Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra just tipped for big charging upgrade — what we know

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News about the Samsung Galaxy S26 is starting to pick up steam now that the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and Galaxy Z Flip 7 have gone on sale. We've already heard rumors that the upcoming phone could also, finally, push charging speeds past 45W — and leaked code from One UI 8.5 seemingly confirms this.

The code was spotted by X user @erenylmaz075, who shared a screenshot of what's allegedly code from a leaked version of One UI 8.5. Presumably such fast speeds will be exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, rather than the Galaxy S26 and S26 Edge.

This isn't the first time we've heard this rumor either. Ice Universe first reported that the S26 Ultra would exceed 45W wired charging, later adding that the figure seems to have risen to 60W.

This upgrade is certainly long overdue. The Ultra models have been limited to 45W for years, while plenty of rival phones race towards triple-digit charging speeds. Plus, with a new upper limit, it means Samsung could offer faster charging on the standard Galaxy S26 without stealing the Ultra's thunder.

As much as we complain about 45W charging overstaying its welcome, the 25W charging limit has been around for a lot longer — and it's about time that changed.

That's not all

@erenylmaz075 also claims that Samsung will be renaming the Galaxy S26 as the "Galaxy S26 Pro." This information comes from the GSMA registration database, with the model number SM-S942U1 seemingly changing its name from Galaxy S26 to Galaxy S26 Pro

It's speculated that this is to try and attract new users by tweaking the name. Which isn't a particularly logical strategy, considering you need a base level S26 for anything to be considered "Pro," but it wouldn't be the first time a phone company has released a Pro phone without anything cheaper.

Yes, I'm talking about you, the OnePlus 10 Pro. And the fact that OnePlus abandoned this strategy with future releases, starting with the OnePlus 11, suggests the company realized that decision wasn't particularly smart.

Then again Apple is rumored to be releasing the iPhone 18 six months after the iPhone 18 Pro. So it's not outside the possibility that Samsung might forgo the "regular" Galaxy S26 as well.

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Tom is the Tom's Guide's UK Phones Editor, tackling the latest smartphone news and vocally expressing his opinions about upcoming features or changes. It's long way from his days as editor of Gizmodo UK, when pretty much everything was on the table. He’s usually found trying to squeeze another giant Lego set onto the shelf, draining very large cups of coffee, or complaining about how terrible his Smart TV is.

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