Samsung Galaxy S26: Release Date, Price, Specs & Upgrades — Expert Analysis

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is set to become one of the most influential smartphone launches of early 2026. As Ireland’s trusted mobile experts, Fone4U has compiled every credible rumour, expert insight, and early leak into one comprehensive guide — with deeper analysis on what these changes actually mean for Irish buyers.

Samsung’s upcoming lineup is expected to include the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra, with whispers about a new S26 Edge variant. And while Samsung appears to be refining rather than reinventing, there are meaningful hardware shifts, camera improvements, and software changes — particularly around generative AI — that could reshape the Galaxy experience.

Below is everything you need to know so far, backed by expert commentary.

Galaxy S26 Release Date: When Will It Launch?

Based on Samsung’s long-running event cycle, we expect the Galaxy S26 series to launch between mid-January and early February 2026. Samsung has made Wednesday its traditional “Unpacked Day” over the past several years, so an early-2026 Wednesday announcement is extremely likely.

Expert Take — Why This Matters

Irish customers often benefit from the first wave of shipments, as Ireland is part of Samsung’s primary European distribution chain. Early release means:

• quicker pre-orders
  
  
• faster stock arrival
  
  
• early access to Samsung’s pre-launch promotions, which often include wearables or credit
  
  

Galaxy S26 Price Expectations — Will There Be an Increase?

Pricing rumors remain contradictory. Leaks indicate that Samsung faces higher component costs, which could raise prices by €50–€100.

Other leaks, however, suggest Samsung may scale back ultra-thin design ambitions to avoid driving the price up even further.

Probably Irish Pricing (Estimated):

• Galaxy S26: slight increase vs S25
• Galaxy S26+: Moderate increase possible
• Galaxy S26 Ultra: Most likely to see a price bump

This might also allow Samsung to offset increased costs by deploying its Exynos 2600 chip in more regions-an important strategy if the company wants to keep competitive pricing in Europe.

Design & Build: A New Look for 2026

However, the leaked renders of the Galaxy S26+ carry with them one major design change: a camera island replaces the now-iconic floating-lens design from Samsung.

This redesign:

• Visually modernizes the S26
• can provide better lens protection from
• Helps reduce dust accumulation around the camera rings.

It was rumoured that Samsung would use a new lens assembly structure to target an ultra-thin redesign, but that might have been scrapped later on in the design process.

Expert Commentary

Here, Samsung's design direction follows flagship rivals such as Xiaomi and Honor, which have moved to structured camera housings for reasons of durability and aesthetics alike. This new island design in the S26 might appeal more to users who have gotten used to a look that was more premium and symmetrical.

Galaxy S26 Display: What to Expect

Regarding display, Samsung has been an undisputed industry leader in smartphones, and there is nothing to indicate the S26 series will be any different.

Expected Display Specifications

• S26: 6.1” Dynamic AMOLED
• S26 Edge: 6.7” curved AMOLED, if launched
• Adaptive refresh rate of 120 Hz across the board
• Possible anti-reflective coating, just like on the S25 Ultra
• Ultra-exclusive feature: Flex Magic Pixel privacy technology (rumored)

Expert View

One of the single biggest screen advancements on the S25 Ultra was Samsung's anti-reflective coating, and extending it to the S26 and S26+, Irish consumers will see noticeably better outdoor visibility—a big plus given our notoriously bright/cloudy Irish weather mix.

Camera Upgrades: Subtle Hardware, Big Software

Rumoured Camera Setup for Galaxy S26 & S26+

• 50MP main camera
• 12MP ultra-wide
• 10MP telephoto (3× zoom) could go up to 12MP

Rumors have it that, except for a possible telephoto bump, Samsung won't significantly improve the camera hardware on the S26 and S26+.

What About the S26 Ultra?

We'll most likely see more meaningful upgrades to the Ultra, possibly including:

• a new periscope system
• Enhanced zoom processing
• new sensor tuning for low-light AI photography

Expert Position

Series S25 showed that Samsung can make dramatic photo improvements via software, not hardware. Expect

Stronger low-light processing; Improved HDR accuracy; Expanded 10-bit video features. For photography enthusiasts, though, it's all eyes on the S26 Ultra — but the base models will benefit from substantial software tuning too.

Battery & Charging: Finally Some Progress

It's said that Samsung is increasing the Galaxy S26 battery to 4,300mAh from the 4,000mAh S25-a meaningful boost. Wireless charging may jump from 15W to 20W, and Qi2 magnetic charging is reportedly on board.

However, earlier rumors of stacked batteries or silicon-carbon technology have cooled off.

Expert View

Samsung plays it safe with next-generation battery technologies due to:

• thermal reliability issues
• cost constraints
• The requirement to ensure battery health for long-term utilization.

Still, compared to the Chinese rivals, which are pushing 5,000–6,000mAh batteries, Samsung's approach is more conservative but stable. Irish users can expect to see noticeably better, if not groundbreaking, battery improvements.

Performance: Exynos 2600 vs Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5

Samsung is probably back to the split-chip strategy:

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 in top markets
• Exynos 2600 in others

It's expected to come with a Snapdragon variant in Ireland as that's typically how the wider European distribution works for flagships with Qualcomm chips.

RAM & Storage

• 12GB RAM expected for S26 & S26+
• S26+: Possible 1TB storage option 
• Samsung also may kill the 128GB model

Expert View 

The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 would be one of the most powerful chips on sale and would feature a very strong focus on on-device AI processing. The Exynos 2600 is also said to focus on AI and power efficiency, but historically Snapdragon has had more consistent performance.

Software: One UI 8.5 with Android 16

The probable specifications of Samsung's S26 are:

• Android 16
• One UI 8.5

This fits with Samsung's new strategy, where its major Galaxy S line gets the ".5" update rather than a full UI version jump.

AI is the Big Focus

Samsung has been investing seriously in generative AI, and the latest rumors include a partnership with Perplexity AI to improve:

• search
• smart replies
• editing tools 
• Personalised productivity on-device AI for privacy 

Expert Interpretation 

The result of the Perplexity partnership would be to take Samsung away from Google's dominance in on-device search and make it the first major smartphone maker to integrate an alternative AI search platform. This will be an important industry move.

Connectivity: Faster 5G with Qualcomm X85 Modem

Samsung can employ the new Qualcomm X85 modem to support:

• improved power efficiency
• Improved indoor 5G performance
• higher peak download speeds

It would translate to more even 5G coverage for Irish users on Vodafone, Three, and eir, especially in suburbs and countryside areas.

Should You Wait for the Galaxy S26?

Wait for the S26 if:

• You have a Galaxy S21, S22, or older
• You want the latest AI features.
• You care about battery improvements.
• You're curious about Samsung's new design direction.

Don't wait if:

• You've just upgraded to a Galaxy S25. 
• You want massive hardware redesigns—upgrades this year are evolutionary, not revolutionary 

Final Verdict—Fone4U Ireland Expert Summary 

As things stand, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series is shaping up to be a refined, intelligent, AI-centric generation rather than a hardware reimagining. That includes modest to meaningful improvements in battery life, charging, design, and processing power. Where Samsung's real gamble lies, though, is in AI, software, and camera optimization.