Samsung Galaxy S27 release date expectations, price estimates, and upgrades
The Galaxy S26 for illustrative purposes. | Image by PhoneArena
Galaxy S27: what to expect
What's expected to change vs Galaxy S26:
- Exynos 2700 chip
- Changes in the way Exynos 2700 architecture would be are rumored
- Potential Exynos/Snapdragon split once again
- Design should remain familiar to predecessors
- Potentially, the camera may get upgraded
- Samsung may also upgrade the battery sizes
- Display may get a slight downgrade
Expected release timeline:
- The Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus may come in 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' prices, which got a price hike this year.
Jump to:
Galaxy S27 release date
The Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus are expected to be announced early next year, together with the Galaxy S27 Ultra and potentially a Galaxy S27 Pro (which may almost be like an Ultra but minus an S Pen).
| 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
The flagships are expected to be announced during a dedicated Unpacked event, potentially on a Wednesday.
After the unveiling, you can expect a pre-order period before the devices hit the shelves officially.
This year, the Galaxy S26 lineup was unveiled on February 25, and the phones became available for purchase in stores on March 11.
For February 2027, Wednesdays are the 17th and the 24th. Of course, the South Korean giant may decide to prefer an unveiling in the beginning of the month or even in January, like in previous years. The Galaxy S26 was somewhat delayed in comparison to previous Galaxy S series, so do keep that in mind.
Galaxy S27 price and deals
The Galaxy S27's potential pricing has not leaked just yet. We've had a price hike with the S26 this time around, so maybe another one may not be coming next year. Of course, it's still quite early to know for certain.
| 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
The current economic situation in the mobile tech world is largely driven by raising memory prices from AI demand. It's possible that this may not be resolved next year. However, we'll have to wait and see.
Galaxy S27 deals to expect:
- Samsung: You can safely expect good offers from Samsung, as usual. The company often gives buyers enhanced trade-in deals as well as pre-order bonuses with its flagship phones.
- Verizon:You can expect great trade-in deals and offers with a new line for the Galaxy S27 series from Verizon.
- AT&T: AT&T is also likely to offer buyers the ability to get a new Galaxy S27 or Plus phone with a huge discount if they have an eligible trade-in or add a line on an eligible plan.
- T-Mobile:T-Mobile is also most likely going to offer huge discounts with either trade-in or specific plans for Samsung's 2027 flagships.
Galaxy S27 camera
The Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus' potential camera upgrades have not leaked yet. The S27 Ultra may be getting three new cameras, but that doesn't necessarily mean its smaller siblings would be getting the same treatment.
For now, we don't expect huge changes for the cameras of the two phones.
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
Obviously, the Galaxy S series is due for an upgrade in the camera department. The potential upgrades for the S27 Ultra are exciting, so hopefully Samsung has an upgrade prepped for the S27 and Plus as well.
Apart from a potential camera upgrade, you can expect a bunch of AI features for the camera to be present, as well as ones from the S26 (such as the new Photo Assist and Creative Studio versions).
Photo Assist allows you to edit, enhance, and basically do whatever you want with an image using text-based prompts straight in the Gallery app.
On the other hand, Creative Studio is an AI app on the S26 that acts as a hub where you can do all sorts of image-related things with the help of Galaxy AI. You can create, edit, and stylize images, wallpapers, and stickers from there. It will likely be present on the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27 Plus as well.
Galaxy S27 storage
The South Korean giant is no longer offering a 128 GB storage variant, even to its base flagship. This is likely not changing next year.
Galaxy S27 expected storage capacity:
- 512 GB
- 256 GB
Galaxy S27 Plus expected storage capacity:
- 512 GB
- 256 GB
You can expect the standard storage configurations for the two phones.
Galaxy S27 design
The Galaxy S27 design has not leaked just yet. Our current expectations are for Samsung to keep the same or a similar design as the Galaxy S26 models.
Galaxy S26, for reference. | Image by PhoneArena
The S26 and S26 Plus came with a slightly tweaked design with a new camera island and a changed corner radius for consistency across the lineup.
The Galaxy S26 Plus, for reference. | Image by PhoneArena
You can still safely expect a glass and metal design and the usual flagship IP68 rating for water resistance. Also, we'll likely see some new and trendy color options, as usual.
We might finally see Qi2 magnetic charging next year. This feature was rumored for the S26 but didn't make the cut. It is expected to work like Apple's MagSafe or Google's Pixelsnap.
This upgrade would allow for faster wireless charging and handy magnetic accessories like car mounts and battery packs, so hopefully Samsung decides to include it next year.
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 phones always have top-tier screens. The Galaxy S26 grew slightly to 6.3 inches, but that was the only real update, and we expect the S27 to keep the same size.
However, a new rumor claims Samsung is considering Chinese company BOE to make the display for the base model. Apparently, this compromise may have to be made to keep the costs down.
It's a widely known fact that Samsung and LG make superior displays to BOE. BOE has supplied mid-tier displays for Samsung phones like the A57, and if Samsung chooses this company for the S27, that would be the first time BOE would be supplying displays for a Samsung flagship phone.
Also, rumor has it that the Galaxy S27 may keep the same M13 tech as the S26, which is now an aging display technology. We'll see how this impacts the display of the base model, coupled with the potential for the screen to be manufactured by BOE.
As for the Galaxy S27 Plus, we expect a 6.9-inch display, but we've not heard what company would be supplying it just yet.
We also have the Galaxy S27 Pro (potentially) that would join next year. The phone is essentially likely to be an Ultra model without the S Pen support. If that's true, you can expect a 6.9-inch display.
One thing that's curious to see is whether Samsung will bring the Galaxy S26 Ultra Privacy Display feature to the base Galaxy S27 and the S27 Plus next year. That feature is currently exclusive only to the S26 Ultra, but it could be an upgrade for next year's models.
