Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy S series is beginning to take shape, and early leaks suggest a long-requested upgrade may finally arrive on the top-end model. According to fresh reports from China, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G could ship with a larger battery than its predecessors, ending the company’s long-standing reliance on the 5,000mAh unit used across recent Ultra variants.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G expects bigger battery and faster charging

A tipster on Weibo claims Samsung is developing a slimmer and lighter design for the Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G while simultaneously increasing its battery capacity to 5,200mAh. Although the jump may appear modest on paper, improved optimisation is expected to deliver noticeably better endurance in daily use.

The leak also suggests that Samsung may upgrade its fast-charging standard, with the upcoming flagship rumoured to support up to 60W wired charging. If accurate, this would put the model closer to the charging speeds expected on Apple’s forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G is also said to be a Snapdragon-only release globally, powered by Qualcomm’s next-generation Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipset—promising improved performance and superior power efficiency. Samsung is expected to announce the full Galaxy S26 lineup around January 2026.

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G expectations

According to separate reports from X user Anthony (@TheGalox_), the Galaxy S26 Ultra 5G may receive several additional upgrades. His claims suggest Samsung could equip the device with a larger vapour chamber cooling system to improve sustained performance during heavy use.

He also reports that the handset may feature a 6.9-inch M14 QHD+ CoE Dynamic AMOLED display, along with a new privacy screen feature aimed at enhancing on-device confidentiality. Despite these enhancements, the smartphone is tipped to remain slim at 7.9mm, and he indicates the expected price could be around $1,299.

On the rear, the handset is tipped to carry a quad-camera array, potentially comprising a 200MP primary sensor with f/1.4, a 50MP ultrawide lens, a 50MP periscope telephoto camera offering 5x optical zoom with f/2.9, and a 12MP telephoto unit with 3x optical zoom.