The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to debut early next year, with several leaks providing early glimpses of what we can expect in the hardware department. Recent leaks have hinted at wireless charging upgrades on the Ultra variant, while we’ve also learned about a potential pricing-related adjustment for the entry-level model.
One more leak has dropped this weekend, with prominent leaker @UniverseIce sharing details on the weight of all three Galaxy S26 models. According to the leaker on X/Twitter, the top-of-the-line Galaxy S26 Ultra will weigh 214 grams, a minor reduction from the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 218g frame. However, this is where the good news ends for the Galaxy S26 series in terms of their overall weight.
Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ will be bulkier, though
UniverseIce claims the Galaxy S26 will be two grams heavier than the Galaxy S25, which has a body weight of 162g. As for the Galaxy S26+, UniverseIce mentions a body weight of 191 grams, a negligible 1-gram increment in weight compared to the predecessor.
The Galaxy S26 being largely unchanged from the Galaxy S25 shouldn’t come as a surprise, particularly given recent reports that suggested the company had to roll back on some of the expected upgrades for the base model. Among the reasons for this decision was to avoid a price bump, especially in the wake of Apple launching the iPhone 17 with no price hike this year.
We’ve also seen unofficial renders of both the Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26+ drop last week, telling us a fair bit about their design in the process. Separately, another leak shared key details on the cameras of the entry-level and mid-tier Galaxy flagships.
Significantly lighter than the iPhone 17 Pro Max
The fact that Samsung could make the Galaxy S26 Ultra four grams lighter than the Galaxy S25 Ultra is significant, especially on paper. However, we imagine it would be hard to tell the difference given the minor weight difference coming from the early 2025 flagship. If this revelation is true, the Galaxy S26 Ultra would widen the gulf even further with the iPhone 17 Pro Max’s bulky 233g shell.
It’s worth noting that Samsung’s Ultra smartphones have a history of weighing less than their predecessors. This year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra is 14 grams lighter than the Galaxy S24 Ultra. By comparison, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s supposed 4g reduction in overall weight compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra shouldn’t feel like a major reduction.
All signs currently point to Samsung adopting a dual-chipset approach for the Galaxy S26 series, with the Ultra variant expected to feature Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC, whereas the Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+ are reportedly set to launch with the Exynos 2600 chip, at least in some markets. Unfortunately, the use of Qualcomm’s chipset, combined with other factors, could lead to the Galaxy S26 Ultra witnessing a price bump when it reaches shelves in February 2026.
