Before You Buy an S26: Samsung S27 Release Date, UK Price, Galaxy S27 Ultra and S27 Pro Leaks
Top: the Galaxy S26 range on a shop display. Samsung has not shown an S27 yet. Photo: SUMAKICHI, CC BY 4.0, cropped.
Samsung has not announced the Galaxy S27, so expect an Unpacked event on a Wednesday between mid-January and late February, with UK sales about two weeks later. Samsung raised the S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra list prices by £80 in October and the price leaks point the same way, so don’t count on the S27 being cheaper. Before you buy an S26 or decide to wait, check Samsung’s current offers, because the standard S26 is selling well below its list price.
Your situation, what to do:
- Your phone is failing nowBuy an S26. Which one
- You want the standard S27 or S27+Little to wait for. What changes
- You want the S27 UltraWait, if your phone will last. What changes
- You want a smaller UltraWait for the S27 Pro. Why
- You already own an S25 or S26Keep it for now. Why
- You want to spend the leastLook at the S26 FE. Why
Samsung Galaxy S27 release date: when is the Samsung S27 coming out?
There is no date yet. Samsung hasn’t sent an invite, and nothing about the S27 is official. Two things narrow it down.
Samsung’s habits. The last five Galaxy S launches all fell on a Wednesday, with sales starting 14 to 16 days later. CES runs from 6 to 9 January, and Samsung tends to stay clear of it, so 13 January is the earliest date that fits. Sammy Fans, which tracked those five launches, thinks 20 or 27 January looks more comfortable.
The leaks, which disagree. Korean tipster Lanzuk says Samsung is aiming for January, with February as the fallback. GSMArena reads the start of Exynos 2700 production differently: a chip takes three to four months to reach a finished phone, which points to February or March. Tech Advisor also leans towards February or March.
So plan around this: Unpacked between mid-January and late February, and the phones in UK shops about two weeks after that. If it lands in late February, as the S26 did, you won’t see one in a UK shop until March.
The invite is the signal to watch. Samsung sent the S26 invites on 10 February for a 25 February event, so a real date should surface about two weeks ahead. Until then, be suspicious of any date that isn’t a Wednesday.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra release date: could it come later?
Probably not, but the S27 Ultra is the model most likely to hold things up. The S26 range went on sale together, and the leaks expect the same event for all four S27 phones.
The risk comes from two places. Lanzuk says parts for the S27 and S27+ are settled. Samsung is still weighing faster LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage for the Pro and Ultra, at a time when memory is already expensive. Separately, Seoul Economic Daily reported that Ultra testing has been slowed by heat from Qualcomm’s chip, which Qualcomm calls inaccurate.
Gagadget raises the chance of Samsung delaying just the Pro and Ultra. Treat that as a possibility, not a plan.
Samsung S27 price and S27 Ultra price in the UK
No UK price has leaked. What exists is a starting point and some figures from abroad.
The starting point moved on 1 October, when Samsung raised its S26 list prices by £80. Phones normally get cheaper in their second half-year, so this is the opposite of what you would expect seven months after launch.
| Model | S26 launch price | S26 list price today | What the leaks would mean here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S27 | £879 | £959 | £959 to about £1,060 |
| Galaxy S27+ | £1,099 (S26+) | £1,179 (S26+) | £1,179 to about £1,280 |
| Galaxy S27 Pro | No S26 equivalent | No S26 equivalent | About £1,280 to £1,360 |
| Galaxy S27 Ultra | £1,279 (S26 Ultra) | £1,359 (S26 Ultra) | £1,359 to just under £1,500 |
S26 prices are for 256GB at Samsung UK, as of 1 November. The last column is a sum, not a leak: today’s UK list price plus the rises reported abroad. The Pro has no S26 equivalent, so its range runs from the S26 Ultra’s UK launch price to its list price today, the UK match for the two US figures below. Offers can take the S26 lower, as shown further down.
Here is where those rises come from:
- Tech Advisor expects £50 to £100 more than the S26, which takes the S27 past £1,000 and the Ultra close to £1,500.
- Chosun says Samsung is considering 100,000 to 130,000 won more than it first planned, roughly £56 to £73.
- Lanzuk puts the Korean rise in the high 130,000s of won, around $100, with bigger gaps between storage sizes. If that holds, the 512GB and 1TB models get hit hardest.
