Samsung has officially announced its next Unpacked event on February 25th, but the Galaxy S26 is already making the rounds online. The latest leak shows the base model in black, following last week’s glimpse of the white variant. For a phone that’s supposedly weeks away from its debut, we’re getting a surprisingly clear picture of what’s coming.
YTECHB published what appear to be official renders of the standard Galaxy S26 in black. The design itself doesn’t seem to stray far from its predecessor, which is typical for Samsung’s S-series evolution. Beyond black and white, the lineup is expected to include Cobalt Violet and Sky Blue. Some reports have also mentioned Pink Gold and Silver Shadow, though those remain unconfirmed.
A separate leak earlier today outlined the specifications for the entire S26 family. The base model is reportedly getting a battery bump to 4,300mAh, up from 4,000mAh in the S25. That’s a meaningful increase if it holds true, especially for users who’ve been squeezed by a full day’s use.
The processor situation is less exciting. The base S26 is expected to run on Samsung’s Exynos 2600 chip in most markets, continuing the company’s practice of reserving Snapdragon silicon for premium models or specific regions. One UI 8.5 will reportedly come preinstalled, which should bring Android 16’s features along with Samsung’s usual layer of customization.
Camera hardware appears largely unchanged from last year. The rear setup is staying put, though one detail caught attention: the secondary camera’s aperture has allegedly been reduced. Whether that translates to better or worse low-light performance depends on how Samsung balances the trade-offs in software processing.
Samsung typically announces its Unpacked events with at least a couple of weeks’ notice. Given that the event is rumored for February 25, an official confirmation should arrive soon. The company has been unusually quiet so far, letting leaks do most of the talking.
What’s clear is that Samsung isn’t reinventing the wheel with the S26. The changes look incremental rather than transformative, which might disappoint anyone hoping for a dramatic shift. Then again, the S-series has always been about refinement over revolution. Whether that’s enough to justify an upgrade will depend on pricing and how those spec changes perform in real-world use.
