Samsung ditches S26 Edge for slimmer “Plus” model
Samsung plans to hold its Galaxy Unpacked event on Wednesday, February 25, 2026, in San Francisco to introduce the S26 smartphone lineup with an artificial intelligence focus, according to tipster Jukan. The late February timing marks a departure from the company’s usual late January or early February schedule for flagship phone launches. This represents Samsung’s first return to San Francisco for a major unveiling in approximately three years, following the S23 series debut in 2023.
The upcoming lineup will reportedly skip the S26 Edge model in favor of a Plus version during the February event. Industry observers attribute this decision to disappointing sales of the S25 Edge and similar struggles with the iPhone Air. Samsung continues developing an ultra-thin device under the working name More Slim, though any release would come months after the main event.
Key anticipated features include a dual-chip approach with the Exynos 2600 processor for roughly half of S26 devices in markets like South Korea and the European Union, while American, Japanese, and Chinese versions receive the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chip. The S26 Ultra may incorporate variable aperture camera technology and a new 200-megapixel Sony sensor, while the base S26 could feature an upgraded 50-megapixel main camera.