- @phonefuturist first posted US prices of $899, $1,099, $1,299 and $1,399, then revised them to $999, $1,199, $1,399 and $1,499 for the S27, S27+, Pro and Ultra. The revised S27 and S27+ figures match what the S26 and S26+ cost in the US today, and the Ultra sits $100 above.
The cause is memory. On its second-quarter earnings call, Samsung said: “The supply constraints are expected to become even more severe in 2027 than 2026, reinforcing our view that the supply shortage will persist through 2028.” RAM and SSD prices have been climbing for the same reason, so a price cut looks unlikely.
The catch if the S27 looks cheap
Check the RAM before you compare prices. SamMobile says Samsung may sell the S27 and S27+ with 8GB of RAM alongside 12GB versions, which would let the headline price hold while the 12GB model costs more. The S26 and S26+ have 12GB, so a cheaper S27 with 8GB would be a step down, not a bargain.
Should you wait for the Samsung S27 or buy an S26 now?
It depends on the model. The S27 Ultra looks worth waiting for if your phone will last. The standard S27 doesn’t.
If you want the standard size, the leaks show the same camera numbers, the same charging speed, nearly the same body and no Privacy Display. A newer chip and a better screen panel are the main gains. Buy the Galaxy S26 if you need a phone now, and you lose very little by not waiting.
Samsung Galaxy S26 6.3″ 256GB 12GB RAM 5G Android 16.0 Black
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 2340 x 1080 resolution and 120 Hz refresh rate
- Samsung Exynos 2600 10-core processor with 3.8 GHz boost frequency
- Triple camera system: 50 MP main, 10 MP second, 12 MP third, with OIS and 8K video recording
If you want the bigger one, the same goes for the Galaxy S26+. Filings also suggest the S27+ could lose UWB, the chip behind precise tracker finding and hands-free car unlocking, so the S26+ may even keep something its successor drops.
Samsung Galaxy S26+ Smartphone 6.7″ 256 GB 12 GB RAM 5G Black
- Dynamic AMOLED 2X display featuring 3120 x 1440 pixels and 120 Hz maximum refresh rate
- Samsung Exynos 2600 processor paired with 12 GB RAM and 256 GB internal storage
- Triple rear camera system including a 50 MP main sensor with optical image stabilisation
If you want the Ultra, this is where the changes are: a bigger battery, a new camera layout and a newer screen panel. If your phone will last until February, wait and decide once Samsung has shown it. If it won’t, the Galaxy S26 Ultra already has a 200MP main camera, 60W charging and Privacy Display, and it keeps the 3x lens the S27 Ultra is expected to lose.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra 6.9″ 5G Smartphone 256GB 12GB RAM Dual SIM Sky Blue
- 6.9-inch Flat Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 3120 x 1440 resolution, 120 Hz refresh rate, and Gorilla Glass Armor 2
- Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 octa-core processor with Qualcomm Hexagon NPU, 12 GB RAM, and 256 GB internal storage
- Quad rear camera setup headlined by a 200 MP primary sensor with OIS, 5x optical zoom, and 8K video recording
If you want to spend the least, look at the Galaxy S26 FE. Samsung left its price alone in October. You get 8GB of RAM and an older Exynos 2500 chip, but it has a bigger battery and faster charging than the standard S26.
Samsung Galaxy S26 FE Mobile Phone 6.7″ 128 GB 8 GB RAM 5G Dual SIM Blueberry
- 6.7 inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display with 120 Hz refresh rate and Gorilla Glass Victus protection
- Samsung Exynos 2500 processor with 10 cores and 8 GB RAM for efficient multitasking
- Triple rear camera system featuring 50 MP main sensor and Optical Image Stabilisation for sharp photos
If you already own an S25 or S26, keep it for now. Samsung promised the S26 range seven years of updates, and nothing leaked so far justifies replacing a phone that new unless you want the Ultra’s battery.
The r/samsunggalaxy threads asking this exact question split the same way: wait if your phone will last, and if it won’t, buy an S26 and trade it in when the S27 arrives. Posters disagree on whether the S26 will get cheaper after that. One says the real falls come on the used market, though the offers below show Samsung does cut its own price for a while.
Samsung S26 price and S26 Ultra price in the UK today
List prices don’t tell you what the phones cost. These are the 256GB prices on Samsung’s own UK store, as of 1 November:
| Model | List price | Samsung’s offer price |
|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S26 | £959 | £709 |
| Galaxy S26+ | £1,179 | No offer shown |
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | £1,359 | No offer shown, £100 off with PayPal |
| Galaxy S26 FE | £799 | £649 |
The S26 FE also comes in a 128GB version, listed at £699 with an offer price of £549. Offers change quickly.
