RIP Galaxy S26 Plus — the Galaxy S25 Edge may have sealed your fate

We only just saw the Galaxy S25 Edge in full for the first time this week, but there's already talk about the Galaxy S26 Edge, and how it could replace a potential Galaxy S26 Plus next year.

Korean news site The Elec claims Samsung could get rid of its flagship phone series' Plus models and designate the Edge its official replacement in 2026. A swap back to the Plus in the future could still happen, but the initial move from Plus to Edge is apparently still on the cards.

The site suggests Samsung's motivation for this is related to Plus models being the least popular of the three current Galaxy S versions it offers. The Elec claims the S25 Plus' sales target is allegedly less than half the size of either the regular S25 or S25 Ultra's, an imbalance that the brand new Edge model could help to address in the future.

This Plus/Edge switch would match what we've heard Apple will be doing with the rumored iPhone 17 Air family later this year; getting rid of the current iPhone 16 Plus to make room.

However, leaker Max Jambor responded to this story (via 9to5Google), saying this Edge/Plus swap is not a done deal. Samsung is instead waiting to see how the Galaxy S25 Edge sells before making a call.

How to handle the Edge case

The smartphone world is still seemingly trying to make up its mind about the Galaxy S25 Edge. Compared to the S25 Plus, the Edge has a similar screen size, is only $100 more expensive, and has near-identical internals, including the same chipset and RAM/storage options.

The Edge does swap the Plus' 50MP camera for a higher-res 200MP one, and is lighter and slimmer. But the extra camera on the Plus and its larger battery are two big reasons why users could still be better off ignoring Samsung's latest model.

Jambor claims there is a great deal of interest in the Galaxy S25 Edge, at least in Europe. But Samsung could still find that the middle child of its Galaxy S26 range sells worse than the basic model or the top-of-the-line model. It’s hard to know when it comes to brand-new model types like this.

Personally, I don’t see any need for Samsung to rush to make the Edge the new Plus. It already has one of the largest smartphone portfolios of any device maker, so what's one more? Also, waiting another year or two could mean issues with the Edge, like the missing telephoto camera and below-average battery capacity, are resolved, closing the gap between it and the Plus.

The Galaxy S25 Edge is still up for pre-orders if you're ready to swap to a skinny phone. And if you're unsure or curious as to what we make of the phone, you can read our Galaxy S25 Edge hands-on review, which we will update with a full verdict as soon as we can.

More from Tom's Guide

• Nothing Phone 3 could arrive with a $1,000 price tag — yes, you read that correctly
• The iPhone 17 Air has nothing to worry about now that we've seen the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge — here’s why
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