Titanium — once the toast of the smartphone world — appears to be on the outs, as yet another smartphone maker is rumored to be turning its back on a material that had been trumpeted as a high-end feature up until recently.
Speculation is mounting that Samsung won't include titanium as one of the materials used by its Galaxy S26 Ultra phone, after a leaker posted potential colors for Samsung's upcoming premium model. Ice Universe, who has a fairly solid track record when it comes to details about unannounced Samsung phones, claims the Galaxy S26 Ultra will be available in Black Shadow, White Shadow, Galactial Blue and Ultravioiet color options.
While that's a seemingly innocuous detail — new models introduce new colors all the time — it's a stark contrast to the naming convention Samsung has used for recent Ultra colors. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, for example, comes in Titanium Black, Titanium Gray, Titanium Silverblue and Titanium Whitesilver options, along with three more titanium-themed colors available exclusively on Samsung's website.
According to some leaks, the four basic color names of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are:Black ShadowWhite ShadowGalactial BlueUltravioietYou’ll notice that these names are no longer labeled as “Titanium ___.”So....January 3, 2026
Ice Universe specifically calls out the difference between the Galaxy S25 Ultra color options and the rumored names for the S26 Ultra colors: "You’ll notice that these names are no longer labeled as 'Titanium,'" the leaker posts. "So..."
If titanium isn't a part of the Galaxy S26 lineup, it will be the first time since the Galaxy S23 Ultra that Samsung hasn't used the material on its premium phone, after switching from an aluminum frame to a titanium one for the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Then again, Samsung won't be the first phone maker to have dropped titanium from its most recent release.
Apple's iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max both feature frames using an aluminum alloy rather than the titanium that had appeared in the previous two Pro releases. Apple still uses titanium, but only on its iPhone Air model.
Why the sudden shift from phone makers like Apple and, potentially, Samsung? Several factors could be at play.
iPhone Pro: From titanium to aluminum in two years
Certainly, the addition of aluminum to the iPhone 15 Pro models was treated as a big deal by Apple when it launched those phones in 2023. In fact, the "aerospace-grade titanium that’s strong yet lightweight" is mentioned in the very first sentence of Apple's iPhone 15 Pro press release.
After making titanium a central part of its Pro phones' identity for both the iPhone 15 and iPhone 16 releases — like Samsung, Apple included the word "titanium" in the color descriptions for its phones — the iPhone 17 Pro models introduced their aluminum alloy frames with far less fanfare.
What may seem like an arbitrary switch, though, is anything but. "Apple chooses materials with great deliberation: materials science always involves trade-offs," said Avi Greengart, lead analyst at Techsponential. "Cost is a factor, too, though these decisions are made so far in advance that while it may look like Apple is trying to react to recent tariff policies or inflation, that isn't actually how the timeline works."
"Apple chooses materials with great deliberation: materials science always involves tradeoffs."
— Avi Greengart, Techsponential
In other words, if you're looking for a reason why titanium isn't a part of the iPhone Pro lineup any more, it likely comes down to a number of factors. And a big reason might have to do with improving performance for Apple's premium phones.
While the iPhone Pro generally ranks among the best phones available in any given year, recent models had suffered from issues involving overheating when the phone's chipset was taxed with heavy performance demands. Apple clearly wanted to address that issue with the iPhone 17 Pro releases, going so far as to add a vapor cooling chamber to its phones for the first time.
Aluminum frames play a part in that, too. As a material, it's better at dissipating heat than titanium. It's also lighter than titanium, which Apple likely viewed as a bonus for keeping the weight of its new phones from spiking upward despite added components like a vapor chamber. The iPhone 17 Pro models are only fractionally heavier than their iPhone 16 counterparts.
The price of titanium
Still, price remains a factor when it comes to which materials device makers pick. "It helps that aluminum is less expensive," Greengart agreed. "That allowed Apple to rein in pricing." And when it comes to rumored Galaxy S26 Ultra changes, it's natural to wonder if price is playing a role in what Samsung decides to do.
The Galaxy S26 release is coming at a time of rising component costs, particularly when it comes to memory. The AI boom has created a demand for memory chips that's left smartphone makers with a limited supply of RAM and higher prices.
As a result, Samsung is reportedly struggling to set a price for its upcoming models, with the latest report claiming that a price increase looks like it's on tap for the Galaxy S26 models in South Korea. Whether that affects pricing in other regions like the U.S. or U.K. remains to be seen.
Still, like Apple, Samsung could have other reasons for dropping titanium from the Ultra lineup, if that's what's actually going to happen with the S26 release. Making lighter, thinner phones has been a priority for Samsung as of late, and a switch to an aluminum frame could help in that regard.
Galaxy S26 Ultra outlook
Nothing's official on the Galaxy S26 lineup, yet — not the price or the materials Samsung plans to use. And it won't be until there's a Galaxy Unpacked event, which is rumored to be taking place next month.
But based on the moves Apple's already made and the likely changes coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, titanium's time in the smartphone spotlight may be over. And lots of factors seem to have contributed to its hasty exit.
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