Samsung has been busy launching its latest slew of foldable phones this past week, but even though the latest Flip and Fold haven’t even officially hit shelves yet, talk has already turned to what’s coming next.
Specifically, there has started to be some chatter about the upcoming Galaxy S26 series. The most significant of these might be the potential killing off of the Galaxy S26 Plus in favour of a Galaxy S26 Edge.
Now, that’s not a definite yet, but it’s looking pretty likely. Model numbers for the Galaxy S26 range have been spotted in the GSMA database (by SammyPolice), and there’s no sign of the Plus.
Is this the end of the Plus?
The report lists the Galaxy S26 (SM-S942), the S26 Edge (SM-S947) and the S26 Ultra (SM-S948). The absence of the Plus model, which would typically end in ’6’, is fuelling speculation that Samsung is streamlining its flagship range.
That might be because Samsung isn’t selling as many Plus models as it’d like in recent years, and it’s decided to cut its losses. However, it seems more likely that the Edge model, which debuted with the strikingly thin Galaxy S25 Edge recently, is the spiritual successor to the Plus and having them both in the range would be a little confusing to buyers.
The S25 Edge has a similar-sized screen to the S25 Plus, but it’s far thinner. While the S25 Edge was far from perfect – we’d like to see more endurance, and the return of the third rear camera for the S26 version – it does make sense, at least to us, that it replaces the Plus phone in the lineup.
Samsung’s approach could also mirror Apple’s plan for the iPhone 17 release. Rumours have suggested that the ‘Plus’ version of the iPhone 17 will be ditched, replaced by iPhone 17 Air which, like the Edge, is likely to arrive with a focus on design.
We do expect to see the iPhone 17 Air (along with the standard iPhone 17 and iPhone 17 Pro series) arrive before whatever Samsung has planned with the S26. Apple typically launches its phones in September, while Samsung’s flagship series has arrived in January in recent years.
As Samsung gears up for the S26’s arrival, it’ll be interesting to see what else happens with the flagship range going forward and whether do see a Plus model. For now, you can see why the Galaxy Z Fold 7 has blown us away after just a few days.
