Samsung’s 2025 lineup has revolved heavily around slimmer designs, with nearly every smartphone—flagships included—getting noticeable reductions in thickness. Naturally, expectations were high that the upcoming Galaxy S26 family would follow the same formula.
But new reports suggest Samsung may be shifting priorities for its next generation of premium phones. The latest word is that the company is now more focused on keeping prices flat rather than chasing extreme thinness.
The goal, reportedly, is to launch the Galaxy S26 series at the same prices as the Galaxy S25 lineup. In particular, Samsung is said to be determined to hold the base model at $799, the same price as last year’s entry-level Galaxy S25 and identical to Apple’s pricing for the iPhone 17, which also maintained the iPhone 16’s starting cost despite notable upgrades.
Interestingly, insiders claim Samsung had nearly finalized the base Galaxy S26 at just 6.9 mm thick, shaving 0.3 mm off its predecessor. Even more surprising was the initial plan to boost battery capacity dramatically: from 4,000 mAh on the S25 to 4,900 mAh. That target has reportedly been dialed back to 4,300 mAh, still an improvement but far less ambitious.
It’s worth mentioning that all of this remains unverified. The idea that Samsung intended to make the phone slimmer while adding nearly 1,000 mAh of extra battery capacity always seemed unlikely, unless it was planning to adopt silicon carbon battery technology at the list minute.
The company may still alter its direction before the Galaxy S26 lineup is finalized. For now, the rumor mill suggests Samsung is prioritizing affordability over bold design changes for 2026, and we should learn more about what the company has ultimately settled on as we get closer to the rumored February 2026 release.
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