Samsung Galaxy S26 launches as a new compact Android flagship smartphone with seven-year update promise

Samsung has now lifted the lid on the Galaxy S26, which comes as a direct successor to the S25 (currently at $432.43 on Amazon). Alongside the vanilla variant, the company has also introduced the Galaxy S26+ and the Galaxy S26 Ultra smartphones at the Galaxy Unpacked event. We already covered both smartphones; you can read about them here. 

Design-wise, there are subtle changes in the overall design of the Galaxy S26. To be more exact, it now comes with a camera housing, which was absent in the last generation. Another thing is that it’s now slightly heavier than the S25. Speaking more precisely, the S26 weighs around 167 grams (0.36 lbs), while the S25 comes in at 162 grams (0.32 lbs). Though there are no changes in thickness, measuring 7.2 mm (0.28 inches). 

Under the hood, the smartphone is powered by Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2600 processor paired with up to 12 GB of RAM and up to 512 GB of internal storage with no room for storage expansion. As for display, it has a 6.3-inch FHD+ dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz adaptive refresh rate support. Interestingly, the battery capacity of the smartphone is now bigger than before. It features a 4,300 mAh battery, a step up from 4,000 mAh from the predecessor. Plus, there’s 25 W wired and 15 W wireless charging support. 

Furthermore, the camera setup remains unchanged. You get a triple rear camera setup at the back, consisting of a 50 MP main camera with OIS support, a 12 MP ultrawide camera, and a 10 MP telephoto shooter with 3x optical zoom. On the front, there’s a 12 MP snapper for selfies and video chats. It runs Android 16-based One UI 8.5 out of the box. On top of this, Samsung promises seven major OS updates (up to Android 23) and seven years of security updates for its compact flagship smartphone. 

Interested buyers can now pre-order the Samsung Galaxy S26 via Samsung’s official website for a retail price of €999. The open sale will begin on the 11th of March. There are four color options available for the S26, including sky blue, black, white, and cobalt violet.