Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Edge: Expected differences
Samsung kind of started the whole "ultra-thin" phone hype, or at least made it mainstream with the Galaxy S25 Edge. We're now near the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, and there's a successor on the horizon.
The Galaxy S26 Edge will be aiming to take the thin idea to new heights, shaving some thickness off its waist while adding a new ultra-wide camera, a bigger battery, and the latest and greatest Qualcomm silicon.
This preliminary comparison will try to assess all the upgrades the new Galaxy S26 Edge is aiming to bring and whether or not you should upgrade or buy the upcoming thin phone from Samsung.
The Galaxy S26 Edge will be aiming to take the thin idea to new heights, shaving some thickness off its waist while adding a new ultra-wide camera, a bigger battery, and the latest and greatest Qualcomm silicon.
Galaxy S26 Edge vs Galaxy S25 Edge expected differences:
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Different design, reminiscent of the iPhone 17 Pro models | Old design with the oval camera bump |
| Thinner now at 5.5 mm (but 10.8 mm at the camera bump) | A tad thicker at 5.8 mm but shallower camera bump |
| The same 6.7-inch display, possibly brighter | 6.7-inch AMOLED screen, 120Hz, 2600 nits of peak brightness |
| New 50MP ultra-wide camera | 12MP ultra-wide |
| The latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset | Older but still quite powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite processor |
| Larger capacity 4,200 mAh battery | Smaller 3,900 mAh cell inside |
| Qi2 wireless charging support and magnets | 25W wired, 15W wireless charging |
Table of Contents:
Design and Size
Wait, I've seen you before!
Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge render | Image by OnLeaks
The leaked dummy models and CAD renders of the Galaxy S26 Edge pose an interesting question. Has Samsung decided to blatantly copy Apple? The design is very similar to the iPhone 17 Pro phones, with a large camera bump (Apple calls it "plateau").
In terms of overall size, weight, and thickness, there are some changes, too. According to the latest leaks, the new phone will be just 5.5 mm thick, mimicking what the iPhone Air offers to the thin table. A necessary clarification is needed here, the thickness at the camera bump is expected to be 10.8 mm, which is quite thick. We have to wait and see whether or not Samsung has gone this route.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Thickness 5.5 mm (10.8 mm at camera bump) | Thickness 5.8 mm |
| Dimensions 158.4 x 75.7 | Dimensions 158.2 x 75.6 |
| Weight N/A | Weight 163 grams |
When it comes to materials, the Galaxy S26 Edge will most likely keep the same titanium frame and Gorilla Glass Ceramic 2 protection as its predecessor, so no big differences here. The usual IP68 water and dust resistance will be on board, and overall we expect the same ports and buttons as the ones on the first Edge.
That said, given the thickness of the S26 Edge, Samsung might need to develop new technology for the USB-C port; it might be 3D printed just like the one on the iPhone Air. The available colors for the predecessor are Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Jetblack. We don't have much information about the S26 Edge colors, but we expect similar hues.
That said, given the thickness of the S26 Edge, Samsung might need to develop new technology for the USB-C port; it might be 3D printed just like the one on the iPhone Air. The available colors for the predecessor are Titanium Icyblue, Titanium Silver, and Titanium Jetblack. We don't have much information about the S26 Edge colors, but we expect similar hues.
Display Differences
The first Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge features a big 6.7-inch Super AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 3120 pixels and a resulting pixel density of 513 PPI. It's an LTPO panel with a 1-120 Hz dynamic refresh rate and a listed peak brightness of 2600 nits.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Size 6.7" | Size 6.7" |
| Brightness 3000 nits (peak) | Brightness 2600 nits (peak) |
*rumored
In our display test, the Galaxy S25 Edge managed 2413 nits of brightness at 20% APL, an excellent result, and the minimum brightness was also excellent at under 1 nit. We don't expect big changes in the new mode.
The Galaxy S26 Edge is expected to feature the same 6.7-inch panel with the same resolution and probably slightly better peak brightness. Some sources point toward slimmer bezels around the screen, too.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader from the S25 Edge will most likely make a return on the next model, which is fine—it's fast and accurate. No 3D ToF or fancy radar tech is expected for the face recognition, it will be the same 2D facial tech relying only on the front camera.
The ultrasonic fingerprint reader from the S25 Edge will most likely make a return on the next model, which is fine—it's fast and accurate. No 3D ToF or fancy radar tech is expected for the face recognition, it will be the same 2D facial tech relying only on the front camera.
Performance and Software
Cream of the crop
The next Qualcomm flagship silicon has been announced, it's the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. If you're a bit confused with the naming scheme, you're not alone. Qualcomm posted a special explainer article to address the confusion.
Some early benchmarks put this silicon at the very top of the food chain, with 12,352 points in the Geekbench multicore benchmark and 3,836 in single-core tests. We have to test it ourselves, but things look promising.
We should bear in mind that in such a thin device (as the Galaxy S26 Edge), some compromises will most likely be made with clock speeds and thermal performance.
In comparison and supporting the above, the Galaxy S25 Edge managed to score 2823 in the Geekbench single-core test and 9060 points in the Geekbench multi-core test, which is slightly lower than the top-performing devices with Snapdragon 8 Elite on board.
