra, which would obviously make even more sense if this does end up to be the lone member of the Galaxy S26 family to pack a Qualcomm processor.
Still, it feels like we’ve all gotten used to high-end phones costing ungodly sums of money over the last few years, so something tells me that’s not going to stand in the way of the S26 Ultra‘s success either. Besides, isn’t that what the S26 and S26 Plus are for?
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian’s passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for ‘adequate’ over ‘overpriced’.
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