Samsung Galaxy S27 release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades
The Galaxy S26 for illustrative purposes. | Image by PhoneArena
What's expected to change vs Galaxy S26:
- Exynos 2700 chip – changes to the Exynos 2700's architecture are rumored
- Potential Exynos/Snapdragon split once again
- Design expected to stay familiar to its predecessors
- A possible camera upgrade
- Samsung may increase battery sizes
- The base model display may use a cheaper BOE panel instead of Samsung Display
Expected release timeline:
- The Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus may come in January or February 2027 alongside the Galaxy S27 Ultra.
- A "Pro" variant may be accompanying them.
Expected price:
- The potential price has not leaked yet.
- Prices may remain consistent with the S26 and S26 Plus, which already received a price hike in 2026.
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Galaxy S27 release date
A January or February 2027 announcement window is currently the most widely cited expectation for the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus, with the Galaxy S27 Ultra and a potential Galaxy S27 Pro expected at the same event. The Pro model is rumored to slot between the Plus and Ultra in the lineup, offering high-end specs without S Pen support.
| Device family | Announcement | Market release |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S27 series | January or February 2027* | February-March 2027* |
| Galaxy S26 series | February 25, 2026 | March 11, 2026 |
| Galaxy S25 series | January 22, 2025 | February 7, 2025 |
* - probable dates
Samsung typically hosts a dedicated Unpacked event for its Galaxy S series, followed by a pre-order period before the phones officially go on sale.
The Galaxy S27's US version has already been spotted in the GSMA database with model number SM-S952U, confirming the phone is in development.
Galaxy S27 price and deals
No pricing has surfaced for the Galaxy S27 yet. The Galaxy S26 came with a price hike, so another increase next year isn't guaranteed – though rising memory costs driven by AI demand mean it's not off the table either.
| Galaxy model | 128GB of storage | 256GB of storage | 512GB of storage | 1TB of storage |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S27 | - | $899.99* | $1099.99* | - |
| Galaxy S27 Plus | - | $1,099.99* | $1,299.99* | - |
| Galaxy S26 | - | $899.99 | $1099.99 | - |
| Galaxy S26 Plus | - | $1,099.99 | $1,299.99 | - |
| Galaxy S25 | $799 | $859 | - | - |
| Galaxy S25 Plus | - | $999 | $1,119 |
*- anticipated prices
Galaxy S27 deals to expect:
- Samsung: Expect the usual enhanced trade-in deals and pre-order bonuses Samsung offers with its flagship launches.
- Verizon: Verizon typically offers strong trade-in deals and new-line discounts on Galaxy flagships – expect the same for the S27 series.
- AT&T: AT&T is likely to offer significant discounts on the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus with an eligible trade-in or new line on a qualifying plan.
- T-Mobile: T-Mobile should also come through with substantial trade-in or plan-based discounts for Samsung's 2027 flagships.
Galaxy S27 camera
Camera leaks for the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus haven't materialized yet. The S27 Ultra may be getting across-the-board sensor upgrades, but the smaller models aren't expected to follow suit automatically. The most likely scenario for now is a setup similar to the S26.
Galaxy S27 expected camera setup:
- 50 MP main
- 12 MP ultra-wide
- 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP selfie
Galaxy S27 Plus expected camera setup:
- 50 MP main
- 12 MP ultra-wide
- 10 MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom
- 12 MP selfie
Galaxy AI camera tools from the S26 should carry forward, including Photo Assist – which lets you edit photos using plain-language text prompts in the Gallery app – and Creative Studio, a dedicated AI workspace for generating and editing images, wallpapers, and stickers.
Galaxy S27 storage
Samsung moved away from the 128GB base tier with the S26, and there's no indication that option is coming back.
Galaxy S27 expected storage capacity:
- 512 GB
- 256 GB
Galaxy S27 Plus expected storage capacity:
- 512 GB
- 256 GB
Galaxy S27 design
No design leaks have emerged for the Galaxy S27 yet. Samsung refreshed the camera island shape and corner radius with the S26 to bring the lineup's look closer together, and that unified design direction is expected to continue into the S27.
Galaxy S26, for reference. | Image by PhoneArena
A glass-and-metal build with IP68 water resistance is a safe assumption. Color options haven't leaked, but Samsung typically refreshes the palette each generation.
The Galaxy S26 Plus, for reference. | Image by PhoneArena
Qi2 magnetic wireless charging is another feature worth watching for on the S27. It was expected on the S26 but didn't make it. If Samsung delivers it this time, it would bring compatibility with the growing ecosystem of magnetic accessories – car mounts, battery packs, and the like – similar to Apple's MagSafe and Google's Pixelsnap.
Galaxy S27 display
| Phone | Screen size | Brightness |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S27 | 6.3"* | 2,600* |
| Galaxy S27 Plus | 6.9"* | 2,600* |
* - anticipated sizes
Samsung's Galaxy S lineup has consistently set the bar for smartphone displays, but early signals around the S27's base model give some reason for pause.
A rumor suggests Samsung is considering Chinese company BOE to supply panels for the base Galaxy S27 – reportedly to keep costs down after BOE made an unofficial offer undercutting Samsung Display by $5 per panel.
Samsung and LG Display are generally considered to produce higher-quality OLED panels than BOE, which has primarily supplied displays for Samsung's mid-range A-series phones. If this happens, it would be the first time BOE supplies a panel for a Samsung flagship.
