Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Back on Track for Launch; Fresh Camera Info Emerges

Samsung’s next flagship phones are coming sooner than expected. A recent leak claimed the Galaxy S26 lineup would arrive in late February 2026, but a fresh report from South Korea says Samsung has pushed the timeline forward. The new target is a Galaxy Unpacked event in late January, with sales beginning in early February. If this holds, the S26 family will land several weeks ahead of earlier predictions.

The Galaxy S26 lineup will follow the usual arrangement. Hence, we should see the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra. The base and Plus models will use Samsung’s Exynos 2600 chipset, while the Ultra will run the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in most regions. Samsung has reportedly decided to stick with this chip split strategy for another year.

The rumored Galaxy S26 Edge has reportedly been cancelled, but some rumors point to a late release. Of course, only time will tell which of these rumors has the accurate info. The S25 Edge struggled to gain traction and moved only about 1.3 million units in its first three months. That figure is lower than Samsung wanted and far behind the Plus model. So, only time will tell if Samsung will insist on its super-thin flagship.

When it comes to cameras, expectations should stay modest. The latest report comes from Ice Universe and suggests all three Galaxy S26 phones will use the same 10MP ISOCELL sensor for their 3x telephoto cameras. This is the same small 1/3.94-inch sensor with a 1.0 μm pixel pitch and a 36-degree f/2.4 lens that appeared on the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus. It is functional but nothing special.

This means the Galaxy S26 lineup will likely avoid dramatic imaging improvements. The S25 series already offered a mild upgrade at best, with only the Ultra model receiving a higher resolution ultrawide sensor that was not physically larger. The standard and models carried over nearly the same setup as before.

Unless Samsung has a surprise hidden away, the S26 camera system may feel like a soft repeat of last year’s approach.

Most rumors point to a February 25 announcement. However, the most recent rumors point to a late January schedule; Samsung is clearly aiming for a tighter launch window. More details will likely surface in the coming weeks.