Leaked renders of the Galaxy A26 show minor improvements

The Galaxy A26 is creating buzz in the budget phone market as fans eagerly await the successor to the Galaxy A25.

With leaks, renders, and early benchmarks already surfacing, here’s everything we know so far about the release date, price, and specs of Samsung’s upcoming mid-range device.

When will the Samsung Galaxy A26 be released?

Samsung traditionally releases updates to its Galaxy A series annually, and the Galaxy A25 debuted in December of last year.

Based on this pattern, the Galaxy A26 is expected to launch in December 2024 or early 2025.

How much will the Samsung Galaxy A26 cost?

While Samsung has not officially disclosed the pricing for the Galaxy A26, its predecessor, the Galaxy A25, was priced at £299 in the UK and $299.99 in the US.

Given the minimal design and hardware updates hinted at so far, it’s reasonable to expect a similar price range for the Galaxy A26.

What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy A26 have?

Design

The first set of images of the Galaxy A26, based on the phone’s CAD renders, was published by Android Headlines.

In those images, the Galaxy A26 showcases a modern, flat design, although some aspects of its appearance feel outdated.

The front display retains a waterdrop notch for the front-facing camera, accompanied by thick bezels and a noticeable chin.

On the back, the phone features a redesigned camera island housing three vertically aligned cameras and an LED flash. Unlike its predecessor’s individual camera rings, the new unified design resembles premium models like the Galaxy Z Fold 6.

The dimensions, 164 x 77.5 x 7.7mm (9.7mm including the camera bump), suggest that the phone is taller and wider than the Galaxy A25. Its sides are flat, but the area around the power and volume buttons, dubbed ‘Key Island’, slightly protrudes for better usability.

Display

Android Headlines also expects the phone to feature a 6.64-inch flat screen, an upgrade from the 6.5-inch display on the A25.

While the panel type and resolution haven’t been confirmed, it will likely be an AMOLED display with Full HD+ resolution, a standard for mid-range Samsung devices.

Despite these improvements, the waterdrop notch and thick bezels give the phone a dated look compared to rivals offering punch-hole displays.

Performance

According to Geekbench listing, the Galaxy A26 will be powered by the Exynos 1280 chipset, codenamed S5E8825.

This processor features two Cortex-A78 CPU cores clocked at 2.6GHz (an improvement from the standard 2.4GHz) and six Cortex-A55 cores running at 2.0GHz.

The GPU is an ARM Mali-G68. The higher clock speeds suggest that Samsung may have either overclocked the chip or used an improved fabrication process to achieve better performance without overheating.

The Geekbench listing also confirms the device will come with 6GB of RAM and will likely support 5G connectivity.

Cameras

SamMobile expects the Galaxy A26 to retain the 50Mp primary camera and 8Mp ultrawide camera setup seen on the A25.

A third sensor, possibly a 2Mp depth sensor, might complete the rear camera array. On the front, the device could stick with a basic selfie camera housed in the waterdrop notch.

While adequate for everyday photography, the lack of significant upgrades might disappoint users hoping for improved low-light performance or better video recording capabilities.

Battery & Charging

The Galaxy A26 is expected to feature a 5,000mAh battery with 25W fast charging, similar to its predecessor (via SamMobile).

Despite its ample capacity, the charging speed feels modest compared to competitors offering 50W or higher.

Software

Out of the box, the Galaxy A26 will likely run Android 15, layered with Samsung’s One UI 7.1.

Samsung’s strong commitment to software updates means the phone will likely receive six years of Android updates, potentially reaching Android 21.

That’s all we currently know about the Galaxy A26 but we’ll update this article as more news drops. In the meantime, be sure to check out what we expect from the other A-series models, the Galaxy A36 and Galaxy A56.

What’s more, the cheapest model, the Galaxy A16, is already available to buy in the UK. Be sure to compare it with other mid-range phones and budget phones out there.