Samsung Galaxy S26 series launch date leaked: Everything we know about the upcoming flagship phones

Galaxy S25

Samsung’s next big launch may still be months away, but the buzz around the Galaxy S26 series has already begun. The South Korean tech giant’s flagship lineup is usually unveiled in January each year, but this time, it seems fans will have to wait a little longer. According to a new report from Korean outlet Money Today, Samsung is planning to launch the Galaxy S26 series on February 25, 2026, in San Francisco, USA.

If true, this marks about a month’s delay compared to the usual schedule — and an interesting return to San Francisco, the same city where Samsung launched the Galaxy S23 series back in 2023. The choice of venue is no coincidence either. San Francisco has become the hub of the global AI boom, home to companies like OpenAI and Perplexity, and Samsung reportedly wants to highlight its growing focus on artificial intelligence.

The delay might be linked to Samsung’s last-minute changes in its lineup strategy. Initially, the company was expected to introduce an all-new Galaxy S26 Edge, while the standard model would carry the “Pro” branding. But according to leaks, those plans have been scrapped. The Edge variant, which was meant to replace the Plus model, has reportedly been cancelled due to the poor sales performance of last year’s ultra-thin Galaxy S25 Edge.

Now, Samsung is said to be going back to the tried-and-tested trio — Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra — with the base model keeping its simple name instead of getting a “Pro” tag.

What to expect from the Galaxy S26 series

As with every new generation, the focus will be on performance, AI, and camera upgrades. Samsung has already hinted that the S26 lineup will come with expanded AI features to rival Google and Apple. The S26 Ultra might feature a more rounded design and come in fresh colours, possibly including a shade similar to Apple’s Cosmic Orange.

Under the hood, Samsung is expected to use two different chipsets depending on the market — its in-house Exynos 2600 in some regions and Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in others. The new Exynos 2600 is built on Samsung’s 2nm process and reportedly delivers six times better AI performance (thanks to its upgraded Neural Processing Unit) compared to Apple’s A19 Pro chip in the iPhone 17 Pro.

Benchmark leaks suggest the Exynos 2600 scores 3,455 in single-core and 11,621 in multi-core tests, while the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 does slightly better with 3,832 and 12,170, respectively. Whether this difference will be noticeable in real-world use remains to be seen.

While nothing is official yet, the leaked February 25 date gives us a clear idea of Samsung’s timeline. With AI becoming the centrepiece of modern smartphones, the Galaxy S26 series could mark a turning point for Samsung — one where its flagship phones are not just powerful, but also smarter than ever. For now, fans will have to wait until early 2026 to see how Samsung’s big AI push unfolds.