Samsung Galaxy S26 series tipped to better compete with Chinese flagships in charging speed

The Chinese flagship phones have been at the forefront in terms of charging speed, with multiple recent flagship phones featuring close to 100W fast charging ratings. Samsung, on the other hand, has been sticking to 45W wired charging for quite a while, and it's expected to stay the same for the Galaxy S25 series.

However, the Galaxy S26 series could see a much-needed upgrade in this regard. A recent report shared that next year's Samsung flagships could pack Silicon-Carbon (SiC) batteries instead of the traditional lithium cells, which would lead to higher capacities without increasing the size.

Of course, the Galaxy S26 series wouldn't be the first to feature such batteries as phones in the Honor Magic 7 series, and the Xiaomi 15 lineup already comes with SiC batteries. Besides increasing the capacity, these new batteries in the Galaxy S26 series could also lead to faster charging speeds.

As tipped by @kro_roe on X, the Galaxy S26 series could launch with 65W wired fast charging support (145W Ugreen Nexode power bank curr. $69.99 on Amazon). This wouldn't be a substantial upgrade over what the S25 series is expected to be capable of. However, it would make the 2026 Samsung flagships better compete with Chinese flagships.

Samsung is also rumored to integrate a new wireless charging chip, the S2MIW06. It will reportedly bring 50W wireless fast charging support. To compare, the Galaxy S25 series is expected to have support for up to 25W wireless charging. But then again, by the time the 2026 Samsung flagship phones launch, the Chinese smartphone makers may make another push in terms of charging speed.

That is, 100W+ wireless charging and close to 150W wired charging could become a standard for premium Chinese flagships by 2026. Still, it would be great to see Samsung offer faster charging support on the Galaxy S26 series.