So the list price and what you pay have split apart. At £709, the standard S26 costs £170 less than it did at launch. It is also £250 less than an S27 would cost if it starts at today’s S26 list price, which is why the standard size is the easy call. The S26 Ultra has no such offer, so waiting costs you less there.
Trade-in can take off more: Samsung quotes £10 to £426 on the S26 and £10 to £630 on the Ultra, depending on your old phone. Not every seller matches these figures, so compare before you buy. Black Friday falls on 27 November, and Samsung says it is running offers from 28 October through to Cyber Monday, so you don’t have to wait for the day itself.
If you do wait, use the pre-order window
For the S26, Samsung gave UK pre-order buyers double the storage for free, plus £50 or £100 off with PayPal. That window ran for about two weeks. SamMobile warns that memory costs could shrink those perks this time, but it is still the first place to look. When your new phone arrives, here is how to move your eSIM across.
S27 Ultra vs S26 Ultra: what would actually change
The left column is the phone you can buy today. The right column is leaks and filings, so any of it could still change.
| Galaxy S26 Ultra | Galaxy S27 Ultra, leaked | |
|---|---|---|
| Battery | 5,000mAh | About 5,700mAh |
| Wired charging | 60W | 60W, possibly holding its top speed for longer |
| Main camera | 200MP | 200MP |
| Zoom | 50MP 5x and 10MP 3x | 5x stays, 3x expected to go |
| Camera layout | Vertical column | Horizontal plateau |
| Screen | 6.9in | 6.89in with a newer M16 panel |
| Body | 163.6 x 78.1 x 7.9mm | 163.76 x 78.25 x 7.97mm |
| Chip | Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 | Probably Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in Europe, not final |
| UK list price, 256GB | £1,359 | Not leaked |
The battery is the part you would notice every day. The rest is a change of shape and a better panel on a phone that stays the same size.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: specs and leaks so far
A bigger battery is the headline. The cameras are more of a reshuffle than an upgrade.
- BatteryAbout 5,700mAh
- Charging60W
- Main camera200MP
- Zoom5x, 3x likely gone
- Screen6.89in M16
- Colours4 base shades
S27 Ultra battery. A Chinese 3C filing rates the cell at 5,534mAh, which GSMArena expects to be sold as about 5,700mAh. That is 14% more than today’s Ultra, and Tom’s Guide calls it the first capacity rise in seven generations. Tipsters say it will use silicon-carbon cells, which pack more capacity into the same space.
S27 Ultra camera. ETNews reports a 200MP main camera and a 50MP ultrawide. Leaker Ice Universe says the 5x zoom stays and calls reports of a shorter 4x lens “100% false”. The same leaker expects the 10MP 3x lens to go, leaving the main camera to crop in at that range. If you shoot a lot of portraits at 3x, test that before you buy. Tech Advisor says earlier talk of a variable aperture has been dropped to save money.
Selfies. A new 16MP square sensor could let you shoot portrait and landscape selfies without turning the phone. Today’s Ultra has a 12MP front camera.
Screen. ETNews says the Pro and Ultra will get Samsung’s M16 OLED panel, which should be brighter and more efficient. Privacy Display stays, and it would reach the Pro too.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra design: the look that changes most
The leaks say the vertical column of lenses in the photo below will go. CAD renders published by Android Headlines and OnLeaks show a horizontal camera plateau across the back instead. These are leaked drawings, not Samsung images, but case renders from Ice Universe show the same shape.
There is a practical reason. Samsung’s current magnetic battery pack needs a cutout to get around the lenses, so moving them gives magnetic accessories more room. Whether the Ultra gets magnets built in is still unsettled, and the S27 and S27+ look set to keep the old layout, so you would still need a magnetic case on those.
S27 Ultra colours. Ice Universe lists Black, Blue, Light Pink and White as the four base colours, with online-only shades likely on top. If that holds, it would be the first Ultra in four years without a purple shade.
Samsung Galaxy S27 Pro: a smaller Ultra without the S Pen
This would be the new phone in the range, and the one to wait for if the Ultra feels too big. The model number SM-S957B/DS appears as the Galaxy S27 Pro in the GSMA database, the mobile industry’s device register, which is about as close to confirmation as you get before launch. Here is what the leaks say:
- Screen: 6.47in in most reports, though Tech Advisor quotes 6.6in. The CAD renders give 154.06 x 73.77 x 7.95mm.
