Last week we heard rumors that Samsung is going to change up the way it sells phones — starting with the Galaxy S26 series. Not only is the S26 Plus potentially being canned, in favor of the skinny Galaxy S26 Edge, word is that there may not be a standard Galaxy S26 either.
According to claims, Samsung is going to release a Galaxy S26 Pro instead. But rather than being a brand new kind of phone, reports claim that the only change here will be the name. So the device will be the regular Galaxy S26, but with a fluffed up name.
If true, this is clearly an idea cooked up by the marketing department in an attempt to sell more phones. But anyone with an ounce of common sense will know that this is would be a spectacularly boneheaded move.
Why be Pro when you're already Ultra?
Over the years we've seen plenty of examples of phone companies adding suffixes and titles to their phones in an attempt to differentiate them all. There's Plus, Max, Ultra and Pro, to name a few of the options utilized on the flagship level.
If what we've heard is true, there will be no Galaxy S26, only the Pro, Edge and Ultra. Which feels like a decision specifically made for maximum deviousness, and to try and confuse the consumer about which phone is the right one.
Most of the time these terms are actually pretty meaningless. Sometimes they're used to help differentiate between different sizes, like Plus or mini, all of which are fairly self explanatory. For the most part these names are meant to show which phones are the more advanced options.
In Samsung's case it does this with the Ultra name. So you can tell at a glance that the Galaxy S25 Ultra is a better phone than the Galaxy S25 — which has no special title.
The problem is that there's no consistency between phone companies. While Samsung chose Ultra, the likes of Apple and Google chose Pro. It doesn't make a lot of difference which names they picked, because at this stage consumers have come to realize what these terms mean — and that they are mostly just meaningless marketing speak for "good."
It's rare that phone companies opt for both, because at this stage doing so might just end up confusing people. Admittedly it's long been rumored that Apple could do this, rebranding the Pro Max iPhone as the Ultra.
But at least in this instance the general makeup of the iPhone launch slate won't be that different. Even if it means buyers need to do a little more research, there's still that entry-level standard iPhone to compare the more premium models to.
In Samsung's case, all that goes out of the window. If what we've heard is true, there will be no Galaxy S26, only the Pro, Edge and Ultra. Which feels like a decision specifically made for maximum deviousness, and to try and confuse the consumer about which phone is the right one.
This feels like a deliberate trick
One argument that can be made about this change is that calling a phone "Pro" is meaningless if there isn't a base model to compare it to. I made that same argument after rumors hit the web claiming the iPhone 18 might arrive several months after iPhone 18 Pro.
But crucially, in this case it feels as though Samsung is doing this to try and sell more phones. The GSMA database entry that spawned this rumor features the same SM-S942 product code for both the S26 and S26 Pro — suggesting that they are the same device. Which essentially feels like this change may end up misleading potential customers by marketing the S26 as something better than it is.
The marketing department will likely argue that the entry-level S26 is advanced enough to get a more premium-sounding name. I understand that to a degree, especially if the S26 Pro ends up getting some of the upgrades the likes of the S25 have been missing — like faster charging speeds.
But it still strikes me as a disingenuous change. Everyone knows that Galaxy phones are some of the best phones around, in the same way that iPhones are. It doesn't matter if the entry level models lack a special title, or get held back without key upgrades that Pro or Ultra models receive. You know you're going to get a great phone when you hand over your money.
Trying to make people believe they're getting something better than it is, just to try and sell more phones, is pretty nefarious. Particularly since it's behaving as though consumers are idiots, and can't see through the ruse.
Bottom line
We all know there are plenty of people out there who impulsively buy stuff without thinking too hard about what they're doing. But I'd also wager that those people are in the minority, especially when the scheme is this transparent.
Unless Samsung can offer some substance to the name change, I have a strong feeling making the "Pro" move will backfire.
If Samsung wants to release a Samsung Galaxy S26 Pro alongside the Ultra, then so be it. But it needs to make sure that name is warranted, which in this case means not simply slapping a Pro label onto the S26 and hoping nobody asks too many questions.
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