Samsung plans to unveil its Galaxy S26 lineup in January with retail availability following in February after abandoning the Edge variant due to poor Galaxy S25 Edge market performance, according to industry sources. The Korean manufacturer encountered hardware verification delays when substituting the Plus model for the discontinued Edge device, but resolved these obstacles to maintain the February timeline.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will exclusively feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and face price increases driven by elevated component expenses and tariff impacts. Base and Plus versions will incorporate Samsung's Exynos 2600 chipset built on 2-nanometer GAA technology, though production constraints reportedly limit monthly wafer output to 15,000 units. The decision to restrict Exynos deployment suggests either performance gaps compared with Qualcomm silicon or manufacturing yield challenges with the advanced fabrication process.
Pricing for standard models will remain competitive despite the flagship's cost adjustment, allowing Samsung to balance premium features against market rivals across the product range.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will exclusively feature Qualcomm's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor and face price increases driven by elevated component expenses and tariff impacts. Base and Plus versions will incorporate Samsung's Exynos 2600 chipset built on 2-nanometer GAA technology, though production constraints reportedly limit monthly wafer output to 15,000 units. The decision to restrict Exynos deployment suggests either performance gaps compared with Qualcomm silicon or manufacturing yield challenges with the advanced fabrication process.
Pricing for standard models will remain competitive despite the flagship's cost adjustment, allowing Samsung to balance premium features against market rivals across the product range.