Additionally, the base Galaxy S27 may keep the same M13 display material as the S26, which is becoming a relatively aging technology. The combination of a potential BOE panel and M13 material could mean the base S27's display takes a step back from the S26 in real-world quality, though nothing is confirmed yet.
A separate report from Korean publication ZDNet adds another potential cost-cutting measure to the display picture. Samsung is reportedly considering replacing its in-house Display Driver ICs – the components that act as an intermediary between the processor and the display panel, controlling color, brightness, and other visual output – with third-party alternatives on the base S27 and S27 Plus.
Samsung is said to be evaluating four potential suppliers: Anapass, DB Global Chip, and Wonik D2I from South Korea, and Taiwan-based Novatek. The report notes Samsung will compare third-party DDI quality against its own before making any final decision.
Taken together – a potential BOE panel, M13 material, and third-party DDIs – the picture that emerges is of Samsung pursuing several simultaneous display cost reductions on the base S27. Whether any or all of these actually reach the final product is still unclear.
The Galaxy S27 Plus is expected to keep its 6.9-inch display.
One interesting question for next year: whether Samsung brings the Privacy Display feature (currently exclusive to the S26 Ultra) to the base S27 lineup. The feature lets the display hide its contents from people looking at an angle – configurable to hide only notifications or the full screen, with per-app rules.
Galaxy S27 battery
Battery figures for the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus haven't appeared in any leaks yet. Silicon-carbon battery tech was being tested for the S27 Ultra, but nothing has been said about the two smaller models.
For context, the Galaxy S26 gained 300mAh over the S25 – roughly a 7% increase – while the S26 Plus held the same 4,900mAh cell as its predecessor. Charging speeds also stayed flat: 25W wired for the S26 and 45W for the S26 Plus.
Galaxy S27 features and software
Galaxy AI will continue to be a focal point, with further refinements expected across Now Bar, Now Brief, and Bixby. The S26 and One UI 8.5 brought natural language understanding to Bixby, real-time web search, and the option to set Gemini or Perplexity as your default assistant – all of which should carry forward to the S27.
Now Brief received deeper ties to Samsung's personal data engine for more relevant daily highlights, and the Now Bar gained adaptive recommendations on the S26 generation. Those improvements form the baseline the S27 will build on.
Android 17 also brings Gemini Intelligence – an expanded version of Gemini capable of handling complex, multi-step tasks across different apps – which the S27 series is expected to support.
Galaxy S27 hardware and specs
Galaxy S27 expected specs:
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (US) or Exynos 2700 (other markets)
- RAM: 12 GB, potentially 16 GB
- Battery: ~4,300mAh
- Charging: 25 W wired, 15 W wireless
- Storage: (all options)
- Camera setup: 50 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP 3x telephoto, 12 MP selfie
Galaxy S27 Plus expected specs:
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 (US) or Exynos 2700 (other markets)
- RAM: 12 GB, potentially 16 GB
- Battery: ~4,900mAh
- Charging: 45 W wired, 20 W wireless
- Storage: 256 GB, 512 GB, potentially 1 TB
- Camera setup: 50 MP main, 12 MP ultra-wide, 10 MP 3x telephoto, 12 MP selfie
The regional chip split is expected to continue with the S27 lineup – Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 in the US, Exynos 2700 everywhere else.
One important nuance: Qualcomm is reportedly splitting the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 into a standard version and a Pro version. The Pro version is expected for the S27 Ultra, while the S27 and S27 Plus would get the standard non-Pro chip in Snapdragon markets.
Tipster Digital Chat Station notes the non-Pro version carries reduced cache and is positioned more toward upper-mid-range use cases – which could mean a wider performance gap between the S27 and Ultra than in recent years.
On the Exynos side, the Exynos 2700 is rumored to deliver around a 12% performance improvement and 25% power reduction over its predecessor.
Early benchmark results for the Exynos 2700 have leaked, showing 2,603 points in single-core and 10,350 points in multi-core testing. These are early prototype figures and will likely improve as Samsung continues development – clock speeds in particular are expected to increase before final production.
- The leaked prototype spec for the Exynos 2700 shows:
- 1 prime core clocked at 2.78 GHz
- 4 performance cores clocked at 2.88 GHz
- 1 low-power core at 2.30GHz (early prototype spec – may change)
- 4 efficiency cores clocked at 2.40 GHz
- Xclipse 970 GPU
Samsung is also rumored to be changing the Exynos 2700's packaging architecture – moving from the stacked Wafer-Level Packaging (WLP) used since the Exynos 2400 to a Side-by-Side (SbS) arrangement, where the chip and DRAM sit horizontally next to each other rather than stacked vertically. The reported motivation is cost reduction.
Stacked WLP was originally adopted specifically to improve heat dissipation on Exynos chips. Moving to a side-by-side layout doesn't necessarily mean the 2700 will run hotter, though – Samsung is reportedly carrying over the Heat Path Block thermal management system from the Exynos 2600 to keep temperatures in check.
Should I wait for the Galaxy S27?
- You should wait for the Galaxy S27 if you're on a Galaxy S25 or older and want more than an incremental update. A jump to 2nm-class processors – whether the Exynos 2700 or Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 – should bring real gains in performance and efficiency, and Qi2 magnetic wireless charging could finally arrive after missing the S26.
- You should not wait for the Galaxy S27 if display quality is a priority or if you need a phone soon. The base model is shaping up as a potential cost-cutting exercise on the display side – possible BOE panels, aging M13 material, and third-party DDIs all in play at once. The Galaxy S26 delivers a proven premium display today, and with another possible price hike on the S27, the value case for waiting gets thinner.
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