The Galaxy S26 might close in on Edge territory with key design improvement

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch early next year, and we initially expected to see the Galaxy S26 Pro instead of the base Galaxy S26. However, it seems like the base Galaxy S26 will make a return, after all. Now, a tipster has dished out apparent thickness details.

Leaker Ice Universe has claimed on Twitter that the base Samsung Galaxy S26 measures 6.9mm thick. I’m guessing this measurement doesn’t include the rear camera bump. You can view a screenshot of the post below.

For what it’s worth, the standard Galaxy S25 is 7.2mm thick. That would mean the base Galaxy S26 is 0.3mm thinner than its predecessor. That doesn’t seem like a gigantic reduction in thickness, but the vanilla model was already thinner than rivals like the Google Pixel 10 and iPhone 17.

In saying so, the apparently canceled Galaxy S26 Pro was said to measure 6.7mm thick. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 Edge is 5.8mm thin. That means the base S26 wouldn’t be as thin as these devices. Nevertheless, those who want a thin flagship that’s likely cheaper and more capable than an Edge device should keep the S26 in mind. After all, the S25 Edge has a slightly smaller battery than the base S25 and lacks a telephoto camera.

The tipster’s post also includes an image showing the apparent Galaxy S26 with what appears to be a Qi2 magnet in the rear cover. It’s unclear if this image is merely a concept or a mockup based on previous leaks. Nevertheless, we thought integrated magnets were indeed one of a few ways the Galaxy S26 series could win over fans.

Otherwise, recent Galaxy S26 series leaks point to the base and Plus phones getting Exynos variants, conflicting info about the S26 Ultra’s 3x camera, and a variety of improvements via the Camera Assistant app.