A few weeks ago, a report from South Korea claimed that Samsung had decided to revive the Galaxy S26 Plus for next year’s Galaxy S26 lineup, following disappointing sales of the Galaxy S25 Edge. The company reportedly feared that the upcoming Galaxy S26 Edge would fail to match the sales performance of the Galaxy S25 Plus, which led to reconsidering its earlier plan to discontinue the Plus model.
According to that initial report, Samsung’s Galaxy S26 series was expected to include four models: the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Edge, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. However, a new report from Korean publication Newspim now claims that Samsung has completely scrapped the Galaxy S26 Edge — even though its development was already completed.
Galaxy S25 Edge Sales Struggled to Gain Traction
Newspim, citing data from Hana Investment & Securities, reports that the Galaxy S25 Edge sold just 190,000 units in its first month after launch. In comparison, the base Galaxy S25 sold 1.17 million units, the Galaxy S25 Plus sold 840,000 units, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra reached 2.55 million units during the same period.
By August, Samsung’s internal sales totals reportedly stood at 1.31 million units for the Galaxy S25 Edge — notably lower than the 8.28 million, 5.05 million, and 12.18 million units achieved by the Galaxy S25, Plus, and Ultra respectively.
Internal Reaction and Launch Plans
The new report states that Samsung informed its employees only recently about the Galaxy S26 Edge cancellation, catching some teams by surprise. Because the phone’s development was already finished, analysts suggest a separate release could still be possible at some point — though unlikely in the near term.
Following the Edge’s removal, Newspim reports that Samsung now plans to unveil three models at its Galaxy S26 Unpacked event in January 2026: the Galaxy S26 (or S26 Pro), Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra. This timeline aligns with Samsung’s typical flagship launch schedule, which usually falls in January or February.
Behind the Decision
One unnamed Samsung employee reportedly told Newspim that the company feels “internally embarrassed” by the abrupt lineup change so close to launch. Interestingly, recent leaks had shown what appeared to be a Galaxy S26 Edge dummy unit, indicating that development had reached an advanced stage.
A mobile industry insider also suggested that Samsung’s initial motivation to create the Edge model stemmed from Apple’s rumored work on ultra-thin phone designs — a strategic move Samsung no longer sees as necessary.
Impact on Chip Orders
The cancellation is expected to ripple into Samsung’s component and chipset orders for the 2026 flagship lineup. The Galaxy S26 Plus, now revived, will reportedly launch in both Exynos 2600 and Snapdragon configurations — similar to the standard Galaxy S26. Initially, Samsung had planned to use only Qualcomm’s next-generation flagship chip for the Plus variant.
