Here are the most credible leaks and rumors for Samsung’s 2026 flagship.

1. A New Look: The Camera "Island"

For the past few years, Samsung has used separate lens rings on the back of the phone. According to recent leaks from OnLeaks, the S26 Ultra will move to a unified camera island design, similar to the Galaxy Z Fold 7

• Rounded Corners: The phone will continue the trend of slightly more rounded corners, making the large device more comfortable to hold.

• Thinner Design: Rumors suggest a slimmer chassis, which has led to a more prominent camera bump that may cause the phone to "wobble" more when flat on a table.

2. Camera: Fixing the Flaws

Instead of just adding more megapixels, Samsung is reportedly focusing on image quality.

• Anti-Glare Coating: A major leak suggests a new lens coating will significantly reduce "lens flare" and glare when taking photos in direct sunlight.

• Natural Skin Tones: Software improvements in One UI 8.5 are expected to fix the "yellowish" skin tone issue that some users complained about in previous models.

• The Hardware: It will likely keep the 200MP main sensor but may upgrade the ultra-wide and telephoto lenses to 50MP sensors for better consistency across all zoom levels.

3. Performance: The 16GB RAM Standard

The S26 Ultra is expected to be a multitasking powerhouse

• Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: Most regions will likely get the latest 3nm Qualcomm chip, which promises better battery efficiency and massive AI power.

• 16GB of RAM: To handle "Galaxy AI 2.0" and on-device processing, leaks suggest that 16GB of RAM will become the standard for the Ultra model.

• Cooling: A new "Heat Path Block" technology is rumored to keep the phone 30% cooler during heavy gaming.

4. Battery and Charging

Samsung has stuck with 45W charging for a long time, but 2026 might finally bring a change

• 60W Fast Charging: Some leaks indicate a jump to 60W wired charging, allowing for much faster top-ups.

• Battery Size: The battery could see a slight bump to 5,500mAh thanks to a new "stacked" battery design that fits more capacity into the same space.

• Qi2 Support: Expect magnetic wireless charging (Qi2) to be standard, making it compatible with MagSafe-style accessories.

5. Launch Date and Pricing

• Launch Window: Most analysts point to a late February 2026 Unpacked event, with the phone hitting stores in early March.

• Price Hike: Due to the rising cost of parts (especially RAM and the new chipsets), the S26 Ultra is rumored to start at $1,299 / ₹1,29,999, a slight increase over previous years.

Summary: The S26 Ultra looks like a "refinement" year. Samsung is taking the best parts of the S25 and fixing the hardware annoyances—like lens flare and grip comfort—while pushing the limits of AI performance.