It now looks very likely that the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been delayed

- Multiple sources now claim the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been delayed
- You'll probably be waiting until March for it, making for a roughly two-month delay
- This is likely due to Samsung changing its plans and replacing the S26 Edge with an S26 Plus
Not long ago we heard reports that the Samsung Galaxy S26 series might be delayed until March, which would see it land about two months later than the January release we were expecting based on past form. At the time, only one source had mentioned this, but now others have echoed this claim.
According to reputable leaker Ice Universe posting on Weibo, the Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been “confirmed to be postponed”, and the also reputable Setsuna Digital has said it “may be postponed to March” (both via Phone Arena).
Neither of these sources give a reason for the delay, but recent reports suggest that it could be the fault of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge; or rather that there reportedly won’t be a Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge due to low sales of the Samsung Galaxy S25 Edge.
But rather than just shipping two phones (the base Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra), the company is instead said to be planning a Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus – something which it likely now needs more time to develop, since this rumored change in plans is apparently a recent development.
Name changes and chipset choices
That’s probably the main reason, but there are other potential issues too, with Samsung said to be flip-flopping on what to call the base model. A name change from Samsung Galaxy S26 to Samsung Galaxy S26 Pro has been tipped for a while but now apparently abandoned, and there could be further uncertainty within the company over which – if any – models to equip with its in-house Exynos 2600 chipset.
Recently though, we’ve heard that Samsung has achieved a high yield of this chipset, and that its performance is promising, so it could be widely used.
Any or all of this could feasibly lead to delays in the Galaxy S26 line’s launch, and with several sources now saying it probably is delayed, we’d say that’s looking likely. Though it’s still worth taking all of this with a pinch of salt – we won’t know for sure that the Samsung Galaxy S26 line isn’t arriving in its typical January release window until Samsung says otherwise, or until it fails to show up entirely.
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James is a freelance phones, tablets and wearables writer and sub-editor at TechRadar. He has a love for everything ‘smart’, from watches to lights, and can often be found arguing with AI assistants or drowning in the latest apps. James also contributes to 3G.co.uk, 4G.co.uk and 5G.co.uk and has written for T3, Digital Camera World, Clarity Media and others, with work on the web, in print and on TV.
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