With a little over two months ahead of their rumored Unpacked event, you might expect to already know everything there is to know about the highly anticipated sequels to the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra. But a lot of uncertainty and confusion continues to surround the Galaxy S26 (aka S26 Pro), the S26 Plus (which many insiders vowed didn't exist until fairly recently), and even the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
These are the "official and accurate" S26 and S26 Ultra measurements... or are they?
149.4 x 71.5 x 6.9mm - Galaxy S26;
163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9mm - Galaxy S26 Ultra.
According to the typically reliable Ice Universe, aka @UniverseIce, aka PhoneArt over on X, the "vanilla" S26 will be 0.3mm thinner, 2.5mm taller, and exactly one millimeter wider than the base Galaxy S25.
These renders are from when the S26 was still called S26 Pro, so they may not be entirely accurate.
But according to the latest inside information relayed by the equally trustworthy Steve Hemmerstoffer, aka @OnLeaks, and Android Headlines, the Galaxy S26 is now set to measure 149.5 x 71.6 x 7.24mm. While the height and width are obviously not very different from Ice Universe's current expectations on the same two fronts, a 7.24mm profile is clearly not the same thing as a 6.9mm waist.
So what's with the different info? Well, the folks at Android Headlines claim that Samsung has revised the S26's previously planned numbers... for some reason, bumping up the product thickness from 6.96mm. If the new figure is legit, the handset's profile is likely to also be enlarged around the camera bump from 10.23 to 10.44mm.
The only problem with this theory is that Ice Universe insists his dimensions are "standard, official, and accurate", so all we can really do at this point is wait and see which of the two sources will prove correct in January or February 2026.
Do you prefer a thinner or thicker Galaxy S26?
Thinner
12.5%
Thicker... if that means a bigger battery
75%
I don't care about the phone's dimensions that much
12.5%
As far as the S26 Ultra is concerned, the numbers above are not contradicted by anyone... yet, but if Samsung is indeed making "last-minute changes" to the Galaxy S26, the same thing could happen with the phone's bigger brother, which might not end up noticeably slimmer than its predecessor either. But of course, that's just an assumption on my part.
Ultra-thin is no longer in
Well, that sure didn't take long. Just a few months after Apple and Samsung did everything in their advertising power to try to convince us that outrageously slim devices were the future of the mobile industry, the Galaxy S26 Edge is reportedly cancelled (or at least delayed), the S25 Edge might already be on its way out of the market, and the iPhone Air is... not doing great either.
The S25 Edge's lack of mainstream success might be one of the reasons why the S26 will end up thicker than originally planned. | Image Credit -- PhoneArena
Following this somewhat unexpected movement in the fledgling ultra-thin segment, I'm more inclined to believe that the Galaxy S26 (formerly known as the S26 Pro) will measure over 7.2mm in thickness than under 7mm.
Hopefully, that means the 4,000mAh battery capacity of the 6.2-inch Galaxy S25 will be increased to narrow the gap to the likes of Google's 4,970mAh cell-packing Pixel 10. I think a lot of you dear readers would even prefer to see the S26 measure significantly more than 7.24mm thick if that allowed for a substantial battery size upgrade, but unfortunately, the odds of that happening are slim (pun intended) at best.
How excited should you be about Samsung's "last-minute changes?"
Perhaps "excited" is not the correct word, but everyone who doubted the success of the Galaxy S25 Edge and failed to understand the point of that rumored Galaxy S26 Pro branding will probably feel... appeased right about now.
There's clearly nothing wrong with a non-Pro Galaxy S26 with a similar design as its predecessor and no big changes in the camera department, although if Samsung is indeed making so many "last-minute" alterations to its next big thing(s), maybe we should continue holding out hope for a better photography experience from the S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra.
It almost feels like anything is still possible (unlike with previous Galaxy S generations this time of the year), which is kind of refreshing.
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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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