Samsung's Galaxy devices have had another great year in 2025, with refinements to familiar devices plus some brand new ones. And 2026 is shaping up to be just as good, if not better.
There are all kinds of Samsung devices we could cover, but I'm limiting our scope just to the Galaxy-branded ones. Samsung's mobile division is one of its best-known, and covers everything from expected smartphone upgrades like the Galaxy S26 series, to wearables like the Galaxy Watch 9, to cutting-edge Galaxy AI updates. That's more than enough to think about without even getting into Samsung's computing or home tech!
Galaxy S26
First up, perhaps in February if current rumors are to be believed, we should see the Galaxy S26 series debut. There should be three phones in this particular family, with a base model and a Galaxy S26 Ultra model seemingly guaranteed to be among them.
The identity of the third model is more up in the air. There were originally rumors that this would be a Galaxy S26 Edge, with Samsung ditching the intermediate Plus model to offer a thin and light option. But now we could see the Plus return after Galaxy S25 Edge sales seemingly proved underwhelming.
Upgrades rumored so far include faster charging, a revised design for the base and Plus models and a new camera sensor or two. Hopefully this, and some AI software tweaks, will be enough to keep Samsung on top of its competitors for another year.
Galaxy Z Fold 8 and Z Flip 8
Later in 2026, likely in the summer once again, we will hopefully see Samsung launch another pair of folding phones — the latest Galaxy Z Fold and Z Flip.
Given how much of an improvement the current Galaxy Z Fold 7 was over previous Z Folds, I doubt we'll see Samsung revolutionize the design and underlying hardware for the second year in a row. It'll likely focus on refinements like a new chipset, some new productivity and creativity tools that work best on a big display, and maybe, if we're very lucky, a battery or charging upgrade.
The Galaxy Z Flip 7 got some nice upgrades this year too, like its larger outer display. Improved cameras, or even a third rear lens or a larger battery would be welcome for the new model. Perhaps we'll also see a Galaxy Z Flip 7 FE follow-up too, unless Samsung wants to hold back an update to its cheapest folding phone for another year.
Galaxy Z TriFold
Yes, this new two-hinged foldable is technically already launched, but since it's not yet landed in the U.S., the Galaxy Z TriFold is going to feel like a 2026 device all the same.
Actually scratch that — it's going to feel like a device from the far future, considering only one other company has brought a tri-fold to market. And since that's Huawei, there's little chance of anyone in the U.S., or Europe for that matter, seeing that before they encounter the Galaxy Z TriFold.
The closest we've got to it so far is in a mall in Dubai, but even handling a fingerprint-covered demo unit tethered to a countertop showed that Samsung's got something special here. Whether or not it turns out to be popular, it's this literal flex of engineering that keeps Samsung as one of the world's smartphone leaders.
Samsung smart glasses
Samsung is reportedly getting ready to launch its first smart glasses in 2026, which will be powered by Android XR. This will follow the company's first Android XR headset in the Galaxy XR. Samsung is partnering with Warby Parker and Gentle Monster on the lenses, so hopefully the smart glasses will look sleek.
So what will these glasses do? Based on a demo of Google's prototype Android XR glasses, we expect Samsung's glasses to offer similar features. This includes music deep integration with Gemini AI. It's not clear if the Samsung glasses will have a display or if they'll be audio-only. Or perhaps Samsung will offer both options to better compete with the Ray-Ban Meta gen 2 and Meta Ray-Ban Display glasses.
Galaxy Watch 9 and Galaxy Ring 2
We should get another pair of Galaxy Watches in the summer, alongside Samsung's new foldables. This will likely be a base Galaxy Watch 9 and one other model, although what type it will be is up in the air, pending further rumors.
Samsung seems to be sticking to a two-year cadence for updating its Pro/Ultra rugged watches and its more luxurious Classic ones. That should mean we see a Galaxy Watch Ultra 2 in 2026, unless Samsung decides to switch things up in a whole new way. Fingers crossed we get an update to the Galaxy Watch FE, too, so users with tighter budgets for their wearables aren't left out.
The status of a follow-up to the Galaxy Ring is less certain. Going by Samsung's two-year wearable cycle, we could perhaps see the Galaxy Ring 2 launch at the same time as the Watch 9 series.
Galaxy AI updates
As it stands, Samsung's proprietary AI features are well developed, and on mostly equal footing with anything you can get from a Google Pixel. But as long as AI remains a tech industry buzzword, we can expect Samsung to keep putting resources into new applications for its genAI tools.
Hopefully this will include something novel we've not seen before; something that will help Galaxy phones and other devices stand out from other Android brands. Failing that, Samsung could do worse than to adopt good AI ideas pioneered by other brands. A screenshot-indexing app like Pixel Screenshots or Nothing Space would be some examples.
Whatever happens, Samsung's close relationship with Google will likely mean we see some fresh Gemini powers added to the Galaxy S26 series before it is slowly introduced to other brands. If you like Circle to Search or Gemini's cross-app actions, then it's this kind of thing we can hopefully see early in 2026.
And there's more!
Samsung is one of the most prolific electronics companies around, so there are even more devices to consider
We're likely due the Galaxy Buds 4 this year, as the current Galaxy Buds 3 will turn two years old in the summer. Good news for any Samsung fan jealous of iPhone users getting to play with the latest AirPods Pro 3.
In addition to the Galaxy S and Galaxy Z flagship lines, we expect to see a collection of Galaxy Ax7 series devices appear by mid-year to refresh Samsung's mid-priced offerings. The last major Galaxy phone release of the year, barring any surprises, will likely be the Galaxy S26 FE, the cheaper version of the S26 that aims to stuff as much software functionality into a more affordable handset.
And if you need a new streaming or work device, and know it's got to be a Samsung, then you should look out for the Galaxy Tab S12 series and a new generation of Galaxy Book laptops. Those should appear in the fall and spring respectively, going by current launch patterns.
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