Samsung's Galaxy S26 Plus is back in the spotlight, with new renders revealing a fresh camera island design. This comes as a surprise, given the recent rumors suggesting the phone's cancellation in favor of a slimmer Edge model. However, recent leaks indicate that the Plus is not only alive and well but also set for an early 2026 release.
The S26 Plus's design is largely familiar, but the camera island stands out as a significant change. It won't feature the full-width camera rumored for the S26 Edge, instead adopting a compact island directly below the three lenses, similar to the S26 Ultra and S26 Pro. These latter two models, however, seem to be on the chopping block.
Samsung's S26 lineup has been in flux. Initially, leaks hinted at a reinvention with the Ultra, Edge, and Pro models. Yet, the current trend seems to favor a more conventional approach, with the Pro model replaced by the regular S26 and the Edge by the Plus. It remains uncertain if these dropped models will ever see the light of day.
The S26 Plus is expected to be 7.35mm thick, similar to the S25 Plus, but chunkier than the 5.8mm S25 Edge. This suggests Samsung is moving away from the thin phone trend it initiated with the first Edge this year. Thin phone enthusiasts may find solace in the news that a second-gen Edge, codenamed 'More Slim', is still under development. This could be a sign that the Edge is not entirely dead, and we might learn more about its fate during the S26 launch in early 2026.
