If you own a Galaxy S26, One UI 9 is on the way, but it goes out in stages from Korea, and Samsung's cheaper and folding phones had it months sooner.
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$899.99 at Samsung is $190 above its lowest price in the 50 days iDevice has checked it. At about $724 or less, the answer turns to Buy now.
Latest on Samsung Galaxy S26
More newsIf you own a Galaxy S26, One UI 9 is on the way, but it goes out in stages from Korea, and Samsung's cheaper and folding phones had it months sooner.
Read the storyOnly Korean prices are in the report, and Samsung says nothing is final, so whether US buyers pay more is still open.
Read the storyAn internal Samsung build adds a Glasses category to the battery widget, alongside Watch, Ring and Buds. It is the plainest sign yet that the phone is being readied for the hardware.
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$899.99
What it costs to buy. None of these need a subscription.
Weight
167g
Grams in your hand. Lower is lighter.
Battery life
Not confirmed
How long it lasts on its own, away from a charger.
Current list prices.
The handset as sold, without a case.
Hours of video playback, as each maker states it. A phone whose maker gives only a typical-use figure or a battery capacity is not on this chart: those are different measures.
If not this one
Brighter screen: up to 3,600 nits, against up to 2,600 nits here.
Quick answers
All FAQsOne of the four reviews has a score, so there is no average yet. It takes two scored reviews from two different publishers.
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Frequently asked questions
If a better selfie camera is why you'd upgrade, the reports point you to the S27 Pro or Ultra and away from the two base models.
RAM costs are up more than 400% this year and the S26 already went up $100, so budget for more than $899 if you want the base S27.
Tipster WalleGalaxy says the two top Galaxy S27 models will dim by lowering current instead of flashing the panel. Samsung hasn't confirmed it.
The Galaxy S27 Ultra looks likely to stay on Snapdragon everywhere, so the Exynos question only matters if you buy the base S27, the S27+ or the S27 Pro outside the US.
Only South Korea has it so far, and on an S24 the download is about 500MB if you were on the beta and about 3.8GB if you weren't.
Korean media report Samsung's 2nm Exynos 2700 is in mass production for the S27, S27+ and S27 Pro in most markets. Samsung hasn't decided whether the S27 Ultra gets it.
ZDNet Korea reports some Galaxy S27 parts entered mass production in September, with all four models due to ramp up in mid-October. Samsung hasn't confirmed any of it, and the phones are expected in early 2027.
Samsung raised Galaxy S26 prices in Canada, the EU and the UK, after India, South Korea and the US. The 1TB Ultra took the biggest jump.
The bigger signal is the S27, which is now expected to launch at a higher price too. Anyone who wants an S26 may see sales bring the old price back.
Samsung raised US prices on the Galaxy S26, S26+ and S26 Ultra by $100 or more on October 1. The base S26 now starts at $999.99, and the 1TB Ultra costs $1,999.99.
The front looks like a carry-over, but the evidence is third-party screen protectors and not Samsung’s own dimensions.
Ice Universe says the S27 Ultra keeps the S26 Ultra's 7.9mm body and adds four grams. A bigger battery would account for them.
A Korean tipster says Samsung plans to raise Galaxy S27 prices across models and storage sizes. In Korea the increase runs about $74 to $96.
Samsung's stable One UI 9 is out for all five Galaxy S25 models, but so far only in its home market. Owners elsewhere are working from outlet guesses, not a Samsung schedule.
The next Galaxy Ultra could record 8K video at 60fps, double today's limit, if Samsung turns it on. Motorola is using it before Samsung, which hasn't confirmed which S27 models get it.
The Pro matches the Ultra's 1TB of storage but not its memory, so the Ultra keeps one clear edge. Samsung still hasn't decided whether its top two phones get faster memory chips.
Buy the base Galaxy S27 and you get Samsung's own chip, which Samsung reportedly thinks is the faster of the two.
China's 3C agency has certified the Galaxy S27 Ultra with a 5,534mAh rated cell, which works out to 5,700mAh typical, and the Galaxy S27 Pro at 5,200mAh typical. Both are expected to use silicon carbon, and both were already certified for 60W wired charging.
Don't hold out for a new zoom lens on the S27 Ultra. The changes that are leaking are to color, video range and the selfie camera.
If you own a Galaxy S26, One UI 9 is on the way, but it goes out in stages from Korea, and Samsung's cheaper and folding phones had it months sooner.