The S26 Ultra's Privacy Display allows for the display itself to hide its contents from people standing next to you, peeking at your screen. It's configurable to hide only the notifications or the entire screen, and you can also set rules to activate it for specific apps.
Galaxy S27 battery
The Galaxy S series would definitely benefit from a battery size upgrade. It's been a couple of years that we've had phones like OnePlus models with huge silicon-carbon batteries. Samsung is not on board just yet, and it didn't hop in with the S26 series.
However, that doesn't mean the Galaxy S26 battery life is bad – actually, the Galaxy S26 offers good battery life.
The Galaxy S26 did get a 300 mAh upgrade, and that's about it. The phones also didn't come with the expected Qi2 charging, which could also have been a noteworthy update.
Well, let's hope Samsung steps it up with the S27 and S27 Plus. So far, we've not had any leaks giving us info on the battery sizes of the two phones, though, so we'll have to wait and see.
Meanwhile, we have competitors like the OnePlus 16, rumored to sport huge batteries in the realm of 9,000 mAh. Also, it's been reported that Samsung is testing (finally) silicon-carbon tech for the S27 Ultra, but that doesn't necessarily mean the smaller siblings would get it. Hopefully they will, but we'll have to wait and see to know for certain.
The Galaxy S27 Pro, on the other hand, will likely have a silicon-carbon battery, if the S27 Ultra has it. Generally speaking, if Samsung ends up moving in this direction, the S27 and S27 Plus may also join.
Galaxy S27 features and software
The Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus should come with One UI 9.5 based on Android 17. We don't know what new OS featureset we'll see just yet. Of course, as the current trend is still on AI, you can safely expect refinements to Galaxy AI and existing features (like Now Bar, Now Brief, and Bixby), as well as some new ones.
With the Galaxy S26 and One UI 8.5, Bixby got upgraded with natural language support and real-time web search abilities. You can now also pick another assistant, like Gemini and Perplexity.
Meanwhile, Now Brief got upgraded with a deeper integration with the personal data engine for more relevant highlights, and the Now Bar got adaptive recommendations.
We expect all these refined features to come to the Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus as well, along with some new ones.
Android 17 is expected to be officially released in the summer of this year.
The new OS focuses on efficiency and refinement, but it will also bring things like widespread blur effects, separated Quick Settings, and a new Apple Handoff-like feature that would let you continue your work on another device. I find myself especially excited for the Handoff-like feature, as it's hands-down one of my favorite iOS features to date.
Galaxy S27 hardware and specs
Galaxy S27 expected specs:
- CPU: Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 or Exynos 2700
- RAM: 12 GB, potentially 16 GB
- Battery: 4,300 mAh
- 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 or Exynos 2700
- RAM: 12 GB, potentially 16 GB
- Battery: 4,900 mAh on Plus
- 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
As for the processor, we may see a regional split once again. Depending on the region, the Galaxy S27 and Plus may either come with the Exynos 2700 or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.
A new report coming from South Korea now reiterates the expectation of regional differences between the models. In most places, the phones may rock the Exynos 2700, while the Snapdragon variant may be available in the U.S.
The Pro is said to come only with the Snapdragon chip, though.
A rumor from January is giving us some hope for the Exynos 2700, which would reportedly be significantly improved. Leaks claim that its 2nd gen 2nm process would achieve a 12% performance improvement and 25% power reduction, according to leaks.
Recently, early benchmarks of the Exynos 2700 leaked. The processor managed 2,603 points in the single-core test and 10,350 points in the multi-core test. That's not the best result out there, but it indicates that Samsung is moving forward with the development of the new chip.
The results come from a prototype device running Android 16 and equipped with 12 GB of RAM. The specs of the Exynos 2700 chip are indicated as follows:
- 1 prime core clocked at 2.78 GHz
- 4 performance cores clocked at 2.88 GHz
- 1 low-power core clocked at 2.30 GHz
- 4 efficiency cores clocked at 2.40 GHz
- Xclipse 970 GPU
It's important to keep in mind that this is an early test and the Exynos 2700 is likely to perform even better as Samsung is still working on it. The clock speeds are also likely to improve with development.
Meanwhile, another report suggests that Samsung may have changed Exynos' architecture. Reportedly, Samsung may be ditching its stacked design WLP (wafer-level packaging), which it has used since the Exynos 2400, and moving to a Side-by-Side (SbS) arrangement.
Basically, with this new approach, the chip and DRAM are arranged horizontally instead of vertically, which is reportedly done with the aim of cutting costs.
WLP was first introduced to Exynos chips to improve heat management.
However, Samsung moving away from the tech doesn't necessarily mean heat management will go worse again on the Exynos. Rather, the report claims the company is keeping Heat Pack Block (HPB) tech it used with the Exynos 2600 again next year to make sure no thermal issues arise.
As for the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, reputable tipster Digital Chat Station claimed the chip is coming in two options this time around recently. There may be a Pro-branded version of the chip for the S27 Ultra, while the S27 and S27 Plus may come with the non-Pro one (in the regions they would be available with Qualcomm's chip).
Reportedly, the non-Pro Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 would have "reduced cache and peripheral specifications" as per DCS's post. The chip is said to be designed for upper mid-range phones.
Should I wait for the Galaxy S27?
- You should wait for the Galaxy S27 if you're not due for an upgrade just yet. If you have the Galaxy S25, you may want to wait for the S27, as the S26 isn't bringing that many upgrades this time around. Hopefully, Samsung will have something in store for you next year.
- You should not wait for the Galaxy S27 if you need to buy a phone right now or soon. After all, the Galaxy S27 is going to come out in 2027, and if you're in dire need of an upgrade, there's no reason for you to wait for that long.
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