The Galaxy S26 Edge leaks out in all its ultra-thin glory with a... questionable design choice
Love it or hate it, Samsung's single 2026 replacement for the Galaxy S25 Edge and Galaxy S25 Plus is just about confirmed to rock a massive rear camera island.
If you thought this year's first-of-a-kind Galaxy S25 Edge looked... unconventional (especially before the iPhone 17 Air is unveiled), with a crazy thin 5.8mm profile and a relatively modest rear-facing camera system (at least compared to the likes of the Galaxy S25 Ultra), wait until you see the handset's 2026 successor in high-quality product depictions.
Believe it or not, there's no need to wait four or five more months for that, as the (almost) always trustworthy Steve Hemmerstoffer over on X has already partnered with the equally reputable folks at Android Headlines to blow the S26 Edge's cover.
Wasp waist, big hump, and a lot of responsibility on one phone's shoulders
Perfectly in line with a number of recent rumors, the Galaxy S26 Edge is once again tipped to replace both the S25 Edge and S25 Plus in Samsung's main 2026 Android flagship trio.
Are we looking at an unconventional or a straight-up ugly phone here?
The S26 Edge is incredibly expected to measure 5.5mm at its thinnest point, but also no less than 10.8mm at its thickest point due to employing a camera island that's likely to be visible from Mars. This will stretch from one side of the phone to the other... for some reason, occupying more than a quarter of the entire back panel surface while only housing two imaging sensors arranged vertically in the top left corner.
It's obviously not clear why this component has to be so large and... visually invasive, but there's a possibility that some crucial parts are hidden behind this bulge to make room for a bigger battery while (technically) reducing the thickness of the Galaxy S25 Edge.
What do you think about the Galaxy S26 Edge design?
It's horrible
62.69%
It's... not that bad
11.94%
I actually kind of like it
14.93%
I don't like it, but if it serves a purpose, I'm all for it
10.45%
The S26 Edge, remember, is expected to improve its predecessor's modest 3,900mAh cell capacity to around 4,200mAh... or more, depending on what tipster you ask and when.
What else do we know about the Galaxy S26 Edge?
Apart from some of the cosmetic details made obvious and pretty much etched in stone by today's leak, like a centered hole punch front-facing camera, reasonably thin (and uniform) screen bezels, and rounded corners, the S25 Edge's direct sequel (and the S25 Plus's indirect follow-up) is also likely to measure an unsurprising 6.7 inches in display diagonal.
That matches the screen size of both the Galaxy S25+ and S25 Edge, so it also shouldn't come as a surprise that the S26 Edge's expected height of 158.4mm and 75.7mm width closely resembles the same dimensions of the phone's two predecessors.
More interestingly, today's Android Headlines report (which is all but guaranteed to prove 100 percent reliable if history is any indication) claims the Galaxy S26 Edge will feature built-in magnets for full Qi2 wireless charging support.
The screen size is expected to circle 6.7 inches.
That almost certainly means the entire Galaxy S26 family will have that feature, just like Google's entire Pixel 10 roster and Apple's soon-to-be-unveiled iPhone 17 lineup. While Samsung isn't exactly going to innovate in the field by following the examples of its arch-rivals, at least the company will no longer be left behind, further improving the convenience of its best phones in addition to their raw power, camera performance, and hopefully, battery life.
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Adrian, a mobile technology enthusiast since the Nokia 3310 era, has been a dynamic presence in the tech journalism field, contributing to Android Authority, Digital Trends, and Pocketnow before joining PhoneArena in 2018. His expertise spans across various platforms, with a particular fondness for the diversity of the Android ecosystem. Despite the challenges of balancing full-time parenthood with his work, Adrian's passion for tech trends, running, and movies keeps him energized. His commitment to mid-range smartphones has led to an eclectic collection of devices, saved from personal bankruptcy by his preference for 'adequate' over 'overpriced'.
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