In comparison and supporting the above, the Galaxy S25 Edge managed to score 2823 in the Geekbench single-core test and 9060 points in the Geekbench multi-core test, which is slightly lower than the top-performing devices with Snapdragon 8 Elite on board.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Chip Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite |
| Process 3nm | Process 3nm |
| RAM, Storage 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage | RAM, Storage 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5X RAM UFS 4.0 storage |
In terms of software, no surprises are expected. The Galaxy S26 Edge will most likely run One UI 8 on top of Android 16 out of the box. The same combo is available on the Galaxy S25 Ultra with the same Galaxy AI bells and whistles on board, so probably not much of a difference here.
The usual seven years of software updates will apply to the Galaxy S26 Edge as well, giving it one year on top of the projected lifespan of its predecessor.
The usual seven years of software updates will apply to the Galaxy S26 Edge as well, giving it one year on top of the projected lifespan of its predecessor.
Camera
Wide, wider, ultra-wide
One of the advantages the Galaxy S25 Edge had and still has over the iPhone Air is the presence of an ultrawide camera. There are rumors pointing toward an upgrade to the 12MP snapper on the Galaxy S26 Edge, which might give an even better edge to Samsung in this thin battle.
The main 200MP camera is expected to be carried over from the previous model.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Main 200 MP, f/1.7 24 mm 1/1.3" | Main 200 MP, f/1.7 24 mm 1/1.3" |
| Ultrawide 50 MP 13 mm | Ultrawide 12 MP, f/2.2 13 mm 1/2.55" |
| Telephoto - | Telephoto - |
The Galaxy S25 Edge scored a composite result of 140 (out of 158) in our camera benchmark, which is not that great, given the big pixel count of the main camera. But the good news is that there's room for improvement, as we all know how important algorithms are nowadays.
Coupled with the new ultra-wide camera, we expect the Galaxy S26 Edge to outperform its predecessor in the camera department.
As always, we will include side-by-side samples to show the real-life difference between the two phones once we lay our hands on the Galaxy S26 Edge.
As always, we will include side-by-side samples to show the real-life difference between the two phones once we lay our hands on the Galaxy S26 Edge.
Battery Life and Charging
Tight fit
One of the banes of thin phones is battery life. You can't cheat physics, and the capacity you can fit inside these thin-as-pancake devices is limited. The Galaxy S25 Edge, for instance, features a 3,900 mAh cell inside, which is quite impressive given the thickness of 5.8 mm.
This transformed into a 6h 22m overall score in our battery benchmark, or 98th place among phones tested in the past 2 years, which, on the other hand, is not that great.
Fret not, as there is some good news on the horizon. Samsung seems to have found space inside the Galaxy S26 Edge, because the phone is expected to come with a slightly larger 4,200 mAh battery. Whether or not this will transform into better battery life, we have to test and see.
Fret not, as there is some good news on the horizon. Samsung seems to have found space inside the Galaxy S26 Edge, because the phone is expected to come with a slightly larger 4,200 mAh battery. Whether or not this will transform into better battery life, we have to test and see.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Battery size 4,200 mAh | Battery size 3,900 mAh |
Charging speeds 25W wired 21W wireless charging (Qi2) USB-C 3.2 | Charging speeds 25W wired 15W wireless charging USB-C 3.2 |
Charging is another area where thin phones lag behind, due to heat-dissipation restriction. The Galaxy S25 Edge features a rather slow 25W wired charging and manages to charge its 3,900 mAh battery from zero to full in one hour and six minutes.
There's no upgrade to wired charging speeds expected on the Galaxy S26 Edge, and given the larger battery, we should probably get even slower times from zero to full. There are rumors pointing toward Samsung implementing Qi2 wireless charging, including all the magnets and probably a slew of accessories coming our way.
Specs Comparison
Here's a quick specs comparison (preliminary) between the Galaxy S26 Edge and its predecessor - the Galaxy S25 Edge.
| Galaxy S26 Edge* | Galaxy S25 Edge |
|---|---|
| Size, weight 158.4 x 75.7 x 5.5 mm (10.8 mm at camera bump) - | Size, weight 158.2 x 75.6 x 5.8 mm 163 grams |
| Screen 6.7" OLED 120Hz | Screen 6.7" OLED 120Hz |
| Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 3nm | Processor Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite 3nm |
| Versions: 16/256GB 16/512GB 16/1TB LPDDR5 | Versions: 12/256GB 12/512GB LPDDR5 |
| Cameras: 200MP main 50MP ultra 12MP front | Cameras: 200MP main 12MP ultra 12MP front |
| Battery: 4,200 mAh | Battery: 3,900 mAh |
| Charging: USB-C 25W wired 21W wireless (Qi2) | Charging: USB-C 25W wired 15W wireless |
*rumored
Summary
The thin-smartphone trend is here to stay, it seems. The Galaxy S26 Edge is shaping up to be a slight upgrade compared to its predecessor, but there are some asterisks to this statement. Even though it aims for a 5.5 mm thickness, the camera bump is massive and is expected to measure 10.8 mm in thickness.
And speaking of the camera system, its design is controversial, to say the least. Early dummies and CAD renders show an alarming similarity to the iPhone 17 Pro models. How would this impact the reception of the phone, it's yet to be seen.
There are other factors at play, such as the price and also all the tests, so stay tuned for more info soon and a final verdict.
And speaking of the camera system, its design is controversial, to say the least. Early dummies and CAD renders show an alarming similarity to the iPhone 17 Pro models. How would this impact the reception of the phone, it's yet to be seen.
There are other factors at play, such as the price and also all the tests, so stay tuned for more info soon and a final verdict.
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