A massive Samsung Galaxy S26 leak just revealed all the key specs
A January launch looks likely again, but not for the S26 Edge
With only a month left of 2025, the Samsung Galaxy S25 family is fast approaching its first birthday. While they’re still among the best phones you can buy, this does mean their successors are just around the corner.
Now we have a good look at all the key specs thanks to Ice Universe — a leaker with a long track record of delivering accurate Samsung leaks.
In all, Ice Universe lists three versions of the Samsung Galaxy S26, with the regular version joined by a Plus model and the Galaxy S26 Ultra variant. There’s no mention of the Galaxy S26 Edge, though that may not mean it’s cancelled as some rumors suggested — the Galaxy S25 Edge didn’t arrive until May 2025, after all.
The leaker compares each one’s specifications to its predecessor. Here’s the vanilla Galaxy S26, where the main changes are as expected: a chipset upgrade, a slight battery bump and the 128GB storage tier being retired.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Galaxy S25 | Galaxy S26 (Ice Universe leak) |
Display | 6.2-inch FHD+ | 6.3-inch FHD+ |
Brightness | 2,600 nits | 2,600 nits |
Refresh Rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite (For Galaxy) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 / Exynos 2600 |
RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
Storage | 128 / 256 / 512GB | 256 / 512GB |
Main Camera | 50MP | 50MP |
Ultrawide | 12MP | 12MP |
3 x Telephoto | 10MP (1/3.94”) | 10MP (1/3.94”) |
Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
Battery | 4,000mAh | 4,300mAh |
Charging | 25W | 25W |
Weight | 162g | 164g |
Thickness | 7.2mm | 6.9mm |
For the S26 Plus, the only visible difference is the chipset upgrade.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Galaxy S25 Plus | Galaxy S26 Plus (Ice Universe leak) |
Display | 6.7-inch QHD | 6.7-inch QHD |
Brightness | 2,600 nits | 2,600 nits |
Refresh Rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite (For Galaxy) | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 / Exynos 2600 |
RAM | 12GB | 12GB |
Storage | 256 / 512GB | 256 / 512GB |
Main Camera | 50MP | 50MP |
Ultrawide | 12MP | 12MP |
3 x Telephoto | 10MP (1/3.94”) | 10MP (1/3.94”) |
Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
Battery | 4,900mAh | 4,900mAh |
Charging | 45W | 45W |
Weight | 190g | 190g |
Thickness | 7.3mm | 7.3mm |
As ever, it’s the Ultra variant that gets the biggest changes, though even here, it’s pretty minimal with a faster chipset, quicker charging and a larger sensor on the 3x Telephoto camera being the main points of difference.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Galaxy S25 Ultra | Galaxy S26 Ultra (Ice Universe leak) |
Display | 6.9-inch QHD (M13) | 6.9-inch QHD (M14) |
Brightness | 2,600 nits | 2,600 nits |
Refresh Rate | 1-120Hz | 1-120Hz |
Processor | Snapdragon 8 Elite | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 |
RAM | 12GB / 16GB | 12GB / 16GB |
Storage | 256 / 512GB / 1TB | 256 / 512GB / 1TB |
Main Camera | 200MP HP2 | 200MP HP2 |
Ultrawide | 50MP | 50MP |
3 x Telephoto | 10MP (1/3.52”) | 10MP (1/3.94”) |
5 x Telephoto | 50MP | 50MP |
Front Camera | 12MP | 12MP |
Battery | 5,000mAh | 5,000mAh |
Charging | 45W | 60W |
Weight | 218g | 214g |
Thickness | 8.2mm | 7.9mm |
What about colors?
While Ice Universe’s latest post gives us a good idea of what to expect on the inside of the upcoming handsets, it doesn’t tell us what Samsung has planned in terms of colorways.
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However, SamMobile has spotted a bunch of Galaxy S26 Ultra wallpaper leaks posted by @wr3cckl3ss which may give us a hint, given Samsung tends to let its wallpapers complement the phones’ outer shell.
This doesn’t mean that each one of these wallpapers will have a matching colored handset, of course, but it is interesting that there’s an orange one, given an orange Galaxy S26 Ultra has strongly been tipped already.
There had been some talk of the Galaxy S26 series launching a little later than recent generations with a date of February 25 being mooted. More recently, a familiar January launch has been talked up, however, and that earlier arrival is given more credence by another leaker.
On X, @theonecid claims that the Galaxy S26 has been spotted on a testing server running One UI 8.5 suggesting that a launch may indeed be just over a month away.
Despite the imminent arrival of the Galaxy S26, this may not be Samsung’s next big handset launch. The company has said that its next foldable innovation — the Samsung Galaxy Trifold — will hopefully appear before the year is out. Though given this handset could cost as much as $2,499, most buyers will be hanging on for January.
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Freelance contributor Alan has been writing about tech for over a decade, covering phones, drones and everything in between. Previously Deputy Editor of tech site Alphr, his words are found all over the web and in the occasional magazine too. When not weighing up the pros and cons of the latest smartwatch, you'll probably find him tackling his ever-growing games backlog. He also handles all the Wordle coverage on Tom's Guide and has been playing the addictive NYT game for the last several years in an effort to keep his streak forever intact.
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