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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- Galaxy S26 may launch with Samsung’s new Exynos 2600 processor.
- Count on significant digital camera upgrades throughout the Galaxy S26 lineup.
- Rumors nonetheless battle, however this is what the Galaxy S26 may provide.
It is rather early within the Galaxy S26 rumor cycle, however the flagship lineup has Galaxy Z Fold 7’s success to match.
There have been complicated particulars about Samsung’s upcoming telephones. Earlier, there have been rumors of a Galaxy S26 Professional, however they have been later discarded. Equally, some speculated that the Korean firm would substitute its Plus mannequin with a Galaxy S26 Edge, however just lately, one other report claimed that there will not be any Edge after the subsequent variant.
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All of this leaves me with imprecise particulars, however there are some things to count on from the bottom, Plus, and Extremely fashions. Here is all the pieces I do know to this point concerning the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S26 sequence.
Exynos to return after a protracted hiatus
In line with a report by Korea Financial Day by day, the Galaxy S26 lineup can be powered by an in-house Exynos 2600 chipset. The brand new processor is alleged to be housed in roughly 50% of the Galaxy S26 gadgets throughout South Korea and European areas. The US, Japan, and China markets will reportedly get Qualcomm-powered models.
For reference, Samsung used to have Exynos-powered flagship Galaxy S-series telephones till the Galaxy S22. In recent times, it shifted to Qualcomm, with the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S25 lineups dropping Exynos totally. Samsung returned to its in-house processor for the Galaxy Z Flip 7 this 12 months, which was powered by the Exynos 2500 SoC. That mentioned, the Galaxy S26 lineup is alleged to have an all-new processor.
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The Exynos 2600 can be made in-house by Samsung Foundry, whereas Apple and Qualcomm depend on TSMC. As per the report, this chipset relies on a 2nm course of, which is touted to spice up an NPU that’s six occasions quicker than Apple’s A19 Professional. When put next, this NPU is alleged to be 30% quicker than Qualcomm’s flagship chipset.
Samsung Galaxy S26’s Exynos 2600 chipset is alleged to supply 14% higher CPU multi-core efficiency and as much as 75% greater GPU efficiency. The GPU is reportedly as much as 29% higher than Qualcomm’s. These are excessive claims, and I’m curious to see the effectivity of Samsung’s subsequent cellular processor. The Exynos SoCs of yesteryear have been notorious for getting too heat. I count on the Exynos 2600 to be higher, however time will inform.
Are there main digital camera enhancements?
I hope Samsung places an even bigger sensor contained in the Galaxy S26 Extremely, no less than, however the rumors have been unclear. Though certainly one of them claimed that variable aperture tech may make a comeback with the Galaxy S26 sequence. Furthermore, a brand new ALoP lens expertise may considerably scale back the digital camera bump dimension.
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The bottom Galaxy S26 is alleged to sport a brand new 50MP major digital camera sensor, whereas the Extremely may upgrade to a bigger 1/1.1-inch 200MP Sony sensor. It may provide an F1.4 aperture, which might let 47% extra gentle in. In consequence, count on higher night time images. Furthermore, Samsung may bump the 3x telephoto digital camera from 10MP to 12MP, whereas the ultrawide is alleged to stay the identical.
I hope the sensor improve rumors are true as a result of Samsung flagships want a digital camera overhaul. 12 months over 12 months, the upgrades in optics have diminished, and the Galaxy S25 Extremely could not stand an opportunity towards the Oppo Discover X8 Extremely in my recent comparison.
Is there a Galaxy S26 Professional or not?
There have been rumors of Samsung changing the bottom Galaxy S26 mannequin with a Galaxy S26 Professional and the Galaxy S26 Plus with a Galaxy S26 Edge. Nevertheless, as extra details about the Galaxy S26 sequence trickles in, the extra complicated it will get.
In line with the newest report, the entry-level Samsung flagship will simply be referred to as the Galaxy S26. A separate report claims that Samsung may cancel the Galaxy S26 Edge. So, that leaves the common suspects: Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and the Galaxy S26 Extremely.
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That mentioned, the bottom mannequin is alleged to get a battery enhance with a 4,300mAh battery as a substitute of a 4,000mAh cell discovered on the current-gen Galaxy S25. Whereas there isn’t any affirmation on battery capability for the opposite two variants, I hope the Galaxy S25 Extremely will get a battery improve too — particularly when a smaller OnePlus 15 is predicted to pack a big 7,300mAh battery.
Samsung Galaxy S26 launch date
A report claims that the Galaxy S26 sequence could possibly be delayed to March, citing that Samsung remains to be behind on Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus’ growth.
Nevertheless, I do not assume that is going to occur since different manufacturers are gunning for earlier-than-usual launches. The OnePlus 15 is alleged to be launched globally subsequent month — two months sooner than the OnePlus 13 — whereas different Chinese language manufacturers are mentioned to comply with go well with.
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If Samsung delays the Galaxy S26 launch, it could depart a giant launch hole for competing gadgets to problem Samsung. There’s one other hypothesis of the corporate releasing the Galaxy S26 Extremely in January and following it up with a base Galaxy S26 launch in September. I’ve heard an identical launch cycle rumor for Apple. It could possibly be potential, however I count on no less than one Samsung Galaxy S26 smartphone to launch in January 2026.
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