Samsung’s 2026 smartphone lineup is emerging as one of the most commercially sensitive in the company’s recent history for the UK market, as new regulatory filings and supply-chain data point to a growing imbalance inside the range. While attention is focused on the premium Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, certification records and component sourcing reports indicate that the Galaxy S26 Plus will launch with no increase in battery capacity compared with last year’s model, despite rising manufacturing costs and an expected price increase across the lineup.
Samsung has confirmed that its 2026 flagship phones will be unveiled at its Galaxy Unpacked event on 25 February, with UK sales expected to begin in mid-March. This is reported by The WP Times, citing Samsung Electronics, regulatory certification filings and industry supply-chain sources.
As Samsung prepares to raise prices across its flagship models amid a global shortage of memory chips, the Galaxy S26 Plus is set to arrive with essentially the same battery as the S25 Plus. For British consumers — who already face some of the highest smartphone prices in Europe — this creates a difficult equation: higher costs, but no improvement in endurance.
In a market where UK users increasingly depend on their phones for navigation, contactless transport, work applications, streaming and on-device AI, battery life has become one of the key purchase drivers — particularly in London, where long commuting days and heavy 5G use place constant strain on devices.
What certification data reveals about the Galaxy S26 Plus
The Galaxy S26 Plus has now appeared in both TÜV and BIS regulatory databases under the model number SM-S947U, which industry analysts associate with Samsung’s 2026 Plus-tier flagship. Those filings list a 4,755mAh lithium-ion battery — the same rated capacity used in the Galaxy S25 Plus. As with previous models, Samsung is expected to market this as 4,900mAh. That puts the two generations effectively side by side.
Battery comparison
| Model | Rated battery | Marketed capacity |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S25 Plus | ~4,755mAh | 4,900mAh |
| Galaxy S26 Plus | ~4,755mAh | 4,900mAh (expected) |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra (est.) | ~5,000–5,200mAh | 5,000mAh+ |
| Typical Chinese rivals (2026) | 6,500–7,300mAh | 6,500–7,300mAh |
In practical terms, the S26 Plus is not expected to last longer than the S25 Plus, even though it will run a more powerful processor and new on-device AI features, which usually increase power consumption.
The filings also confirm 45W wired charging, unchanged from last year. Faster Qi2 wireless charging is expected across the S26 line, but wireless charging remains less efficient and slower for daily heavy use.
Why battery stagnation matters more in 2026
Smartphone usage has changed dramatically in the UK over the past three years. Modern flagships are no longer just messaging and browsing devices. They now support:
- Continuous 5G data
- AI-powered photo and video processing
- Navigation, ride-hailing and delivery apps
- High-resolution video streaming
- Work and productivity tools
Independent testing of the Galaxy S25 Plus typically shows around 7.5 hours of active screen time, which was acceptable in 2024 but is now falling behind competitors. By contrast, brands such as OnePlus, Oppo and Honor are using silicon-carbon battery technology to fit much larger batteries into similarly sized phones. Some of their 2025–26 flagships already exceed 10 hours of real-world use.
For commuters in London and the South East — where phones are used for contactless transport, Google Maps, work emails, Slack, Teams and streaming — that difference is no longer marginal. It directly affects whether a phone survives a full day without charging.
How the Galaxy S26 Ultra fits into Samsung’s strategy
Samsung is taking a different approach with its top-tier device. The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to receive:
- Higher-capacity RAM and storage
- Improved thermal management
- New camera sensors
- Potential battery optimisation and efficiency gains
That allows Samsung to present the Ultra as a genuine next-generation upgrade. The S26 Plus, however, risks becoming squeezed between the cheaper base S26 and the more advanced Ultra — without a clear advantage in battery life, which is now one of the most important criteria for buyers in this price band.
Why Samsung is preparing the market for higher prices
At CES 2026 in Las Vegas, Samsung executives openly acknowledged that price rises are becoming unavoidable. Samsung co-CEO TM Roh told Reuters that soaring memory prices were affecting every division of the company. Samsung’s global marketing chief Wonjin Lee told Bloomberg that rising component costs would “have an impact on the price of products”, including smartphones. The underlying issue is a global shortage of DRAM and NAND flash memory, driven by the explosive growth of AI data centres, which now compete directly with smartphones for the same components. Industry trackers Omdia and Counterpoint Research estimate that:
- LPDDR5 and LPDDR5X memory prices are 70–100% higher than in early 2025
- NAND flash prices have roughly doubled
- Smartphone manufacturing costs will rise 8–15% in 2026
What that means for UK prices
Korean industry reports suggest Samsung is considering price increases of ₩44,000 to ₩88,000 per device, which translates to roughly £25–£50 in the UK once tax and exchange rates are factored in. That would put UK launch pricing approximately here:
| Model | Expected UK price |
|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 | £859 – £889 |
| Galaxy S26 Plus | £1,059 – £1,099 |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | £1,349 – £1,399 |
For the Galaxy S26 Plus, that means moving firmly into — or beyond — the £1,100 tier, traditionally reserved for ultra-premium phones.
Why Samsung’s UK launch deals may be scaled back
Samsung has traditionally relied on generous launch incentives to soften the impact of high headline prices in the UK. These have typically included free storage upgrades, enhanced trade-in values, Samsung Store credit and bundles with Galaxy Buds or Galaxy Watch.
For many British buyers, especially in London where flagship phones are often bought on contract or via upgrade programmes, these incentives have been a decisive part of the purchase calculation. A £1,000-plus handset can look far more attractive when paired with a free memory upgrade or £200 of store credit. That model is now under pressure. Korean industry reports indicate that the global shortage of DRAM and NAND flash memory has sharply increased the cost of every gigabyte of storage Samsung ships. As a result, promotions that were once relatively inexpensive for the company — such as doubling a phone’s storage at no extra cost — are now significantly eroding profit margins.
In practical terms, this means Samsung may no longer be able to offer the same level of generosity at launch. UK buyers could face a combination of higher retail prices and more limited incentives, a shift that would make the S26 range noticeably more expensive than its predecessors.
When the Galaxy S26 will reach UK shops
Well-established leakers Evan Blass and Ice Universe both report that Samsung will unveil the Galaxy S26 series at its Galaxy Unpacked event on 25 February 2026. Based on Samsung’s usual rollout schedule, retail sales in the UK are expected to begin around 13 March. That leaves a narrow window for Samsung to convince consumers that the Galaxy S26 Plus represents fair value at its new price point — despite offering no clear improvement in battery capacity over the S25 Plus.
What this could mean for British buying habits
The Galaxy S26 Plus occupies one of the most contested segments of the UK smartphone market: large-screen premium phones aimed at users who want something more capable than the base model, but do not want to pay Ultra-level prices. If Samsung raises prices while leaving battery life effectively unchanged, that position becomes harder to defend. For many users in London and the South East — where phones are used intensively for commuting, navigation, payments, work apps and streaming — all-day endurance has become a practical necessity, not a luxury.
Chinese manufacturers such as OnePlus, Oppo and Honor are already marketing devices with much larger batteries and longer real-world usage times. If that gap continues to widen, some UK consumers may begin to place less weight on the Samsung brand and more on battery life and value for money. In 2026, those two factors may finally outweigh brand loyalty for a growing share of Britain’s flagship-phone buyers.
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