Samsung Electronics has confirmed that it will launch its new flagship smartphone, the Galaxy S26, in February next year. While some had raised the possibility of a March launch due to changes in the product lineup, it is known that the launch schedule was able to be shortened through companywide efforts.
According to ChosunBiz reporting on the 10th, Samsung Electronics plans to hold a Galaxy S26 Unpacked (launch) event as early as late January next year and release the product in February.
According to the industry, Samsung Electronics had planned to include an ultra-slim "Edge" model in the Galaxy S26 lineup, but as concerns grew recently over weak sales, it reportedly put the Plus model back in. During this process, talk spread that the product Unpacked event would be held in late February next year and that the Galaxy S26 would launch in March.
A source familiar with Samsung Electronics said, "By dropping the Edge and adding the Plus model, the hardware verification period became longer and the launch was almost delayed, but this issue has been resolved, making a February launch next year possible." According to Hana Securities, as of August, three-month sales of the "Galaxy S25 Edge" stood at 1.31 million units, 74% fewer than the "Galaxy S25 Plus (5.05 million units)."
It was also confirmed that reports of a full lineup adoption of the Galaxy S26 with the Exynos 2600 (Samsung's in-house AP), which had been suspected as a reason for a delay in the launch schedule, were not true.
An industry source who requested anonymity said, "Samsung Electronics will put the Exynos 2600 only in the base and Plus models, and equip the Ultra model with a Qualcomm mobile application processor (AP)." This year, Samsung equipped all Galaxy S25 models with the more expensive Qualcomm AP over Exynos but kept prices flat from the previous generation. The industry expects that, due to recent increases in component costs and the impact of tariff, a price hike for the "Galaxy S26 Ultra," which uses a Qualcomm AP, will be unavoidable.
Kim Yong-seok, an endowed professor at the Gachon University College of Semiconductor, said, "The expansion of models equipped with Exynos appears to be the result of improvements in chip design and Production yield for the 2-nanometer GAA process. Adoption in the Ultra model seems likely only with the 2027 product (Galaxy S27)," adding, "The more Samsung expands the use of its own AP, the better its price negotiating power with Qualcomm will become."
Meanwhile, this year's Galaxy S25 Unpacked event was on Jan. 23, with the product launch two weeks later on Feb. 7.