Galaxy S26 family may be announced earlier than anyone thought

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series will be unveiled in San Francisco on February 25, according to a South Korean outlet, Money Today. This date is later than the Galaxy S25 reveal but earlier than many recent reports predicted. For reference, the Galaxy S25 was announced on January 22 in 2025, while the Galaxy S24 was revealed on January 17, 2024.

Samsung is prepping for the Galaxy S26 Unpacked

An official familiar with Samsung's plans said that the event is returning to San Francisco because it's the center of AI. This makes it a prime location for the launch of the Galaxy S26, which will feature "next-gen AI," per Danie Araujo, VP of Samsung’s Mobile Experience Division.

Samsung was reportedly planning to replace the standard model with a Pro variant, and the Galaxy S26 Plus with the successor to the Galaxy S25 Edge. However, with the market showing no appetite for slim phones, Samsung abruptly decided to stick with the usual standard, Plus and Ultra models. This eleventh-hour decision derailed its launch plans, compelling it to delay the launch of the Galaxy S26 series.

The upcoming lineup is expected to mark the return of Samsung's in-house smartphone chipset. All variants will be fueled by the Exynos 2600, except for the models bound for North America, China, and Japan, which will feature the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. The Exynos 2600 might not be as fast as the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, but it could beat the iPhone 17 Pro's chipset.

The final decision is yet to be made, with Samsung refusing to give definite answers about which chip will fuel the Galaxy S26 during its Q3 call. That might be because of manufacturing issues Samsung is facing with the Exynos 2600, with reports indicating that the vast majority of chips aren't usable.

February 25 can't come soon enough

Samsung was previously said to announce the Galaxy S26 in March, so the rumored new date is a glimmer of hope for those who have been counting days until the launch.

Although the phones may break cover in late February, it's not known when they will actually go on sale. The Galaxy S25 series was released on February 3, and a similar timeline would mean a March 9 release for the devices.

Samsung will reportedly begin mass producing the Galaxy S26 Ultra in December, while the other two are scheduled to enter production in January. Whether this could lead to a staggered release remains to be seen.