Samsung Galaxy S26 Launch Delayed to February 25, 2025
Samsung has scheduled its Galaxy S26 series Unpacked event for February 25, 2025, in San Francisco, California, marking a slight delay from typical launch timelines.
This will be the first time since 2018, when the Galaxy S9 debuted on the same date, that Samsung has unveiled its flagship series in late February. The delay is reportedly due to adjustments in the product lineup, though the company has decided to maintain the traditional naming scheme of Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra, abandoning earlier plans for a “Pro” and “Edge” variant. A delayed launch can impact sales momentum in a highly competitive smartphone market.
While the Galaxy S26 Edge will not be revealed at the February event, it may launch separately at a later date, mirroring the release strategy used earlier this year with the Galaxy S25 series. Samsung has also indicated plans to include the new Exynos 2600 chipset in the S26 series, including the Ultra model, with early benchmark scores showing promising results. For more on chipset technology, see AnandTech’s coverage.
During a recent earnings call, Samsung teased upcoming camera improvements and enhanced AI capabilities for the new lineup. These upgrades, combined with the potential of the Exynos 2600, could position the S26 series as a strong contender in the flagship smartphone space, though Samsung’s past experiences with in-house processors have been mixed. You can learn more about Samsung’s mobile division on their official website.
Samsung officials have stated they will provide further details regarding the new features and specifications during the Unpacked event next February.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been a regular fixture on the rumor mill over the past few months, and the volume of leaks has only increased recently. One such leak recently suggested that the smartphone lineup may miss the expected launch date. Now, we have new info on exactly how long that delay will be.
According to sources cited by the South Korean publication Money Today, Samsung will host its Unpacked event for the launch of the Galaxy S26 on February 25, in San Francisco, CA (via Jukan on X/Twitter). A February launch for the early-year flagship series is not unprecedented, as the Galaxy S23 series was released in February 2023, while the Galaxy S22 was announced in February 2022.
However, this will be the first time since the Galaxy S9 in 2018 that Samsung will debut its flagship series in late February, coincidentally on the same date (if this revelation is accurate).
Since the Galaxy S26 lineup’s initial appearance in leaks, it was suggested that Samsung would rebrand the base Galaxy S26 into Galaxy S26 Pro, while the Plus model would receive the Edge suffix. However, we have since learned that Samsung is scrapping these plans and sticking with the status quo, meaning we will see the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Ultra variants reach the shelves.
The delayed launch date should come as no surprise to anyone
The report by Money Today reiterates that this “product lineup adjustment” has led Samsung to push the launch date of its new flagships. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S26 Edge will not be revealed during the event, per the publication, with the slim smartphone potentially launching at a later date, as we learned recently.
This would effectively be a repeat of what we saw earlier this year, when Samsung unwrapped the Galaxy S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Ultra in January, while the Galaxy S25 Edge was launched in May. However, Samsung briefly teased the slim flagship during the January event.
We also learned last month that Samsung may be prepping to bundle the Exynos 2600 chipset with the Galaxy S26 series, including on the Ultra model. Early benchmark scores for the 2nm SoC have been positive, though we’re still some distance away from learning how it would fare in everyday performance.
In recent developments, Samsung teased the new cameras and AI capabilities of the upcoming flagship lineup during an earnings call earlier this week. These upgrades, coupled with the supposedly powerful Exynos 2600 SoC, could make for a great combination, although history hasn’t been kind to Samsung’s in-house processors so far.
Thanks: Moshe!
