Galaxy S26: The 6 Rumored Upgrades Making Tech Fans Lose Their Minds

Recent Samsung Galaxy S26 leaks and reports about the S26 Plus reveal a new camera bump, improved 3x telephoto sensor, 20W Qi2 wireless charging, and a Snapdragon/Exynos chip split — here’s what to expect.

So for the longest time, everyone thought the Galaxy S26 Plus wasn’t happening this year. Turns out Samsung switched things up. The middle phone in the S26 family is actually coming back. It’s going to be part of the lineup after all, and nope, it’s not getting replaced by some Galaxy S26 Edge like people were saying earlier.

Also, the regular Galaxy S26 is ditching the “Pro” name and just launching as the Galaxy S26. Simple as that.

Here’s what both phones are supposedly getting this time around.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Chipset Split: Snapdragon vs Exynos

Looks like Samsung’s doing the whole chip-split thing again with the S26 lineup, especially with the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus. Some places will get the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while others are getting the Exynos 2600. Yeah, Exynos chips have kind of a rough reputation with tech folks, but maybe Samsung’s finally got it right this time. The Exynos 2600 is built on a fancy 2nm process, so theoretically it should be faster and easier on your battery. We’ll have to see how it actually performs in the real world though.

Redesigned Camera Looks

From what we’re hearing, the front of the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus isn’t changing much. But check out the leaked pictures—Samsung’s redesigning the back with a different camera setup. Instead of those individual camera bumps sitting by themselves like before, there’s going to be a raised section around all the lenses. Not everyone’s going to love how it looks, but honestly, it should fix that annoying problem where dust and lint get stuck around the cameras on the S25 and S25 Plus. This redesign also shows that Samsung is taking the Samsung Galaxy S26 more seriously, especially with the new camera housing.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Wireless Charging Upgrade (20W Qi2)

Both the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus are bumping up wireless charging from 15W to 20W. That means less waiting around for your phone to charge. This ties into another upgrade for the whole lineup—real Qi2 charging support. Doesn’t sound like Samsung’s making the batteries any bigger on either the Galaxy S26 Plus or regular S26, so at least you’ll be able to juice them up faster than the last models. The wireless charging jump proves the Samsung Galaxy S26 lineup is finally catching up to modern standards like Qi2 magnets.

Galaxy S26 Qi2 Magnetic Charging Support

Samsung’s apparently adding actual Qi2 charging to the whole Galaxy S26 lineup. This means the phones will work with magnetic accessories just like Apple’s MagSafe stuff. You’ll be able to snap on magnetic power banks, wallets, car mounts, pop sockets—all that good stuff. The Galaxy S25 was only “Qi2 Ready,” which basically meant no magnets built in, but you could use those accessories if you got the right case.

Galaxy S26 Telephoto Camera Upgrade

Word is the entire 2026 lineup is getting a new 12MP telephoto camera with a 1/2.55-inch sensor. That’s way bigger than the 10MP sensor (1/3.52-inch) that’s in the S25 phones right now.

The 3x zoom isn’t changing, but your photos should look crisper with less noise. Bigger sensors let in more light, which means better pictures overall.

AI Features & One UI 8.5 Improvements

Sounds like the Galaxy S26 series is getting some AI upgrades too. They’re calling it more “user-centric,” which probably means Galaxy AI will start suggesting things before you even think to ask. You know, being more helpful and proactive.

AI is everywhere in tech right now, so there’ll probably be a bunch of new AI features that only flagship phones get. The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus are launching with One UI 8.5, which brings a totally customizable Quick Settings panel, better-looking visuals across the whole system, more power-saving options, and a new voicemail feature. AI improvements across the Samsung Galaxy S26 series make the phones feel more proactive and smarter during daily use.