Samsung Galaxy S26: one step forward, one step back

Last year, Samsung followed Apple’s lead in introducing exciting new models for its product lineups. These models — like the Galaxy S25 Edge — may not have been as positively received as the company had hoped, but they signaled exciting times ahead.

Unfortunately, Samsung doesn’t seem to have been as confident in its new offerings as Apple, and the company is now scrambling to roll back pretty much everything it did differently. Only Apple forces Samsung to innovate nowadays, but when the going gets tough, the latter prefers falling back into its comfort zone.

No new Galaxy S26 models for now

We now have confirmation from Samsung itself about the future of the Galaxy S26 Edge and other planned models: they’re not happening.

Earlier reports had revealed that Samsung was considering renaming the base model to the Galaxy S26 Pro, and replacing the Galaxy S26 Plus with the Galaxy S26 Edge. The Edge, which would have been the successor to the Galaxy S25 Edge, has been canceled. Worth also noting is its similarity to the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro.

In addition, the base model will not see a name change, and the Galaxy S26 Plus seems pointless now that its specs have been leaked. Long story short, Samsung has immediately fallen back to what’s familiar after the Galaxy S25 Edge failed to meet sales expectations.

Apple is sticking to its guns

In my opinion, the entire reason that Samsung even introduced the Galaxy S25 Edge in the first place was to combat the iPhone Air. From its watches and earphones, to the Galaxy XR headset, to even the excellent Galaxy Z Fold 7, all of Samsung’s recent improvements seem like attempts to stay one step ahead of Apple to me.

Unlike Samsung, however, Apple is sticking to its guns. An iPhone Air 2 is in the works, and the company recently released a better version of the Apple Vision Pro despite very poor sales. Apple, regardless of disappointing market performance, believes in its products. Samsung, it seems, does not.

Which is very unfortunate, because Samsung could have very easily improved sales within a year or two. When the Galaxy S26 Edge was still in development, reports claim that the company had managed to upgrade the battery from a capacity of 3,900 mAh to around 4,300 mAh. The phone had also been slimmed down even further, and silicon-carbon batteries would have made future Edge models excellent buys.

Stuck in the same spot

Don’t get me wrong, the Galaxy S26 series will be pretty solid. The Galaxy S26 Ultra — with its new privacy display and wider aperture — will certainly be an upgrade from its predecessor. But there’s nothing new here, just the same marginal improvements in the name of yearly releases.

Samsung had an opportunity to continue to branch out, try out new models, differentiate itself from its competition, perhaps. But the company chose the safe option yet again, continuing a trend that has been ongoing for years: boring and safe familiarity over innovation.

This is why Samsung has been becoming increasingly difficult for me to recommend in recent months. Galaxy flagships just aren’t the Android powerhouses that they once used to be. Xiaomi, Oppo, and Honor have left Samsung so far behind just with their budget phones, which are hitting battery capacities of 10,000 mAh and using the latest Snapdragon chips.

And until Samsung once again decides to take leaps of faith, its phones will simply remain the standard Android equivalent to the iPhone. That, unfortunately for Samsung, is a title that can be stolen at a moment’s notice by a company that is more daring with its offerings.