Transcription
We’ve got 5 new updates about the Galaxy S26 Ultra today, and one of them answers a question that’s been on people’s minds about its key feature, and it's good news. Let’s get into it.
What’s up guys, Sal here. First off, Samsung still seems very focused on making their devices thinner. In 2025, every category—phones, tablets, foldables—got slimmer, and that’s continuing into 2026. We now have actual thickness numbers for the Galaxy S26 series. We’ve heard claims before, but this time we’ve got real numbers to work with, and that makes the picture a lot clearer.
Starting with the S26 Pro, it’s going to measure just 6.7mm. That’s 0.5mm thinner than the S25, and in phone terms, that’s a massive drop. Next is the S26 Edge, which will be 5.5mm thick—0.3mm thinner than the model it replaces and basically the same thickness as Apple’s iPhone 17 Air. Then we have the S26 Ultra, which drops from 8.2mm to 7.8mm this year. That’s another 0.4mm off the size, matching the reduction we saw from the S24 Ultra to the S25 Ultra. That’s notable because some of these models are also seeing an increase in battery size. The Ultra is the only one not seeing a bump in capacity, but the fact that they’re able to slim these things down without moving to new battery tech is still impressive. Meanwhile, Apple seems to be going in the opposite direction—making their phones thicker in order to fit in bigger batteries. So you’ve got two very different strategies playing out at the same time.
A few days back, Ice Universe mentioned that the S26 Ultra is going to look a little rounder this year, and that immediately raised questions about the S Pen. People wondered if the phone would even have space for it anymore. This latest report clears that up. The S Pen is still here, and it still has a dedicated slot in the phone itself. In fact, it looks like Samsung could have shaved the Ultra down even further, but the S Pen was the limiting factor. And honestly, that makes sense. Sure, they could try to make the pen thinner too, but then it becomes harder to hold and not nearly as useful. So the Ultra stays thinner and rounder, but it doesn’t lose the feature that makes it stand apart from the rest of the lineup. That said, the report also hints that future Ultra models could either go back to an external S Pen setup like the S21 Ultra or maybe drop it altogether. With the way Samsung’s been quietly cutting down S Pen features over time, I hate to say it, but it feels like that day might eventually come. Hopefully not, but it’s definitely something to keep an eye on.
One thing to remember is that the numbers we’re looking at are from the latest internal prototypes. So while they’re likely close to final, there could still be small changes before launch. Samsung is expected to send official CAD data to case makers in the next week or so, and once that happens we’ll know the final measurements with more certainty.
Speaking of design, Ice Universe hinted recently that the S26 Ultra may be moving back to a camera island look, and now Korean media is saying the same thing. Basically, it’ll be a return to the design language last seen on the S21 Ultra back in 2021. The reason behind this change comes down to the cameras. Both the main sensor and the periscope lens are expected to get major aperture upgrades. And when you combine that with the thinner design of the phone itself, the camera bump is naturally going to be more noticeable. A camera island is Samsung’s way of hiding it, something they’ve already been doing on phones like the Z Fold 7 and the S25 Edge. So in a way, it’s less about style and more about function.
Now here’s something I didn’t expect. Rumor has it Samsung is seriously considering using their in-house Exynos 2600 chip in the S26 Pro and Edge, while keeping Snapdragon exclusive to the S26 Ultra worldwide. Nothing is final yet, but Geekbench scores for the Exynos 2600 just dropped and honestly, I’m impressed. We’re talking 3300 in single-core and 11,200 in multi-core, which lines up right alongside the leaked Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 numbers. And keep in mind, both chips weren’t even running at full clock speeds in those tests. So if anything, there’s room for those numbers to go higher. That alone shows Samsung’s Exynos is actually back in the game. Sure, the 2600 is built on a 2nm process compared to the 8 Elite 2 still being 3nm, but still, if Samsung can deliver solid GPU performance, keep heat under control, and maintain good efficiency, then this could be a real turnaround for Exynos. That would also help address one of the biggest complaints in recent years—Snapdragon pricing. Costs have been creeping higher and higher, so having a competitive alternative could make a big difference for Samsung and for buyers.
Anyway, Samsung’s next flagship tablet is about to launch in just a couple of days, but I’ve already got the official videos showing all the features. Click right here to check that out, and I’ll see you there.