Samsung and Apple’s super-slim concept phones shone bright but fizzled out early. If reports of the cancellation of the Galaxy S26 Edge (and iPhone Air 2) turn out to be accurate, that will leave a gaping hole in the Samsung Galaxy S26 release date schedule.
This isn’t about the January launch, but about Samsung’s now seemingly empty May 2026 release date, which saw the launch of the Galaxy S25 Edge this year.
What will Samsung release in May 2026? Let’s breakdown what Samsung will do, if anything, for its Q2 launch spot.
Galaxy S26 Release Date: Samsung Drops A New Variant
The technology that made the ultra-slim Galaxy S26 Edge possible, stacked component architecture, has been repurposed in the Galaxy Z Fold 7 and likely the Galaxy Tri-Fold—hence why they’re so slim.
Maybe that was the Edge’s only contribution to the Samsung story, but a slimmer phone with that space-saving technology, alongside a denser silicon-carbon battery, could be a game-changer.
Silicon-carbon batteries offer up to a 10% increase in energy density by replacing the traditional graphite anode with a silicon-carbon composite, allowing more power to be stored in the same physical space.
They allow for slimmer phones without battery life compromises, but Samsung’s redesigned internal chassis that creates more space for a larger battery would be a great answer to the Chinese phones that now sport huge silicon-carbon batteries.
Samsung was vague this year in an interview about using silicon-carbon batteries in future Galaxy phones, but it’s simply a matter of time because the battery gains are too significant to ignore, and manufacturers like Xiaomi and Oppo are stealing the limelight with phones that last four days on a single charge.
Battery life remains the number one priority for smartphone buyers. A silicon-carbon battery-powered Samsung phone might land in the May release slot, offering the company a chance to test out volatile new technology without impacting its main phone line.
Forget the Galaxy S26 Edge, The Samsung Galaxy Tri-Fold Release Date Moves Up and Heads To The U.S.
Samsung’s Galaxy Tri-Fold, which was announced earlier this month, will be coming “sometime in Q1” to the U.S. according to Tom’s Guide. Q1 will also obviously see the launch of the main Galaxy S26 line, but I wouldn’t be surprised if the Tri-Fold landed later in Q1 to give each release a bit of time to breathe.
Samsung’s second major release of 2026 might not be a May event, but rather a March announcement that brings a wider geographical rollout of the double-folding phone.
There’s No Second Galaxy S26 Release Date; The Galaxy S25 Edge Served Its Purpose
All of the leaks point to the cancellation of the Galaxy S26 Edge. Maybe Samsung axed the phone because of low interest, or perhaps there was never a second Edge phone in the works, and Samsung just wanted to pilot its new internal design technology. The latter is entirely possible because Samsung has done precisely that before.
In November 2014, the Korean company released the Galaxy Note Edge, with a new curved display that was a precursor to the flexible glass used in today’s foldable phones.
The Galaxy Note Edge existed for one release and was absorbed into the main Galaxy S line the following April. Like the Galaxy S25 Edge, the Note Edge had its own announcement. It quickly disappeared once it was clear that the technology worked and could be manufactured at scale. Perhaps the Galaxy S26 Edge has suffered the same fate.
