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Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus spotting spells bad news for a make-or-break feature 

A battery that is either the same capacity, or smaller, than its two-year-old predecessor? Oh, well, that's bad.

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The Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus resting on a concrete slab, with the screen turned on and showing the home screen.
Joe Maring / Digital Trends

Samsung is reportedly eyeing a late February launch for its next set of flagship phones in the Galaxy S26 series. So far, leaks have painted a rather modest picture of the upgrade situation for these upcoming phones. Now, a recent spotting on a certification database has seemingly confirmed rather disappointing news for the mid-tier Galaxy S26 Plus.

The key takeaway 

A Samsung smartphone carrying the SM-947B model identifier was recently spotted on the SGS database. Though the documents don’t show any pictures of the device or any other technical aspect, they confirm the battery capacity. And it’s not good news. 

The certificate confirms the battery capacity at 4,755 mAh. In case you’re wondering, the battery capacity of the phone’s spiritual predecessor, the Galaxy S24 Plus, is listed at 4,900 mAh on Samsung’s website. That means the Galaxy S26 Plus is either sticking with the same rated battery capacity as a two-year-old phone, or going even smaller. 

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Either way, it’s a bad situation for a phone with a “Plus” moniker. For comparison, mainstream phones such as the OnePlus 15 come equipped with a 7,300mAh battery, while the likes of Honor have already reached the 10,000mAh capacity without making the phone look like a tank. 

What else?

The status of the Galaxy S26 Plus has been rather shaky over the past few months. The “Plus” model was dropped from the line-up to make space for the Galaxy S25  Edge. Then, it was reported that the Galaxy S26 Edge has been cancelled, and that a “Pro” model will replace it in 2026

If Samsung continues to adhere to its distinctive and differentiated design, the current Galaxy S6 Ultra should look like this. Unfortunately, there is no “if.” pic.twitter.com/ZVxvUPcYsz

— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) January 9, 2026

But it appears that the Galaxy S26 Plus is back on the final line-up, and it doesn’t look like a meaningful upgrade. Leaks suggest a familiar design language and camera hardware. The processor will likely be one of Samsung’s Exynos chips, at least in some markets. 

Nadeem Sarwar
Nadeem is the Managing Editor at Digital Trends.
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