[DigitalToday reporter Ye-seul Kim (김예슬)] Samsung's next Galaxy S26 series is scheduled to launch this month, and a range of changes are expected, including design, battery and AI features.

PhoneArena reported on Feb. 5 that the lineup will consist of three models: the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus.

On camera design, all three models include a new camera module, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra has rounded corners and introduces a camera island that integrates the camera module. Unlike the Galaxy S25 series, the lenses are not separated individually, and the overall design does not change significantly. The Ultra model is thinner, at 6.9 mm versus 7.2 mm, and its camera island protrudes more than its predecessor.

On camera specifications, the Galaxy S26 Ultra keeps a 50-megapixel 5x optical zoom and ultrawide sensor. Some estimates raised the possibility that the Ultra could adopt a mechanical variable aperture to improve photo quality, but it is not expected to be applied to the Galaxy S26 and Plus models.

Battery capacity stays at 5,000 mAh for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, while the standard Galaxy S26 increases slightly to 4,300 mAh. Charging speeds are upgraded on the Ultra to 60-watt wired charging from 45 watts, and wireless charging is supported at 25 watts. The Galaxy S26 supports 45-watt wired charging. Support for Qi2 wireless charging has not yet been confirmed.

The processor offers 2 options depending on the region. It will use either Samsung's Exynos 2600 chip or the Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen5 (퀄컴 스냅드래곤 8 엘리트 젠5). Both chips deliver flagship-level performance, but any performance gap is expected to be small or nonexistent.

The display on the Galaxy S26 Ultra includes a new privacy display that can hide on-screen content. The feature is designed to link hardware and software so users can hide only specific apps or notifications. It also adopts a new Gorilla Glass panel and applies CoE (Color Filter on Encapsulation) technology to improve power efficiency and reduce reflectance.

The Galaxy S26 and Plus models are also said to see a slight change in display size. The Galaxy S26 may expand to about 6.3 inches, and brightness rises to 3,000 nits.

On AI features, One UI 8.5 is applied to improve the Bixby virtual assistant. It also adds an EdgeFusion feature through collaboration with Nota AI to generate high-quality images using only the user's text prompts. The launch schedule is expected to be announced at the Galaxy Unpacked event on the 25th.