Samsung is not abiding by the ‘if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’ rule, and we’re not necessarily complaining. The South Korean tech giant’s flagship lineup has long maintained a structured lineup. Since 2020’s Galaxy S20 series, Samsung has offered base, Plus, and Ultra models for all of its S-series flagship phones. That structure, however, is expected to change with the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.
Hints found within an internal One UI 8 build have already indicated that Samsung might drop the base and Plus S26 models, and now, leaving no room for doubt, the same is being corroborated by the Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA).
For reference, the leaked One UI 8 build alluded that the upcoming series will still boast three distinct models, though these would be the Galaxy S26 Pro, S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra.
The top-of-the-line Ultra retains its top spot, with Samsung opting for another Edge variant instead of the Plus model. This is despite the Galaxy S25 Edge not selling as well as Samsung had initially expected. We knew the Edge wouldn’t be a one-and-done, and Samsung is only going to make the slim device better over time, so we’re not necessarily complaining. What’s surprising, though, is the standard model’s omission.
The base S26 is expected to be called the Galaxy S26 Pro, and whether that’s just a moniker change or an actual spec bump remains to be seen. If the latter turns out to be true, expect higher starting pricing for the upcoming series. If the former turns out to be true, you’ll essentially just be getting the same baseline performance with a more premium-sounding device name.
More credence
Corroborating the early name leak, a more authoritative source has now essentially confirmed these structural changes. In GSMA’s original listing for the S26 series, the flagship model number SM-S942 was listed simply as the “Galaxy S26.” Now, as pointed out by the folks over at SammyPolice, there’s an updated listing with the model number SM-S942U1, as seen in the image above. That’s the same model number as the original listing, with the suffixed U1 indicating an unlocked variant that’s headed for the United States.
More importantly, though, this updated listing explicitly names the device as the “Galaxy S26 Pro,” leaving little doubt about Samsung’s intention to rebrand the entry-level flagship.
The Galaxy S26 series is still over six months away at this point, and the tech giant’s plans for the S26 series might change by then. However, considering the consistent nature of said leaks, and the fact that we’re seeing them so early, Samsung might actually be well underway with the revamp.
