The Samsung Galaxy S26 is tipped to get satellite and gaming boosts — but the pricing remains a mystery
SOURCE:TechRadar|BY: David Nield
We're getting a better idea of what to expect from the Samsung Galaxy S26, but the price is very much to be confirmed.
The Samsung Galaxy S25 (Image credit: Philip Berne / Future)
The Galaxy S26 is likely to get improved satellite functionality
Mobile gaming upgrades are also on the way
Samsung is reportedly still deciding on how to price these phones
We're expecting the Samsung Galaxy S26 to appear in the first couple of months of next year, and a flurry of news reports and leaks have given us a better idea of what to expect – though it seems that the price of these phones is still very much up in the air.
First up, as spotted by Phandroid, the Samsung Exynos Modem 5410 is now official. It promises faster connectivity across the board, and crucially, better satellite connectivity: it's likely that this modem will be fitted in at least some Galaxy S26 models, which points towards Samsung flagships getting full satellite capabilities for the first time.
This is something that's already available on iPhones and Pixels of course, but satellite support on the Galaxy S25 remains limited in terms of network availability and what you can do with it. This new component should help change that.
The second hardware boost comes in the form of the improved AMD GPU on the Exynos 2600 chip reported by The Elec (via @jukan05). We think this chip is going to show up on at least some Galaxy S26 models, and the upgrade should mean mobile gaming on these phones is a smoother, more immersive experience.
From left: the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Galaxy S25 Plus, and Galaxy S25 (Image credit: Samsung)
Our third and final Samsung Galaxy S26 leak of the day is around pricing: according to The Bell (via Samsung Mobile), Samsung is struggling to come to a decision on how much to charge for the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra.
There are lots of reasons for this uncertainty: the price of electronic components is continuing to rise, while marketing and labor costs are on the up as well. At the same time, Samsung doesn't want to charge so much for its next flagship phones that it puts people off from buying them entirely.
Either Samsung is going to have to take a cut in profitability, or we're going to have to pay more. For comparison, the starting price of the base Samsung Galaxy S25 model was $799 / £799 / AU $1,399 when it first became available in January 2025.
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Using Exynos processors in selected models should help to reduce costs to a certain extent, but it seems Samsung still has some work and some negotiating to do. The Galaxy S26 phones are expected to be unveiled in February 2026, though shipping and in-store availability may not happen until the week after.
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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.
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