Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Edge have appeared in the IMEI database.
- The early listing of the Galaxy S26 Edge suggests a January launch for the phone.
- It also adds weight to rumors that Samsung may drop the Plus variant from next year’s flagship lineup.
The first official signs of Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series have emerged, with the Galaxy S26 Edge and S26 Ultra appearing in the IMEI database. The listings, uncovered by SammyPolice, are an early but reliable indicator that development of the new Samsung flagships is progressing right on schedule for a January 2026 launch.
The IMEI listings show model numbers SM-S947U for the Galaxy S26 Edge and SM-S948U and SM-S948N for the S26 Ultra, targeting the US and South Korean markets, respectively.
What’s more interesting, though, is the appearance of the Galaxy S26 Edge this early in the cycle, which might mean that Samsung is indeed ditching the Plus variant as previously rumored.
Galaxy S26 Edge coming early?
The Galaxy S25 Edge launched in May this year, several months after the rest of the S25 series. In contrast, this early listing of the Galaxy S26 Edge strongly suggests Samsung is not making that mistake again.
That delayed rollout of the S25 Edge appears to have impacted its sales momentum, and the phone is reportedly underperforming compared to Samsung’s expectations. However, with the S26 Edge now appearing in regulatory filings so early, it seems increasingly likely that Samsung wants to replace the Plus model with the Edge in 2026, possibly resulting in better sales for the ultra-thin flagship. That said, an earlier report also suggested that if sales of the S25 Edge don’t meet Samsung’s targets, the company might backtrack and keep the Plus model in the S26 series instead.
On the software front, the Galaxy S26 series is expected to ship with One UI 8.5. While details on this new version are still under wraps, the return of the “.5” update suggests it could be the next big One UI update to look out for.
We expect more concrete information to appear later in the development cycle of the Galaxy S26 series.
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