The more we hear about the upcoming Galaxy S26 series, the more underwhelming this launch feels. For a second there, Samsung had all of us fooled with dreams of a refreshed line-up consisting of a new Galaxy S26 Pro, an Edge, and an Ultra, which would’ve been a nice departure from its traditional S, S Plus, and S Ultra plans. Then, the Galaxy S26 Pro was unceremoniously killed before it was even launched (not that it seemed that exciting to begin with), and the rumors converged back to the same ol’ brand new Galaxy S26, S26 Plus, and S26 Ultra.
This internal confusion and identity crisis at Samsung has left the company scrambling for last-minute plans, and it shows. Every leak we’ve heard so far points to the Galaxy S26 Ultra being a semi-decent upgrade to the S25 Ultra, since it was always part of the company’s plans, but the S26 and S26 Plus are practically repackaged and unchanged from their S25 counterparts. This is why I don’t need to wait for 2026 to be over before claiming what I already know: The Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will be the worst phones of 2026.