Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Plus looks like a safe bet after a frantic strategy shift. The company reportedly scrapped a planned S26 Edge model late in development, a reaction to disappointing sales for both the Galaxy S25 Edge and Apple’s iPhone 17 Air. This eleventh-hour pivot forced engineers to resurrect the Plus, but they didn’t have time to engineer meaningful upgrades.

Consequently, the S26 Plus will largely mirror its predecessor. Expect the same 6.66-inch AMOLED display, a 4,900mAh battery, and 45W wired charging speeds seen on the S25 Plus. The only real hardware bright spot is rumored Qi2 support, which should finally push wireless charging past the old 15W ceiling.

Production is already underway, though the Plus trails the Ultra which reportedly started months ago. While the base S26 gets a slight screen bump, the Plus feels like a recycled workhorse. With component costs rising, Samsung might still raise the price despite offering familiar hardware.