The iPhone is to September as the Galaxy S-series is to New Year’s in the smartphone world, with each annual launch signaling the start of another tech cycle. Still, it looks like the Galaxy S26 will be the first to diverge from its traditional schedule in recent times, with substantiation pointing to a latterly- than-usual release date.

Samsung has been gradationally shifting Samsung flagships launches to earlier dates over the last many times. Just a few years back, most Galaxy S-series phones would be expected around March or April. More recently, however, the company has preferred earlier Galaxy S26 rumors releases, usually in February or even January.

In early January, the Galaxy S25 Edge was released, leading some to speculate that Samsung was going to switch its long-standing “Plus” model in favor of the slim, ultra-thin Edge. If this were to be the scenario, it was anticipated for there would come a time when the Galaxy S26 lineup would consist of three models: the normal Samsung Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Edge, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The Edge is, in substance, a slightly thicker interpretation of the Galaxy S25 Plus. However, it seems that the Edge model isn’t selling as well as Samsung expected, and it seems to have abandoned its Samsung launch timeline a sequel.

According to a new report by The Elec, a Korean outlet known for its credible leaks, Samsung will in fact be releasing the Galaxy S26 Plus. This would be a move back to the traditional Galaxy S lineup of 3 models: a regular, a Plus, and an Ultra.

It’s also suggested in the report that Galaxy S26 release date the mass production schedule for the regular Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus to early next year, as the company is still tweaking the models, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra set to enter mass production as early as December to keep its release schedule on schedule.