Samsung could pull off the impossible with next year's Galaxy S26 Edge
Believe it or not, the S25 Plus-replacing S26 Edge could be even thinner than this year's 5.8mm S25 Edge with a larger-than-3,900mAh battery under the hood.
The Galaxy S26 Edge could be released a lot earlier in the year than its forerunner and face additional public scrutiny as a "main" member of Samsung's next big high-end handset family alongside a "standard" S26 model and a top-of-the-line S26 Ultra.
This is something that's been rumored for a little while now, and the key strengths and selling points of Samsung's Galaxy S25 Plus replacement are purportedly "confirmed" today by one of the most reliable social media leakers out there.
The best of both worlds?
According to @UniverseIce, aka Ice Universe, aka PhoneArt, the S26 Edge will somehow be thinner than this year's S25 Edge while also bumping up the battery capacity.
The mediocre battery life, mind you, was (predictably) highlighted in our in-depth Galaxy S25 Edge review as the phone's biggest weakness, so it's definitely nice to hear that Samsung is planning to increase the modest 3,900mAh cell capacity.
If Samsung pulls off a thinner phone than this with a 4,000mAh+ battery, my mind will be blown. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Of course, it's not entirely clear how something like that would be possible if the already insanely thin 5.8mm profile is set to go down, although "PhoneArt" is offering us a precious (albeit vague) little hint. The Galaxy S26 Edge will apparently use "new battery material technology" of some sort to achieve what seemed impossible just a few short months ago.
This can only be silicon-carbon (Si/C), which is the same material that has allowed the OnePlus 13, for instance, to squeeze a 6,000mAh cell into a sub-9mm profile, not to mention the absolutely bonkers new 6.32-inch OnePlus 13T with a 6,260mAh battery under the hood.
How does a thinner-than-5.8mm Galaxy S26 Edge with a big battery sound to you?
Positively dreamy
34.29%
Impossible
0%
Not that impressive
11.43%
Potentially too pricey
22.86%
I only care about the S26 and/or S26 Ultra
31.43%
The problem with Si/C tech is battery degradation, which can be drastically faster and more severe than in the case of traditional lithium-ion cells used by devices like the Galaxy S25, S25 Edge, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. It remains to be seen if Samsung will ultimately decide that the advantages of switching to new battery technology outweigh the risks, and of course, I'm sure we're all dying to find out exactly how much the S26 Edge will improve cell capacity and reduce thickness.
What about the rest of the S26 family?
While it's definitely too early to know anything for certain about the "vanilla" Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26 Ultra, a pretty convincing rumor from just a few weeks ago claimed that the latter model would retain the 5,000mAh battery size of its predecessor... and the S25 Ultra's predecessor... and the S24 Ultra's predecessor.
If that's the case, the compact S26 is likely to keep the 6.2-inch S25's 4,000mAh cell capacity more or less unchanged, which means that Samsung could embrace the groundbreaking aforementioned silicon-carbon battery material for only one member of the super-premium 2026 smartphone family as a small-scale experiment potentially leading to something bigger in 2027.
It's premature to have any guarantees, but the S26 Ultra could look a lot like the S25 Ultra. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
That sounds like a pretty good plan, but as confident as the most trustworthy insiders out there might be of their info, it's probably wise to not take anything for granted yet. No, not even the death of the Galaxy S26 Plus version. Or the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 2 adoption. Or the 6.27, 6.66, and 6.89-inch screen sizes tipped for the S26, S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra respectively just last week. Or that big Galaxy S26 Edge camera upgrade over the S25 Edge.
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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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