For a good few months, all rumors regarding Samsung’s next high-end handsets pointed to a super-slim Galaxy S26 Edge replacement for both the
S25 Edge and S25 Plus, which obviously meant a
Galaxy S26 Plus was no longer needed.
The Galaxy S26 Edge is (almost) definitely not replacing the S25 Plus
You’re probably not going to believe this, but the internal codename of this year’s Galaxy S25 Edge was… Slim. What’s even crazier is that Samsung has been reportedly developing “for a few months” a new handset under the secret and totally cryptic codename of… More Slim.
The S25 Plus is now widely expected to receive a Galaxy S26 Plus sequel in 2026. | Image Credit — PhoneArena
All jokes aside, it’s clearly safe to assume that this device will be known as the Galaxy S26 Edge when it sees daylight, but according to the latest inside information gathered by the typically very knowledgeable folks over at GalaxyClub in the Netherlands, “More Slim” development started a lot later than the rest of the S26 family.
That means there’s a good chance Samsung will open next year by unveiling a “traditional” Galaxy S26 trio composed of base (or Pro), Plus, and Ultra models, with a separate Edge variant likely to come out months down the line.
In other words, the S26 series could end up following the exact same launch strategy as the Galaxy S25 family, although it’s obviously not clear just yet if the S26 Edge will start selling in April, May, or June 2026. But a January or February release is almost surely out of the question.
How will the Galaxy S26 Edge look after all?
That, my friends and dear readers, is the million-dollar question I can’t really answer at the moment. Some of you might remember that a rather bizarre design was leaked nearly two months ago, but if the initial S26 Edge plan was scrapped, that design may have been cancelled as well.
The Galaxy S26 Edge may or may not end up looking like this.
One key detail that’s still expected from the Galaxy S26 Edge is an even thinner profile than that of the S25 Edge, but hopefully, Samsung will find a way to go from 5.8mm to 5.5mm or so without adding an unnecessary camera bump that you can see from outer space.
Assuming the Galaxy S26 (Pro) and Galaxy S26 Ultra images revealed in recent weeks are both legit and final, that only leaves the S26 Plus and S26 Edge to be depicted in their commercial-ready form, which I personally hope to be similar to the S25 Plus and S25 Edge designs… after looking at the aforementioned alternative.
Is this the right decision?
If Samsung does end up releasing the “main” Galaxy S26 trio in February 2026 and a supplementary S26 Edge model in May, I think that makes a lot more sense than cancelling the S26 Plus in favor of an earlier razor-thin handset.
The Galaxy S25 Edge is not that bad, so a sequel might actually be pretty good… if executed correctly. | Image Credit — PhoneArena
If you ask me, the perfectly competent Galaxy S25 Plus is catching too much flak for not being as popular as the “vanilla” S25 and S25 Ultra. The same will likely be true for the Galaxy S26 Plus next year, but that’s only because the S26 (Pro) and S26 Ultra are virtually guaranteed to sell like hotcakes.
Meanwhile, although I was never a fan of the S25 Edge, I also don’t like quitters, so I commend Samsung for not abandoning its line of ultra-thin phones… before becoming an actual line. Who knows, maybe the Galaxy S26 Edge will catch on, especially if it manages to pair a battery with (well) over 4,000mAh capacity with a sub-6mm waist.
