Samsung Galaxy S26 Series leaks point to a late February launch

After years of pushing launch dates earlier into January, Samsung seems to be shifting its strategy for 2026. According to highly specific details from tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S26 series is expected to be unveiled at a Galaxy Unpacked event in February. But if you didn't notice, this year Samsung has slightly pushed their timeline in contrast to previous releases. And rumor suggests Samsung is taking extra time to refine its next-generation flagship trio, likely consisting of the standard Galaxy S26, the S26 Plus, and the range-topping S26 Ultra. Now, let's get into more details!

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Rumors

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Timeline (South Korea)

Unpacked Event: February 25

Pre-order period: February 26 to March 4

Pre-sale period: March 5 to March 10

Market launch date: March 11

— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce)

 The leaked roadmap for Samsung’s home market in South Korea  now gives us a clear idea of the release cycle. Following the late February announcement, pre-orders are expected to run from February 26 through March 4. A brief pre-sale period would then follow before the devices officially hit the shelves for open sale on March 11. Although this is schedule specific to South Korea, global markets like Nepal will also follow a very similar pattern, with pre-bookings opening very soon after the global release.

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Performance and AI Features

A major focus for this year's lineup appears to be performance and AI. It's no brainer that the series will feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset, which is also already present in major flagships. Some rumors  also suggest the S26 Ultra might finally receive a RAM bump to 16GB as standard, and it seems like it has mostly to do with AI related tasks. Similarly, some design refinements are also on the horizon, and leaks points us toward rounder corners for the Ultra model and the inclusion of Qi2 magnetic wireless charging across the lineup.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Rumors and Launch Date

In terms of pricing, there is some debate among industry insiders. On one hand, RAM and high-end chipsets have led to rumors of a price hike, while at the same time, few reports suggest us that Samsung may try to hold the line to remain competitive. For the Nepali market, the Galaxy S26 series will remain in the premium bracket. Purely based on speculation, the base Galaxy S26 could start around NPR 125,000, and the Ultra model is expected to cross the NPR 200,000 mark for its higher storage variants.

• Meanwhile, check out our review of the Redmi Note 15 Pro+