Samsung may include a familiar face (and name) in the Galaxy S26 family after all
You may have thought you already knew everything there is to know about the Galaxy S26 family members, but Samsung reportedly has one last surprise up its sleeve.
Contrary to an avalanche of recent rumors, Samsung has purportedly started the development of a Galaxy S26 Plus model that's now likely to be released alongside the S26 (Pro), S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra in early 2026.
Just how big of a flop is the Galaxy S25 Edge?
According to the latest Korean media speculation (translated here), a really big one. That may not come as a surprise to those of you who caught that report that alleged this exact same thing a few months ago, but apparently, it did catch Samsung off guard, prompting the world's top smartphone vendor to do the unthinkable and resurrect what everyone thought was a dead and buried product.
A crazy thin design does not a successful product make. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Presumably, the company expected (or at least hoped) that the S25 Edge's popularity would surge after its disappointing initial sales, but that clearly did not happen despite Samsung's best (and most frequent) efforts to improve the mass appeal of the razor-thin 6.7-inch handset with huge discounts in key markets like the US.
While the phone's global sales figures between its late May release and right now are not public knowledge, Samsung is reportedly planning to produce only around 300,000 Galaxy S25 Edge units from September to December. That's an unsurprisingly modest total compared to the "vanilla" S25 and the S25 Ultra's manufacturing targets of 2.9 and 3.4 million copies respectively for the same timeframe, but most notably, it doesn't compare very favorably to the 500,000 production goal set by Samsung for the Galaxy S25 Plus.
Should Samsung release a Galaxy S26 Plus?
Yes, but only if the S26 Edge happens too
20.45%
Yes, but only if the S26 Edge doesn't happen
29.55%
I'll wait for more details before answering
13.64%
I'm buying a different Galaxy S26 model anyway
18.18%
I'm not buying a Galaxy S26 series phone anyway
18.18%
And if the S25 Edge is still significantly less popular than the S25 Plus, it doesn't really make sense to prepare a single Galaxy S26 Edge sequel for both models, right?
Enter the "M Plus", which is apparently the internal codename of the fourth member of the Galaxy S26 family, joining the M1 (S26 Pro), M2 (S26 Edge), and M3 (S26 Ultra) devices in Samsung's high-end product pipeline.
Could the Galaxy S26 Edge be cancelled altogether?
As crazy as that might sound after months of (conflicting) speculation on this next-gen super-slim flagship, it is now a possibility worth considering. Unless it's some sort of a translation error, TheElec's sources claim that the S26 series will be released in "up to four models", which automatically means that not all four models mentioned above are guaranteed to see daylight.
It's probably not too late for Samsung to scrap the S26 Edge, but it's still unlikely to happen.
If Samsung decides to abandon a member of the Galaxy S26 family currently in development, the prime suspect is clearly the S26 Edge, although it's also possible that the S26 Plus is only being considered at the moment.
Assuming that both the Galaxy S26 Plus and S26 Edge will eventually become a commercial reality, I'm definitely curious to see how Samsung will manage to separate the two in terms of their specs and capabilities.
The obvious distinguishing factor is likely to be the wasp waist of the Edge variant, but other than that, it's hard to know exactly what to expect from the resurrected Plus. Hopefully, it's not just going to be a carbon copy of this year's not-very-successful Galaxy S25 Plus with a new processor under the hood.
Is this the right way forward for Samsung's Android flagships?
That's also hard to guess for the time being, but because I'm a fan of diversity and choice, I'd personally welcome a four-member Galaxy S26 family with open arms... if done right.
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The S26 Ultra certainly looks like the handsomest member of Samsung's upcoming high-end family, but is it handsome... or special enough?
With all that in mind, it's pretty clear that Samsung should have favored quality over quantity, working on fewer S26 variants with bigger upgrades over the S25 series. Or at least that's what I think.
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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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