SEOUL, Jan 31, 2026, 17:57 (KST)
- Leaked renders show a redesigned Galaxy S26 Ultra rear camera layout and list early flagship specs.
- Photos of a Samsung “Magnetic Wireless Charger” suggest 25W Qi2 wireless charging for the S26 line.
- A late-February Galaxy Unpacked launch is increasingly the working assumption across leakers and tech sites.
Leaked renders of Samsung Electronics’ next Galaxy S26 Ultra show a move to a raised rear camera island, tech site Android Headlines reported. The site said the flagship will run Android 16 with One UI 8.5 and use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, while keeping a 6.9-inch QHD+ display, a 5,000mAh battery and a 200-megapixel main camera, among other listed specifications. (Android Headlines)
The steady drumbeat of S26 leaks matters because Samsung’s early-year “Unpacked” launch window is when it tries to reset the premium Android pecking order. A visible hardware change — even a small one — can do more work than a chip bump when buyers are already debating whether last year’s phone is “good enough.”
Charging is part of that fight now. Magnetic alignment makes wireless charging less fiddly and builds an accessory market around snap-on battery packs, wallets and car mounts. That ecosystem has been one of Apple’s quieter advantages; Samsung has been pushed toward the same direction by rivals and by its own accessory sales.
SamMobile published photos of what it said is Samsung’s “Magnetic Wireless Charger” (model EP-P2900BBEGWW), branded with a Qi2 25W logo. Qi2 is an industry wireless-charging standard that adds magnets to help line up the charger and the phone; SamMobile said Samsung recommends pairing the puck with a 45W USB Power Delivery (USB-PD) plug, a fast-charging standard over USB-C. The site said the full 25W output would likely be limited to the S26 Ultra, with the S26 and S26+ capped lower, and older “Qi2 Ready” Galaxy phones limited to 15W based on information printed on the box. (SamMobile)
Engadget said an image shared by tipster Evan Blass points to a February 25 date for the next Unpacked event, though it noted Samsung had yet to publish official timing details. Engadget wrote that Samsung is expected to keep the overall S26 look close to last year’s S25, and said Qualcomm’s next Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is expected across the line, while Yonhap News has reported Samsung’s Exynos 2600 could appear in some regions. It also said one rumor ties the Ultra’s stylus hardware to the adoption of full Qi2 magnetic support, suggesting Samsung could change the layer used to read S Pen input. (Robertjsimmons)
Samsung has been talking up on-device AI as a reason to upgrade, which puts more weight on chips and power budgets even when the outside barely changes. “We will apply AI to all products, all functions, and all services as quickly as possible,” co-CEO T M Roh told Reuters in a Jan. 5 interview. (Reuters)
The competitive backdrop is familiar: Apple sells its own magnetic charging and accessory system, while Google has pushed deeper integration between Android phones and accessories, including device-finding features tied into its services. Samsung is trying to keep buyers in its ecosystem without giving up its own hooks, like the built-in pen on the Ultra.
But leaks are messy. Renders can reflect early mockups, not shipping hardware, and charging speeds often depend on heat management and software limits as much as the power label on the box. Samsung could also keep magnets out of the phone itself and lean on cases, which would dull the appeal for users who want the simplest “snap-on” setup.
Samsung has not confirmed details of the Galaxy S26 lineup or its next Unpacked date. For now, the picture being built by leakers and tech sites is clear enough: small design shifts, familiar camera numbers, and a sharper push into magnetic wireless charging.
