The news surrounding the Galaxy S26 is starting to get overwhelming, which suggests that it could almost be time for Samsung’s latest phone series to make its debut. And while we initially heard that there could be a delay, that no longer appears to be the case, with the phones set to arrive sometime in January 2026.
While we’ll no doubt have the complete picture of what the phones are capable of well ahead of the official announcement, for now, we’ll have to settle with the bits and pieces of information that have been leaking online over the past month or so. Although the phones might not look all that different from the Galaxy S25 series, the devices are set to offer some marked improvements.
It could be a big year for Samsung
One of the big changes coming to the new phones is that they could be thinner, while still having the same battery capacities. The rear camera could also see an improvement by moving on to a new sensor. In addition, we’re now hearing that the front-facing camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra could have a wider field of view (FOV), making it easier to get more into the frame.
The news comes from the well-known and fairly reliable leaker Ice Universe, shedding light on how the Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a wider FOV, allowing users to capture more in frame without any additional work (via Android Authority). The Galaxy S25 Ultra had a FOV of 80 degrees, while the newer model may come in at 85 degrees.
While this is a welcome change, Ice Universe does note that the cutout found on the display will also be larger because of this. Naturally, this isn’t going to be something that’s really all that noticeable, but if the leaked information is correct, the new phone will see a 1mm increase, coming in at 4mm. Although this might be disappointing to some, I’m all for getting changes that actually improve the performance.
The Galaxy Ultra series is a fairly solid choice if you’re looking to get a powerful Android phone with a large screen. However, the line hasn’t been as dominant as it once was, and there are plenty of things that Samsung could do to make it the best phone of 2026. Perhaps one of the biggest changes would be to make its cameras top of its class.
The brand could also think a bit more outside the box when it comes to its software. We’ve seen some great things with One UI 7 and 8, but future updates could bring more to the table, especially when it comes to AI features. Luckily, if all the rumors are true, we won’t have to wait long to really find out what Samsung’s cooking up for 2026.
