I followed every Galaxy S26 leak: Here’s what was real and what was a total lie

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By Victor Hristov

Published: Feb 16, 2026, 7:58 AM

This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.

I followed every Galaxy S26 leak: Here’s what was real and what was a total lie

Galaxy S26 Ultra leaked render photo | Image by Evan Blass

The Galaxy S26 series launch date is now officially set, and Samsung will lift the curtain off the new devices on February 25, 2026. But if you’ve been following the leak and rumor cycle, you know it’s been a rollercoaster.

Just a couple of days ago, we saw the Galaxy S26 Plus out in the wild, and earlier, we had full-on spec sheets and official images for all three models show up online. We’ve seen the design, we’ve heard about the new features and… we’ve also heard all the speculation.

And it’s been a lot. As we are getting closer to the launch date, some early rumors turn out to be fake. And looking back, it almost seemed like fans really wanted some of those features to come true and hyped them, but reality was not too kind to such speculation.

1. The Qi2 dreams crushed

For a while, it seemed that Qi2 magnetic wireless charging was a lock on the S26 series.

After the Google Pixel series moved towards Qi2, we quietly expected the S26 series to follow suit.

Well, as of February 2026, a few first-party cases leaked with no magnets on them. That would make absolutely no sense if the phones had built-in magnets, so the only logical conclusion is that the phones don’t actually have it. You can buy some other cases that have magnets if you want that magnetic “snap” to a wireless charger, but the phones are not likely to have that.

Additionally, the WPC (Wireless Power Consortium) certification for the upcoming S26 models has surfaced, and the data lists these models under the "Base Power Profile" (BPP) instead of the "Magnetic Power Profile" (MPP). In plain English, if you don't see that "MPP" tag, it means there are no built-in magnets.

Bummer!

2. Empty battery hopes

After seeing so many phones with battery size of 6,000mAh or 7,000mAh, it’s only natural that people hoped to see a similar change on the most popular Android flagship.

Early rumors suggested some change is on the horizon. Some leakers even gave specific numbers like the rumored 5,200mAh battery.

But sadly, leaked specs recently all suggest that none of that is happening. This will be the sixth year in a row with a Samsung flagship of the same, 5,000mAh battery size.

Yeah, we’re not too thrilled about this either.

3. Anti-Reflective Tech for Everyone

Since Samsung introduced it in the S24 Ultra, the anti-reflective Gorilla Armor has been the new gold standard for screen legibility.

Rumors were particularly twitchy on this one, constantly flipping whether the base S26 and S26+ would finally get it.

For months, leakers claimed this would remain an "Ultra-only" feature. The premium upsell of sorts.

Fast forward to February 2026 and leaks now suggest Samsung is "correcting course." A leaked spec sheet lists the feature available on all three models, the S26, S26 Plus and the Ultra.

We are still only cautiously optimistic, but this might be happening. Finally.

4. The Holy Camera Grail: 1-inch sensor, variable aperture

Will Samsung finally move to a 1-inch sensor to rival the Chinese flagships?

After the success of Chinese camera phones such as the Vivo X200 Pro/Ultra series and the Xiaomi Ultra family, it’s only natural to wonder.

Early on in the rumor cycle, enthusiasts pointed to "leaked" schematics showing a massive 1/1.1-inch sensor for the S26 Ultra.

But then reality stepped in. The latest data shows that Samsung will be sticking with the familiar 200MP HP2 sensor. Some upgrades are happening, but not that big sensor size shift. The aperture will get faster to f/1.4 aperture and AI will likely take a bigger role in photo editing and quality, but no 1-inch size on the S26 Ultra.

Samsung and Apple rumors often seem to go hand in hand, and recently there’s been a lot of rumors about a variable aperture coming to the main camera on the iPhone 18 Pro series in the fall.

Samsungs loyalists will of course be quick to mention that Samsung had it first. Way back in the day, the Galaxy S9 and S10 had this feature, but then it vanished, rumored to return every year since.

In late 2025, some reports claimed Samsung is testing a fully variable system (similar to Xiaomi) to compete with that rumored iPhone 18 Pro.

Well, fast forward to current day reality and the S26 Ultra main camera seems to only be getting a wider f/1.4 aperture, but a fixed one. The "fully variable" hardware might still be in the works, but it’s not likely to arrive in the S26 Ultra (it might come next year though).

5. The long-awaited 3X telephoto upgrade

This one definitely seemed to come from the imagination of Samsung fans. And I totally get why: the 10MP 3x zoom lens has been a staple of Galaxy flagships for years, but it has remained unchanged.

People are simply craving a better 3X camera.

So it’s no surprise that rumors of a "massive 50MP 3X sensor" circulated for months. The tiny current sensor is indeed the biggest problem for this camera.

The latest rumors point towards a slightly tweaked sensor, but nothing of the caliber of the original rumors. Essentially, we are to get the same 10MP quality wth some slight upgrades in performance. Disappointing!

Which leak did you have highest hopes for?

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Victor, a seasoned mobile technology expert, has spent over a decade at PhoneArena, exploring the depths of mobile photography and reviewing hundreds of smartphones across Android and iOS ecosystems. His passion for technology, coupled with his extensive knowledge of smartphone cameras and battery life, has positioned him as a leading voice in the mobile tech industry.

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