We’ve known the Galaxy S26 lineup has been in flux for a while now, despite Samsung’s usual launch window well within reach. Now, we’re gaining some insight on what the company has in store for its smallest flagship, and it might be shedding some light on what was up with all of those Galaxy S26 “Pro” rumors from earlier this year.
Some quick stage-setting, since the story surrounding Samsung’s upcoming flagships is surprisingly complicated. The earliest Galaxy S26 rumors painted a pretty clear picture of Samsung’s plans to shake up its usual lineup, swapping out the standard Galaxy S26+ for an Edge follow-up and adding a “Pro” suffix to its base model. At the time, it was pretty difficult to see what was driving Samsung to rename that particular model, and before the rumor mill delivered any meaningful ounce of clarity, word on that “Pro” branding officially died out. And with the S26 Edge either dead or rescheduled for later in 2026, it sure seems like the Galaxy S26 lineup is back to its usual state.
Deciding to drop the Galaxy S26 Edge for a more typical smartphone — particularly after the failure of the S25 Edge — feels pretty self-explanatory, but that S26 “Pro” has been left unexplained for nearly a month now. Thanks to a new report from Korean publication NewsPim, we’re finally getting some insight into what happened with Samsung’s original 2026 plans. As it turns out, the company was planning a pretty big swing for its smallest flagship, but a certain fruit-themed rival threw that concept out the window.
According to NewsPim, Samsung planned for the Galaxy S26 to launch with a slimmer redesign, featuring a larger 4,900mAh battery and a 6.9mm chassis. That latter spec is interesting, as it lines up with leaked specs from September, back when that “Pro” branding was still considered in-play. That report also suggested a slightly larger display, which could’ve aligned well with Samsung’s plans to rename this particular model.
So, what changed? In short, the iPhone 17 happened. Apple’s decision to launch a massively-improved base model — complete with a Pro-esque 120Hz 6.3-inch display — at an identical price compared to last generation has kept Apple moving units at its usual pace, perhaps even at the cost of some potential iPhone Air buyers. This left Samsung between a rock and a hard place, as it planned to up the cost of this new Galaxy S26 thanks to its slimmer redesign.
As a result, Samsung has been scrambling to redesign the Galaxy S26, swapping back to the a similar 7.2mm chassis as we saw with this year’s phone and utilizing a 4,300mAh battery instead. That latter spec is interesting, as its the same one published in that original Pro renders leak. We hadn’t previously heard plans to include a significantly larger battery in the S26 Pro; 4,300mAh had first appeared as the spec in question as early as July of this year. Considering Samsung’s conservative nature surrounding anything power-related, I do have a hard time believing we were set to get both a slimmer chassis and a nearly 1,000mAh cell upgrade, but in the rumor mill, I suppose anything’s possible.
Regardless of any resulting battery confusion, the end result is the same: a much more boring 2026 lineup than previously expected. The company now intends to market its Galaxy S26 lineup in a pretty familiar way, focusing on price for the base model, “balance” for the Plus, and “premium features” for the Ultra. A standard Samsung launch, in other words.
Alongside the decision to seemingly kick the Edge can down the road, Samsung’s move to scrap its initial plans for this base model in lieu of something a little more familiar explains the rumored delay into late February for Galaxy Unpacked. Assuming that date’s correct — and there are rumors of a more traditional late-January window — it leaves us with plenty of time for more Galaxy S26 rumors and, if we’re lucky, explanations on whatever went down in the MX division this year.
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