I’ve been trying out the Galaxy S26 Extremely leaks, and among the upgrades look helpful. Nonetheless, one change within the digicam has me a bit apprehensive.
The Extremely is Samsung’s largest and strongest smartphone, filled with extra synthetic intelligence than ever. Galaxy S26 Extremely leaks trace that Samsung would possibly use AI so as to add privateness options that, similar to display screen protectors, disguise your show from anybody not wanting straight at it. And that’s only the start.
Past AI, there are modifications to the design, show, battery, and digicam. I dug by means of the web to see what’s new, and whereas most updates look superior, photographers may not be thrilled with one explicit change.
S26 Extremely design
The Galaxy S26 Extremely brings again the flat show as soon as extra, with a digicam gap sitting proper within the center on the high. The display screen edges keep skinny and even throughout, giving it a clear look.
The corners curve only a bit this time. I like the texture of rounded edges when holding the cellphone, however sharp corners at all times look sleeker and extra high-end. Nonetheless, I’d reasonably skip the ache of holding a pointy cellphone—there are higher methods for design to face out than by hurting your hand.
On the correct aspect, you’ll discover each bodily button—quantity up and down above the facility key. The left aspect stays naked. Down on the backside sit the SIM tray, major speaker, USB Sort-C port, and S Pen slot tucked within the bottom-left nook.
The again design takes a cue from the S25 Edge and Z Fold7, sporting an analogous digicam island. The format stays acquainted, although not each lens pops out from the physique. 3 cameras line up vertically on the left, resting on a raised island that stands proud round 4.5 mm whereas the cellphone itself is about 7.9 mm thick. The bump stands out, little question, nevertheless it’s a small value for a digicam setup that may crush anything on the market.
As for the scale, the S26 Extremely measures 163.4 x 77.9 x 7.9 mm—or 12.4 mm in the event you rely the digicam bump—and weighs about 217 grams. For comparability, the S25 Extremely got here in at 162.8 x 77.6 x 8.2 mm and weighed 218 grams. So it’s nearly the identical dimension, only a contact slimmer and lighter.
S26 Extremely show
Samsung is leaping to M14 OLED panels with CoE tech—a combination that trims bulk, kills glare, and makes colours pop brighter. The S26 Extremely display screen ought to measure round 6.89 inches, although Samsung will spherical as much as 6.9 simply to flex. Dimension-wise, it’s a match for the Galaxy S25 Extremely.
Buried within the One UI 8.5 code, although, lies the enjoyable half—a “Non-public Show” mode. It limits how a lot individuals can see from the aspect, protecting your display screen secure from nosy eyes.
The Galaxy S26 Extremely might include a characteristic referred to as Flex Magic Pixel, which sounds straight out of sci-fi. It might probably sense in the event you’re in a crowd, possibly on the subway or at a café, and modify your display screen’s visibility. Yeah—you surrender a little bit of privateness simply to guard your display screen privateness. However then once more, it’s no totally different from how Apple Maps or Google Maps know when site visitors jams up in your manner dwelling.
S26 Extremely processor
The Galaxy S26 Extremely is shaping as much as pack some critical energy. For starters, Samsung will use the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Qualcomm confirmed it throughout the Snapdragon Summit 2025, even when they didn’t identify particular telephones.
The subsequent technology of Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 delivers a masterpiece of efficiency to flagship smartphones, redefining cell excellence with unbelievable efficiency, effectivity, and on-device agentic AI.
Not each S26 Extremely could run Snapdragon, although. Phrase is, the Exynos 2600 might present up in sure markets. Samsung has a historical past of utilizing Exynos chips in Europe whereas the US and China get Snapdragon variations.
The Exynos 2600 would be the first 2nm cell chip, that includes a deca-core CPU in a 1+3+6 setup. Mass manufacturing kicked off final month.
S26 Extremely battery
The Galaxy S26 Extremely retains the identical 5,000 mAh battery from earlier Extremely fashions. In Tom’s Information’s battery check, the Galaxy S25 Extremely ran for 17 hours and quarter-hour—the longest any Samsung cellphone has gone to date. The S24 Extremely, with the identical 5,000 mAh cell, managed 16 hours and 45 minutes. That’s a 30-minute achieve, round a 3% bounce.
Positive, a 5,000 mAh battery sounds small for 2025 when some flagships push 6,000 mAh, but when Samsung squeezes out extra effectivity, the S26 Extremely would possibly shock us.
As for charging, the rumors preserve bouncing round. Some experiences say Samsung will keep on with 45 W wired charging, whereas others declare it’s leaping to 60 W. Nobody is aware of for positive but.
I’m, nevertheless, hoping Qi2.2 wi-fi charging hits as much as 25 W. Because the cellphone is alleged to incorporate inside magnets, Samsung might put them to make use of. The corporate already launched a few new Qi2-compatible wi-fi chargers within the US, which could trace at what’s subsequent. One charger is made for automobiles ($84.99), and the opposite for dwelling use ($34.99).
S26 Extremely digicam
Digicam upgrades gained’t be big. You’ll nonetheless get 4 lenses on the again. The principle shooter packs 200 megapixels (f/1.4, 1/1.3-inch sensor) and pairs with a 50-megapixel ultrawide lens. I’ve to confess that Samsung already improved the ultrawide on the S25 Extremely, so it captures sharper indoor photographs and performs higher in low mild.
Telephoto would possibly take a step again. Rumor factors to a 10-megapixel sensor (1/3.94-inch, f/2.4, 3x optical zoom), which is smaller than the Sony IMX754 within the S25 Extremely. That might frustrate customers, particularly since nighttime images are already difficult.
As for the periscope zoom, Samsung retains a 50-megapixel sensor (1/2.52-inch) with 5x optical zoom. By the way in which, in the event you’re curious how Samsung’s zoom pictures advanced, a Redditor shared a comparability of the S22 Extremely and S24 Extremely whereas taking pictures in Bern, Switzerland.
S26 Extremely launch date
Samsung likes to get a bounce on its flagship launches. The Galaxy S sequence retains creeping earlier yearly. Today, they often announce the telephones in January, then ship a couple of weeks later, usually hitting shops in February.
Proper now, rumors concerning the S26 Extremely launch date are far and wide. One Greek supply says Samsung would possibly push the launch again. Based on the report, Samsung wrapped up work on the high-end S26 Extremely, however the common S26 remains to be behind. The supply doesn’t give extra particulars on the delay, so I’d take it with a pinch of salt.
Parting ideas
The Galaxy S26 Extremely seems to be able to carry strong upgrades over its predecessor, plus a couple of options that might make it stand out. The Flex Magic Pixel appears cool, utilizing AI to maintain prying eyes off your display screen.
It’s not all sunshine and rainbows, although—the telephoto lens would possibly fall a bit quick. Even so, there’s a lot to look ahead to.
