Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Release Date: Latest Details Explain Delay

The Samsung community is anticipating a significant step forward in hardware and software when the South Korean company launches the Galaxy S26 Ultra and the S26 family of smartphones in early 2026. However, those hoping to see the various S26 models a few weeks after Christmas will have to wait a little longer.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra Delay

The latest details on Samsung’s plans to launch its flagship Galaxy S26 range come via South Korea’s ET News. Citing new sources, it indicates that the hardware will go on sale in the first week of March, shortly after the launch event in the last week of February.

Crucially, the launch date is still ahead of 2026’s Mobile World Congress that takes place in Barcelona over four days, starting on March 2. This will enable Samsung to set the tone of the discussion and coverage at MWC, with a focus on artificial intelligence software that runs both locally and through cloud-based services.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra’s AI Focus

Given it is seen as one of the center of the growing tech boom in AI, the choice of San Francisco as the launch city makes sense. It allows Samsung to bring itself to the heart of the AI revolution and, no doubt, will enable it to invite select AI-fueled partners to the stage.

It has done this before with Google; the Circle To Search feature, which can be found in the Gemini AI suite across the Android ecosystem, started as a Samsung exclusive. It launched at Galaxy Unpacked in 2024 — the Galaxy Event where Samsung decided to go all-in on AI and its benefits to consumers — before becoming a universal option towards the end of 2024.

Will there be more exclusive features from Google for the Galaxy S26 family? Perhaps, but they would likely be time-limited in the same way that Circle To Search was. It’s more likely that Samsung will have exclusivity through new Silicon Valley-based partnerships.

Galaxy S26 Ultra’s Issues With The Galaxy S25 Edge

Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked events at the start of each year launch the Galaxy S flagship smartphones. In previous years, these have taken place in mid-January. Not only does the current information push the Galaxy S26 family reveal back to late February 2026, but it also suggests that the delay is due to the poor reception of the Galaxy S25 Edge.

The S25 Edge was showcased at the January 2024 Galaxy Unpacked event, but did not go on retail sale until the summer. When it did, the initial rush of interested buyers was not followed up by a general audience. Samsung reportedly pulled back production numbers on the S25 Edge and looks to have cancelled the follow-up Galaxy S26.

That has created a knock-on effect on the S26 family. What was predicted to be the Galaxy S26 Pro, Galaxy S26 Edge and Galaxy S26 Ultra will now roll back to a more sedate Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26+ and Galaxy G26 Ultra. It will take some time to rework the production schedules, which is why there is a delay.

Now read more about the cancellation of the Galaxy S26 Edge and how it benefits the Galaxy S26 Ultra…

Forbes