Samsung S26 Ultra Release Date for 2026

If you’re a Samsung fan, the first month of 2026 is pretty exciting – January typically means a new Galaxy S series launch. And with last year’s S25, plus the foldable Z Flip and Fold 7, this year’s releases have a tough act to follow.

But for the first time in 8 years, no new Galaxy phones will be announced in January. This includes the premium S26 Ultra! So, when will Samsung's latest premium flagship launch? Read on to find out!

S26 Ultra Release Date

The S26 Ultra could launch on Wednesday, February 25, at this year's first Galaxy Unpacked event. That's according to credible Samsung leakers Ice Universe and Evan Blass!

The pre-order window should open immediately, and the S26 series could then hit shelves two weeks later, around March 11. However, nothing has been officially confirmed yet (aka we haven’t received our invitation to Samsung’s biannual event!).

Rewind to last year and you'll find that the S25 series was announced much earlier – on January 22. This was with the exception of the slimmer S25 Edge, which was launched later in May. Pre-orders for the Ultra, alongside the Plus and standard S25, began the same day, with general availability from February 7. 

The S25 follows the same pattern as previous years: a Jan announcement, followed by an early Feb release date. But this year could be different. A February 25 launch would be the first time Galaxy S phones have been announced on this specific date since the Mobile World Congress (MWC) 2018, with the Galaxy S9 series. The Ultra didn’t even exist back then!

Why Could the S26 Ultra Launch Later This Year?

A later S26 Ultra launch could be down to the S25 Edge’s poor sales in 2025.

A late February announcement and early March release for the S26 Ultra are unlikely to include the slimmer Edge. It was originally thought that the Edge would replace the larger Plus model. However, it may be eliminated from the lineup due to slow sales, with reports of a considerable production slowdown last year! This leaves just the S26 Ultra and the base S26.

This confusion surrounding the S26 Edge meant the Plus variant wasn’t confirmed until late, delaying the entire Galaxy S26 series past the traditional January/ February launch window. Samsung also wants to ensure strong stock globally before the launch date.

Despite the confusion, the S26 lineup has now been confirmed through a PDF document – which has since been removed – accidentally leaked by Samsung Colombia. It points to three Galaxy S26 models alongside the already-available Z Fold 7 and Z Flip 7.

Will the Galaxy S26 Ultra Have Any Updates?

The S26 Ultra is expected to debut with a few small design and display changes. Expect updates to the cameras and overall performance, too. Here’s an overview of the rumored upgrades:

Design

Rounded corners could replace the Galaxy Note-inspired angular frame on the S26 Ultra this year. The phone should also feature a Gorilla Glass Victus 2 back and a strong titanium build. We’d still recommend investing in a shockproof S26 Ultra case, though!

These rumored updates are supported by leaked photos showing designs for three screen protectors, which have the same rounded edges and thin bezels on all sides. 

Leaked SIM card tray images also highlight four potential color options:

• Black Shadow

• White Shadow

• Glacial Blue

• Ultraviolet

Display

The S25 Ultra’s 6.9-inch display will remain this year. It features a 120Hz refresh rate and an impressive 2600-nit peak brightness!

However, it’s also expected to use Corning Gorilla Glass Armor 2. This is the industry’s first scratch-resistant, anti-reflective glass ceramic cover! An M14 OLED panel also offers improved power efficiency.

One potentially exciting display update is the new Privacy Screen feature. ‘Flex Magic Pixel’ is designed to prevent unwanted eyes from looking at your screen in public! Although you’ll no longer need a privacy screen protector, we’d recommend investing in a tempered glass protector to stop the screen from cracking upon impact.

Performance

The base S26 could use Samsung’s in-house chip: the Exynos 2600 – rumored to be even faster than the iPhone 17 Pro’s A19 Pro!

However, the Ultra should include the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5. Select markets could still use the Exynos chip, though. Qualcomm’s latest chipset was specially designed for Samsung flagships using TSMC’s 3nm process, offering a 23% GPU performance improvement (great for gaming!) compared to its predecessor. 

The CPU offers 35% power savings, giving the S26 Ultra a better battery life, while a 37% faster Hexagon NPU also supports more advanced AI features.

We’ve saved perhaps the best performance upgrade till last! The Galaxy S26 Ultra should finally feature charging speeds faster than 45W, with 60W wired and 25W Qi2 wireless charging. 

Cameras

The latest leaks point to a 12 MP punch-hole camera for the S26 Ultra’s dual-telephoto system, featuring 3x zoom. If true, this would facilitate a new lens with a wider 85-degree field of view. You’ll enjoy better group selfies as a result! However, some tipsters disagree, saying the Ultra’s hardware will remain unchanged and instead receive a 10 MP telephoto lens.

The main and 5x telephoto cameras could also have a wider aperture, which allows more light to enter for better low-light photography quality.

Here’s what we expect the S26 Ultra’s camera system to look like: 

• 200 MP main

• 50 MP ultrawide

• 50 MP 5x telephoto

• 10 or 12 MP 3x telephoto

Pricing

With a rumored $1,299 price tag, the S26 Ultra’s pricing strategy could stay the same as previous Ultra models.

However, the global memory chip shortage caused by a semiconductor supply deficit over the past year means Samsung will have to spend three times more on memory components. 

“When memory prices go up, it’s going to have an impact on the price of products. I don’t think we’re immune to those issues,” says Wonjin Lee, Samsung’s global marketing president, in a Bloomberg interview. Some experts believe that the Ultra could retail at $1,399 in the US, with a $100 price hike as a result.

Is the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Worth Buying?

If you’re looking for a premium flagship phone with a large screen and powerful performance, the S26 Ultra is definitely worth considering.

If the rumors are accurate, there’s no revolutionary redesign for this year’s model. However, Samsung is instead focusing on everyday usability with the S26 Ultra, which is evident in those small changes made to the corners and the Flex Magic Pixel feature, for instance.

Let’s not forget about the even higher-quality camera setup and the faster charging speeds we’ve been wanting for several generations! Plus, the star of the Samsung show: the high-performance Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip.

Keep reading Ghostek Insider for all the latest Samsung news, including Galaxy S26 updates as we receive them.