What’s happened? A renowned tipster has claimed that the purported Galaxy S26 could be thinner than the Galaxy S25, but how Samsung might achieve that is a bit concerning.
- According to @UniverseIce, the Galaxy S26 could feature a side profile of 6.9mm, making it 0.3mm thinner than the Galaxy S25.
- This could make the upcoming flagship one of the thinnest handsets to feature the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 SoC in the United States.
- However, to achieve this feat, Samsung will either have to use a smaller battery or incorporate a higher-density battery cell.
Why is this important? A slimmer Galaxy S26 could be easier to hold and carry, especially in tighter jeans pockets. But the enhanced in-hand feel and portability could come at a cost.
- The vanilla Galaxy S25 (7.2mm) already features a modest 4,000 mAh battery, which doesn’t compare well to competitors like the Google Pixel 10.
- Shaving off a few millimeters will reduce the space inside the phone’s chassis, potentially leading to a smaller battery capacity.
- Even if the company retains the battery’s capacity, it might need to make space by removing the vapor chamber, which could lead to heat management issues.
- The chances of Samsung using a high-density battery are relatively slim, as the company hasn’t embraced the technology so far.
Why should I care? A compromise in battery capacity or the thermal distribution mechanism could be a concern for Galaxy S26 users, especially since the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is an incredibly powerful and power-hungry chipset.
- This could lead to shorter runtimes or higher operational temperature (or both, depending on how Samsung designs the phone’s internals).
- If you’re planning to upgrade next year, a thinner design might sound appealing at first, but prevalent battery life and heat management issues could hamper your everyday experience.
OK, what’s next? Samsung has pulled off some impressive engineering feats before. While I’m hopeful about the Galaxy S26 series, I’m skeptical that the reduced thickness will compromise the device’s practicality.
- Anyway, we’ll probably hear more details about the company’s plans in the months leading up to the Galaxy S26’s expected launch, which has been bumped up to late January recently.
- The same leak also suggests that the Galaxy S26 could finally get native Qi2 support, including an in-built magnetic profile.
