Galaxy S26 Plus is rumored to return to Samsung's flagship lineup — with these 5 big changes

We weren't expecting to see a Galaxy S26 Plus join the new flagships Samsung is set to release in early 2026. After the Galaxy S25 Edge launched this year, it seemed likely that the new ultra-thin phone would muscle the Plus out of Samsung's flagship lineup, giving shoppers three very distinctive models to choose from. Or at least that's what the rumors had us believing.

As it turns out, reports of the Plus model's demise may have been premature. Samsung has reportedly dropped plans to introduce a Galaxy S26 Edge — or at least, it's no longer expected to include the Edge when the rest of the Galaxy S26 lineup launches. Instead, the Plus looks likely to take its usual place smack dab in the middle of Samsung's lineup, with the standard flagship on one side and the high-end Ultra model on the other.

Samsung's dilemma over which phones to include in the Galaxy S26 launch may be resolved, but the general issue with what to do about the Plus model remains. Recent Plus offerings have suffered from an identity crisis — the phone is often too similar to the standard Galaxy S model to justify its higher price without enough premium features like the Ultra to attract people who want the best Samsung phone money can buy. In the end, the Plus winds up being the big-screen option for people who don't want to pay up for the Ultra.

From the sound of things, that's unlikely to change when the Galaxy S26 Plus launches alongside Samsung's other flagships. From the details that have leaked out about Samsung's phones, the Plus isn't in line to receive many big changes from last year's model — at least in terms of hardware.

Still, we can expect some improvements to the Galaxy S26 Plus, which could appear as soon as next month if you believe the latest Galaxy S26 release date speculation. Here's what we've heard so far about how the Plus fits in with the rest of the Galaxy S26 lineup.

Galaxy S26 Plus: Leaked specs

Our best clue for what to expect from the Galaxy S26 Plus surfaced at the start of December, when leaker Ice Universe posted specs for all three expected models, including the Plus. Based on that report, if you've seen the Galaxy S25 Plus, you've got a pretty good idea of what to expect from its successor.

With the exception of a new chipset, the specs for the Galaxy S26 Plus appear identical to what the S25 Plus had to offer. Even the dimensions appear unchanged, which isn't the case for the other S26 models. Both the standard S26 and S26 Ultra are expected to be slightly thinner and lighter than their S25 counterparts.

If there's any truth to the reports that Samsung was originally planning to replace the Galaxy S26 Plus in its lineup before restoring it at the last minute, a largely unchanged phone makes some sense. Unlike other models in the Galaxy S26 lineup, the Plus may not have been in Samsung's plans long enough to undergo more extensive changes.

Nevertheless, you'd expect there to be some differences, even if they aren't apparent in the leaked Galaxy S26 Plus specs. The Plus model usually shares a lot of features in common with the standard Galaxy S handset, so it stands to reason that a lot of changes planned for the Galaxy S26 will find their way to the Plus, too.

Top Galaxy S26 Plus rumors

A new chipset — but which one?

You expect a new phone to feature the latest silicon. In the case of the Galaxy S26 Plus, though, it's not clear exactly which system-on-chip Samsung will use.

In theory, you'd expect the new Samsung phones to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is Qualcomm's top-of-the-line silicon. The Galaxy S25 lineup ran exclusively on Qualcomm's top chipset at the time, after all, as Samsung has a long history of using Qualcomm chips.

But a rumor suggests that some Galaxy S26 models could feature the Exynos 2600 chipset instead. Specifically, the standard S26 and S26 Plus might feature the Samsung-designed silicon on models released in select markets, mirroring a strategy Samsung used with the Galaxy S24 series.

I've seen what the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 can do in benchmark tests, and Qualcomm's chip also promises beefier support for on-device AI. The Exynos 2600 supposedly offers these features as well, though past Snapdragon-vs-Exynos comparisons have shown that Samsung's chip isn't quite as fast as what Qualcomm offers.

A new main camera sensor

Rumors indicate that there will be no bump in megapixels for the cameras on the Galaxy S26 or S26 Plus. But that doesn't mean there won't be any hardware changes.

One rumor tips Samsung to turn to a new sensor for the main camera on its standard and Plus models. The sensor would offer the same 50MP megapixel rating, but feature a physically larger size. That would help the cameras on the new phones capture more light, improving photos in low-light settings.

True Qi2 wireless charging (now with magnets)

Samsung's Galaxy S25 lineup included wireless charging support for the then-new Qi2 standard, though that didn't mean full support. Samsung's phones lacked the on-device magnets that insured a better fit with Qi2-ready wireless charging accessories — something you'll find on both the iPhone and the Pixel 10 series.

Apparently, that's changing with the Galaxy S26 lineup as leaked renders have indicated there will be magnets included on the back of Samsung's new models. And you'd assume that would go for the Galaxy S26 Plus, too, if it truly is part of the phone maker's launch plans.

Faster wired charging

Besides the larger screen on the Plus, there's another way where past models have differed from the standard Galaxy S flagship. The Plus generally has the same wired charging speed as the Ultra model. In the case of the Galaxy S25 Plus, that means 45W charging support.

Rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 Ultra could see faster charging speeds, which means that the improvement could trickle down to the S26 Plus. We've heard a boost to 60W could be in order, though a separate report claims that may not translate to dramatic improvements to charge times.

New AI features

The Galaxy S26 Plus isn't the only upcoming Samsung phone likely to see minimal hardware changes from its predecessor. Even the Galaxy S6 Ultra, which is expected to get the most attention from Samsung, isn't in line for a significant overhaul.

That's fueling speculation that Samsung's focus with this iteration of its flagship lineup won't be on hardware. Instead, the bigger changes could come on the software side of things in the form of new Galaxy AI features.

It's a solid theory, given Samsung's push to add more AI capabilities to its phones over the past two years. There's not much in the way of rumors about specific additions, but you would imagine any AI improvement coming to Samsung's other S26 models will impact the Plus, too.

Galaxy S26 Plus outlook

We may not be waiting long to see what form Samsung's hastily assembled Galaxy S26 Plus takes. The last two years have brought new Samsung flagships in January, though some reports have claimed the launch may be pushed back given the rumored Edge/Plus switcheroo.

Whenever the Galaxy S26 Plus does appear, it doesn't figure to be a radical departure from the phone it's replacing. But a few key changes could still make this an interesting option for fans of big-screen phones.

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