- Cameras: the same 200MP main and 50MP ultrawide as the Ultra, but a 12MP 3x telephoto in place of the 50MP 5x.
- Battery: rated at 5,087mAh in the same 3C filing, so probably sold as about 5,200mAh. That is more than the S26 Ultra has today.
- Also: 60W charging, the M16 panel and Privacy Display.
The trade-off is zoom and the stylus. If you rarely shoot past 3x and never use the S Pen, the S27 Pro gives you most of an Ultra in a smaller body. The revised US leak puts it at $1,399, which is what the S26 Ultra costs there now. Expect the S27 Pro release date to match the rest of the range.
What about an S27 Edge? Reports of a thin Edge model conflict on the basics, with one saying 5.8in and another 6.8in. October’s leaks list four phones and no Edge, so don’t plan around one.
Samsung S27 and S27 Plus: specs that barely move
These look like the quiet updates of the range. Expect a newer chip and a better panel, and not much else you would notice.
| S26 and S26+ | S27 and S27 Plus, leaked | |
|---|---|---|
| Screen | 6.3in and 6.7in | About the same, 6.27in and 6.66in |
| Cameras | 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP 3x | Same numbers |
| Wired charging | 25W and 45W | 25W and 45W |
| Screen panel | M13 | M14 |
| RAM | 12GB | 12GB, possibly an 8GB option too |
| Chip in Europe | Exynos 2600 | Exynos 2700 |
| Privacy Display | No | No |
| UWB on the larger model | Yes | Missing from Chinese filings |
No battery size has leaked for either phone. The standard S26 has 4,300mAh and the S26+ has 4,900mAh.
This split matters more than any single spec. Leaks put the Pro and Ultra on the new M16 panel and Privacy Display, with faster memory possible too, while the S27 and S27+ stay a clear step behind. Samsung seems to be widening the gap between the two halves of its range.
Samsung S27 chip: Exynos or Snapdragon in the UK?
S27, S27+ and S27 Pro: most likely Exynos 2700. The Elec reports Exynos for Europe and Korea, with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 for the US and China. No report names the UK separately, but UK buyers got the Exynos 2600 in the S26, so expect the same split.
S27 Ultra: probably Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 in Europe, but it isn’t settled. Every Ultra since 2023 has used Snapdragon. In September, insiders said Samsung was building Exynos versions for Korea and Europe. In mid-October, a Korean report said the Snapdragon chip was running too hot, and Qualcomm says there are “no thermal issues”. On 30 October, Ice Universe said there is still no sign of an Exynos Ultra in Europe, with Korea uncertain. Samsung’s phone division has the final say.
Ignore the leaked benchmark scores for now. The first independent tests will tell you more than any of them, so if the chip decides your purchase, wait for those reviews. Tech Advisor found the Exynos 2600 only a touch behind Snapdragon, so an Exynos phone is no longer the obvious compromise it once was.
What would change this advice
- An invite. An early January invite makes waiting easy, because the phones would be weeks away. A February invite means March in shops, which may be too long if your phone is struggling.
- UK prices with the RAM listed. If the 12GB S27 starts well above today’s S26 price, the S26 looks better still.
- The Ultra’s chip and its first reviews. These decide whether the S27 Ultra’s battery gain shows up in real use.
You can browse what is available now in Samsung phones.
Samsung Galaxy S27 questions
No. Samsung has not announced any S27 phone or sent invites. The leaks point to an Unpacked event in January or February 2027, with UK sales about two weeks later.
Expect an Unpacked event between mid-January and late February 2027, most likely on a Wednesday. UK sales usually start 14 to 16 days after that, so late January at the earliest, and March if Samsung repeats its late-February date.
No UK price has leaked. Samsung lists the S26 Ultra at £1,359, and adding the rises reported abroad gives a range from there to just under £1,500 for 256GB.
The revised US leak puts the S27 Ultra at $1,499, which is $100 above the S26 Ultra’s current US price and $200 above its launch price. No UK figure exists yet.
On Samsung’s UK store on 1 November, the 256GB S26 listed at £959 with an offer price of £709. The S26+ listed at £1,179 and the S26 Ultra at £1,359, with £100 off the Ultra if you pay with PayPal. Offers change quickly.
