If you're waiting on the Samsung Galaxy S26 to bring big changes to its display as part of its upgrades, then you may want to lower your expectations.
Long-established tipster PhoneArt (who you may know from his old username IceUniverse) has leaked/lamented that the Galaxy S26 series' displays, including the top Galaxy S26 Ultra model, will apparently have a 2,600-nit rated peak brightness.
| Row 0 - Cell 0 | Galaxy S26 (rumored) | Galaxy S25 | iPhone 17 | Pixel 10 Pro |
Rated peak brightness (nits) | 2,600 | 2,600 | 3,000 | 3,300 |
Peak brightness as measured by TG Labs (nits) | N/a | 1,860 (Ultra) | 1,899 (Pro Max) | 2,555 (Pro XL) |
In our testing, the S25 series scored lower, with the Galaxy S25 Ultra scoring the highest among its siblings, as the table above shows. But the figures also demonstrate how the iPhone 17 Pro Max and the Pixel 10 Pro XL are ahead. The Pixel in particular is way out in front, the Pixel 10 Pro XL currently being the brightest phone we've tested.
Higher brightness is a good thing; it helps keep the display visible when outdoors or under hard lighting. Samsung neglecting to upgrade this would be a shame, but perhaps the worst part would simply be the S26 series visibly lagging behind its two main rivals.
New display, same old brightness
Interestingly, PhoneArt also says that the Galaxy S26 series could still use Samsung Display's latest M14 material, just without any impact to brightness. This is the same material used by Samsung and Google, and apparently offers phones a thinner display as well as increased potential brightness.
But there is one potential cause that could explain all of this: the alleged "Flex Magic Pixel" feature that apparently renders the display visible only to someone looking at the phone straight-on. This privacy glass-like feature would more than make up for a lower brightness, similar to how the Galaxy S25 Ultra's anti-reflective display layer helps with outdoor visibility.
In terms of more noticeable changes to the Galaxy S26 series, we could see speedier charging for the Ultra, improved camera sensors and processing and an altered, rounder design, going by current rumors. Powering the S26 family will be either the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, or Samsung's own Exynos 2600 chip, although which one you get could depend on the model in question and which region it's being sold to.
While we can safely assume that the Galaxy S26 will arrive early next year, precisely when is unclear right now. While we could assume a January launch as we've seen for the most recent Galaxy S generations, other sources claim that the S26 series will launch at the end of February, later than usual.
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