Skip to main content

Samsung may change Galaxy naming scheme, release a phone in mid-February

Samsung Galaxy S10 hands-on
Julian Chokkattu/Digital Trends

Leakers don’t get a break for Christmas, and the rumor mills have happily churned during the festive season. Of prime importance is the impending release of the Galaxy S11 range, which is expected to release in February 2020. Only, according to the latest rumors, it might not be called the “Galaxy S11” after all, and Samsung may instead adopt a naming scheme that matches the new decade.

While we’ve all been expecting the Galaxy S11 to follow the Galaxy S10, noted Samsung leaker Ice Universe has other ideas. On Christmas Eve, the leaker posted two simple words on Twitter: “Galaxy S20.” While not particularly cryptic, Ice Universe followed up with another tweet to clarify.

Next year is 2020, and 20 is a new beginning.

— Ice universe (@UniverseIce) December 24, 2019

If true, this wouldn’t be the first time a phone company has made such a change. Huawei jumped from the Huawei P10 and Mate 10 to the P20 and Mate 20, so it’s not beyond the realms of comprehension for Samsung to do the same. But unlike Huawei, Samsung may choose to then go up in single digits from there on, following the S20 with the S21 and so on. Why? Because then the current Samsung flagship’s number would match the year — making it even easier for consumers to know which Samsung flagship is the latest.

Samsung followed a similar strategy when it changed the Note range’s usual numbering, skipping the Note 6 name in favor of bringing the ill-fated Note 7‘s name up to speed with the Galaxy S7. As such, we would expect to see a “Note 20” if the Galaxy S20 turns out to be this year’s name.

It’s worth noting that Ice Universe is the only leaker we’ve heard this from. Max J., a leaker who specializes in Samsung news, has nailed his colors firmly to the mast and has roundly rejected Ice Universe’s whispers. So for the moment, it would be best to put your “Galaxy S20” bets on ice until more evidence emerges.

I haven't heared anything about that yet but in my opinion this rumour is not true https://t.co/tUnbVPvkqg

— Max J. (@Samsung_News_) December 26, 2019

But speculation about the name isn’t all we’ve had over the holidays: We’ve also had more rumors about the release date. Ice Universe claims there are two potential release dates for the next Galaxy S flagship — February 11 and February 18. Both of these dates tally with previous announcements in February, but February 18 would be closer to last year’s February 20 reveal for the Galaxy S10; still, it’s February 11 Ice Universe has money on. It’s also worth pointing out that Ice Universe refers to the range as the “Galaxy S11” in this tweet, casting further doubts on the prior Galaxy S20 rumors.

That’s all we’ve got for now, but we’ll make sure to keep you updated as we hear more.

Editors' Recommendations

Mark Jansen
Mark Jansen is an avid follower of everything that beeps, bloops, or makes pretty lights. He has a degree in Ancient &…
Own a Samsung phone? Install this update right away
Samsung Galaxy S23 in Cream and a S21 in Phantom Violet

Samsung has begun rolling out its latest security update, and it's crucial for those with phones using Exynos modems — like last year's Galaxy S22 flagship — which were at high risk of major security breaches. The new update fixes these security concerns (and more) and is now rolling out to the Galaxy S23 lineup in Europe and South Korea.

In mid March, a Project Zero report from Google's internal security research team revealed that security issues found on devices using Exynos modems could have given remote users the ability to very easily compromise a phone at the baseband level. Samsung said at that time that it released security patches for five of those vulnerabilities in March, with an update to follow in April to address the remaining issues.

Read more
Samsung Galaxy S23 vs. Galaxy S21 camera test: is it really any better?
Samsung Galaxy S23 in Cream and a S21 in Phantom Violet

Samsung’s latest flagship, the Galaxy S23, has arrived. While the top of the line S23 Ultra has a 200MP camera sensor, the 50MP main camera on the S23 and S23 Plus is nothing to scoff at. The entire S23 series also has the powerful Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 for Galaxy chipset, long-lasting battery life, and beautiful displays.

Though we’ve been enjoying the S23 so far, it’s definitely more of an iterative upgrade if you’re coming from a Galaxy S22. But what if you’re still using a Galaxy S21? Is the S23 worth upgrading to for better photos?

Read more
Here’s our very first look at the Samsung Galaxy Tab S9 Plus
Galaxy Tab S9+ leaked images

Samsung’s existing slate of Android tablets is one of the finest hardware of its kind, and it appears that the company doesn’t want to stray from the winning formula any time soon. Leaker @OnLeaks has shared renders of the Galaxy S9 Plus, and they bear a striking similarity to its Galaxy Tab S8 series predecessor.

The sleek metallic build with sharp edges is here to stay, and so is the contrasting magnetic strip at the back. The bezel size also remains familiar, while the horizontally positioned selfie camera is once again positioned at the same spot.

Read more