Yes, if your phone will last until February and you want the bigger battery. If it won’t, the S26 Ultra already has 60W charging and a 200MP main camera, and it keeps the 3x lens the S27 Ultra is expected to lose.
Only slightly, going by the leaks. Expect a newer Exynos chip and a better screen panel, with the same camera numbers and charging speed. Watch for a possible 8GB version, because the S26 has 12GB.
A Chinese certification filing rates it at 5,534mAh, which would probably be sold as about 5,700mAh. The S26 Ultra has 5,000mAh.
Leaked CAD renders show a horizontal camera plateau across the back in place of today’s vertical lens column, in a body almost the same size as the S26 Ultra. Samsung has not shown the phone.
For a new model, the pre-order window, which ran for about two weeks on the S26 and included free extra storage. For the S26 itself, check Samsung’s current offers now and again around Black Friday on 27 November, because the list price is not what you have to pay.
Sources
Samsung has confirmed nothing about the S27. Everything below about it is a leak, a filing or a forecast.
- Sammy Fans, five-year launch analysis. The Unpacked and on-sale dates in the chart, and the CES reasoning.
- Android Authority on Lanzuk’s launch window. January, February at the latest, and the LPDDR6 and UFS 5.0 question.
- GSMArena on Exynos 2700 production. Chip timing, the Europe and US split, and who decides on the Ultra.
- Tech Advisor S27 rumours. The £50 to £100 estimate, CAD dimensions, sustained charging, variable aperture and its Exynos 2600 testing.
- LesMobiles. The S26 invite date.
- GSMArena on the S26 price rise. UK and US list prices before and after, and the unchanged FE.
- MyMobiles S27 tracker. Sellers that kept the old price.
- Tech Advisor on Chosun’s report. The won figures and their pound conversion.
- Korea Herald. Lanzuk’s price claim and the storage-tier gaps.
- 9to5Google on @phonefuturist. Both sets of US prices and the panel split.
- Android Authority on US S26 prices. Launch and current US figures.
- Digital Trends on Samsung’s earnings call. The memory shortage quote.
- SamMobile on 8GB variants. The S27 and S27+ RAM claim, and the warning on perks.
- SamMobile on S26 UK pre-orders. UK launch prices, free storage and PayPal savings.
- GSMArena on the 3C filing. Pro and Ultra battery and charging.
- Tom’s Guide on the S27 Ultra battery. Silicon-carbon and the first capacity rise.
- GSMArena on the telephoto. Ice Universe’s denial, and the magnetic accessory reason for the new layout.
- SamMobile on ETNews’s camera report. Cameras for all four models.
- Digital Trends on the Ultra. The 16MP square selfie sensor.
- GSMArena on M16 and M14 panels. The panel split, and M13 on the S26.
- SamMobile on Privacy Display. Pro and Ultra only.
- Android Headlines and OnLeaks, S27 Ultra renders, and the S27 Pro renders. The camera plateau.
- SamMobile on Ice Universe’s case renders. The same plateau on the Pro and Ultra.
- 9to5Google on S27 Ultra colours. Ice Universe’s list.
- SamMobile on the GSMA listings. The S27 Pro model number.
- SamMobile on an S27 Edge. The conflicting claims.
- Android Authority on UWB. The Chinese filings.
- Android Authority on screen sizes. The rumoured S27, S27 Plus and Ultra displays.
- The Elec on Samsung’s earnings call. Exynos 2700 production and its use in Europe.
- Android Authority on the Ultra’s chip, and Qualcomm’s denial. The heat report and the response.
- Gagadget. The possibility of a delayed Pro and Ultra.
- Samsung UK, Galaxy S26 Ultra and Galaxy S26. List prices, offers, trade-in, memory and chips on 1 November. Samsung UK Black Friday for the date.
- GSMArena on the Ultra’s chip, 30 October. The timeline of claims and Ice Universe’s latest word.
- GSMArena on the S27’s 25W rating, and the 3C filing for the S27 and S27+. Charging speeds.
- Wikipedia, Samsung Galaxy S26. Dimensions, cameras, batteries, charging and the seven-year update promise.
- Reddit: S26 Ultra now or S27 Ultra and Should I upgrade now or wait. What buyers are weighing.
- Photos: S26 range by SUMAKICHI (CC BY 4.0, cropped), S26 Ultra rear by Kyu3a (CC BY-SA 4.0, cropped), and Privacy Display off and on by avmagazine.it (CC BY 4.0, cropped, joined and labelled).
