Details have emerged concerning two upcoming Samsung phones, and if there’s one thing that unites these Samsung Galaxy A27 and Samsung Galaxy S26 FE leaks, it’s the yawn they elicit.
The Samsung Galaxy A27 has leaked (once again) in comprehensive render and spec sheet form. According to MyMobiles, Samsung’s delayed affordable phone isn’t going to be trying anything new.
In fact, it might actually be a bit of a downgrade, in certain respects.
MyMobiles
As well as being fractionally thicker (7.8mm vs 7.7mm) than the Samsung Galaxy A26, it seems to have inferior ultra-wide (5Mp vs 8Mp) and selfie (12Mp vs 13Mp) cameras. It also omits the older phone’s microSD card support, as well as offering fewer colour options (3 vs 4): Light Pink (above), Blue and Black.
So far, so underwhelming, and I can’t say I’m bowled over by the first renders of the Samsung Galaxy S26 FE either.
The follow up to the Samsung Galaxy S25 FE (our current number 1 mid-range phone, no less) has appeared on SammyGuru through a third-party case manufacturer. It looks… like a Samsung Galaxy S25 FE, but with the Samsung Galaxy S26’s single raised camera module.
According to these renders, Samsung’s new almost-flagship phone will come in violet, black, grey, and white. Be still my beating heart.
2026: the year of drab, expensive phones
Incremental phone upgrades seem to be the flavour of 2026 more generally. Who can forget the Google Pixel 10a, which is essentially a straight-up re-launch of the 2025 Pixel 9a?
However, Samsung has simply launched far more phones than its rivals, and in far greater volumes. As such, the sense of ennui is even more pronounced.
In Samsung’s case, these latest phone reveals follow on from a bunch of disappointingly staid releases earlier in the year.
With the possible exception of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra and its cool new Privacy Display, I’d argue that these offerings are struggling to justify the hike to their launch prices.
Chris Martin / Foundry
Even the Samsung Galaxy A57’s sleeker design doesn’t amount to that much when weighed against its higher price tag and the lack of needed improvements elsewhere.
Here’s hoping the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 8 (or whatever it turns out to be called) can give us something new and worthwhile in the second half of the year.
This has been a challenging year for all manufacturers, but I’d argue that if Samsung is being forced to increase its prices, it really needs to offer its users more of an incentive to upgrade. I certainly need far more excitement than I’ve seen so far.
