In line with a bunch of rumors from a while ago and contrary to the most recent speculation, Samsung's "next big thing" is likely to bump up the Galaxy S25 Ultra's 45W charging capabilities to a max speed of 60 watts, which might prove to be a more meaningful change than it sounds on a couple of different fronts.
Nothing is etched in stone just yet
That's actually true for all of the Galaxy S26 Ultra's specs and features, which may have been finalized by Samsung, but simply cannot become a matter of public record with several months ahead of the handset's expected formal announcement (as well as that of the Galaxy S26 Pro and Galaxy S26 Edge).
This is the expected but not fully confirmed S26 Ultra design next to the S25 Ultra. | Image Credit -- PhoneArt on X
Of course, some details and characteristics are a lot easier to guess than others, which has unfortunately been the case for the charging support of Samsung's most advanced smartphones for a number of years now. The Galaxy S25 Ultra, S24 Ultra, S23 Ultra, and S22 Ultra all had their charging speeds capped at 45W, which was a pretty good number back in 2022, but in 2025... it's a little underwhelming.
How fast do you think the Galaxy S26 Ultra should charge?
100W or higher
16.25%
At least 75W
25%
60W sounds acceptable to me
31.25%
I can even live with 45W
15%
There are more important things for me (like battery size)
12.5%
Our twisty story hasn't yet come to an end, however, taking a new turn as "PhoneArt", aka @UniverseIce, is today "confirming again" that Samsung's early 2026 super-flagship will indeed jump from 45 to 60W charging support. Is the matter settled at last? Maybe, and maybe not, but at least there's hope this very necessary upgrade will come to fruition.
How big of an upgrade are we really talking about here?
To be perfectly honest, not that big. Definitely not big enough to catch up to the likes of the 100W-supporting OnePlus 13 or 125W-equipped Motorola Edge 50 Pro, not to mention the upcoming OnePlus 15, which is rumored to go up to 120W as well.
But if you look back at our comprehensive Galaxy S25 Ultra review, you'll notice that its actual charging time was not that bad, at 69 minutes, and with the Galaxy S26 Ultra widely expected to keep its predecessor's 5,000mAh battery size unchanged (unfortunately), that could certainly go down (well) below the 1-hour mark.
The S25 Ultra is not the slowest phone out there in terms of charging, but it could definitely be faster. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Once again, I doubt that Samsung is going to crack our list of the fastest charging phones out there in 2026, as the OnePlus 13, for instance, can go from 0 to 100 percent cell capacity in only 43 minutes, but any improvement in this department after several years of stagnation is likely to be celebrated by the brand's hardcore fans.
Perhaps even more importantly, I believe there's a good chance (once again) that the Galaxy S26 Pro and S26 Edge will take the 25W charging speeds of this year's Galaxy S25 and S25 Edge up to 45W if (and only if) the S26 Ultra ends up supporting 60W technology. Now that would be a very serious upgrade for two phones that clearly need all the changes they can get to stand out from their forerunners and shine among the best Android phones of 2026.
How excited should you be about the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Yes, I'm disappointed that the battery size will probably not get an upgrade, but the phone's thickness is likely to drop below 8mm, which sounds nice. The same goes for that screen quality improvement, the "Privacy Display" feature, and the camera upgrades, which are unlikely to be radical, but could well make an already great device even better.
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Hopefully, that scandalous Exynos rumor will not pan out because if it does, it might not matter how many subtle changes Samsung operates in other departments. If you want my opinion, I don't think the world's number one smartphone vendor will give up on its mutually beneficial partnership with Qualcomm, although I do admit that anything is still possible at this stage in the Galaxy S26 family's development.
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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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