The Samsung Galaxy S26 may still be a few months away, but that hasn’t stopped the rumor mill from churning. And in the age of AI-generated art and images, there are some pretty compelling renders of the new phone.
While some seem to be based on insider information and others seem largely like guesses, I took a look at a few of them to decide which ones are closest to reality – if not entirely accurate.
It’s also worth noting that, minor details aside, it’s fair to say that smartphones are pretty homogeneous these days (bring back the slide-out keyboard, I say), but with the caveat that I haven’t seen an S26 (and these artists most likely haven’t either), here are some renders of the new phone with my review.
Before we begin:
I’m taking into account the general realism of the rendering (no line drawings please) and also how closely the images here adhere to what Samsung has done in the last few generations of Galaxy S models, and a bit of other lines.
I also take into account how likely it is that they can be made. As much as I would love a Samsung phone that turned into a Transformer, it seems unlikely to me. With that said, Autobots, roll out – or, you know, let’s get to the renders.
Who are you calling a dummy?
This set of renders is said to contain the dummy units for Samsung’s latest range, and it’s hard to argue that it looks pretty much as you’d expect.
The main difference to the S25 range is a raised platform around the lenses, which could help prevent dust from entering the sensor, while one model (which we assume is the S26 Ultra) appears to have borrowed liberally from Apple’s ‘plateau’ of this year’s iPhones – but we won’t give it away.
I give this one a solid 8 out of 10 – give me colors dammit! However, given that it is a “sham” unit, it wouldn’t surprise me if this were pretty close to next year’s result.
Is that an iPhone 5?
Now we’re cooking, with a beautiful animated, rotating CAD rendering that I could stare at all day. It shows the Ultra without a plateau and at first glance looks very similar to an iPhone 5 with its flat sides.
The display appears to be so close to the top of the case that it’s almost floating, and it certainly looks frameless, which is what you’d expect.
For me it’s 9 out of 10, but where are the colors? Aside from that nitpick, I’d say it feels a little too elegant, and I think we’ll reach something of a plateau with the S26 models.
The spider phone
Richie isn’t happy with these renders and they look very similar to the ones Beebom shared above.
From this perspective, the sheer amount of lenses and sensors on the middle device give me the same vibe as a staring contest with a spider, and all three look impressively dull in this shade of gray.
I’m going with a 7/10 – flat, uninspiring and a little unsettling, and I think it’s probably less likely that’s what we end up with.
The note is back
There’s a lot to discover with this one from Tech Home. On the one hand, I really like the idea of ​​a raised, glass-protected camera system, although I wonder whether additional glass increases the price or increases opacity, making the sensors work harder.
As commenters have noted, it may look a little more like the Samsung Galaxy Note, but what interests me most here is the elegant color scheme.
It’s somewhere between rose gold and a more copper tone and I have to say I like it.
Another 8 out of 10 for me, I just wish we could see the rest of the phone. However, this glass will likely add additional cost, so don’t expect to see it in the final model.
We’ve seen this orange before…
Another entry from OnLeaks here. I’m a big fan of this shade of orange, even though it reminds me of the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max that Apple launched this year.
Still, the edge-to-edge display looks really good, especially with the matching shade of the wallpaper, and it seems to be another suggestion that we get that raised platform along the camera lenses.
However, would Samsung borrow some of that orange? I think I prefer the Coralred from the S25 for something more unique.
No bezel in sight
Wow – that’s the first word that comes to mind when you look at this Galaxy S26 Ultra model from Miror Pro.
The sheer size of the bezel-less display is stunning – although it’s highly unlikely we’ll get such a crisp look (I’d be terrified of dropping it).
Of course, the other side looks just as familiar as the others on this list, but for the commitment to a big, beautiful display, this one gets a 9 out of 10. Maybe one day, right?
Oooh, fancy
This concept from Technizo Concept looks almost exactly like an iPhone at first glance, no doubt thanks to that lovely shade of orange we mentioned earlier.
Seeing the S-Pen is a nice touch, but the “fake OS” on the screen looks so much like iOS that I can’t imagine it’s just the iPhone with a stylus.
However, I really appreciate that the back looks neat, and without any fancy effects, this might be my favorite orange yet. For that it gets a 7/10 and I think other than the color it will probably end up relatively close to what we end up with.
