The year is almost up, which for tech fans normally means casting an eye back over the year to name the best phones and gadgets to come out over the last 12 months. But thanks to a new leak, it’s already time to look forward to one of the most anticipated phones of 2026.

The folks at Android Authority have been doing their customary digging and claim to have unearthed images of the Galaxy S26 series hidden in the code of One UI 8.5, Samsung’s as-yet unreleased next version of its Android software.

In the below image, you can see phones codenamed M1, M2 and M3, which are believed to be the Samsung Galaxy S26, S26 Plus and S26 Ultra, respectively.

If you were hoping for a big redesign upgrade on Samsung’s flagship Android phones, you’re probably going to be disappointed. The firm has, judging from this, opted to go with three vertically signed camera lenses on each model, with the apparent addition of a raised bump around them.

On the S23, S24 and S25, the phones have had three lenses protruding individually from the back of the phones rather than having a camera module. Samsung may be adding in this touch for the S26 to differentiate what look like very similar designs – but it could also indicate an increase in sensor size.

Camera modules basically exist because phone firms want to fit in larger, better camera lenses into handsets for improved picture quality.

Much like Apple, Samsung has recently opted to not mess with its flagship smartphone designs year-on-year. Where rival firms such as OnePlus, Xiaomi and Oppo regularly completely change the look of their rival phones annually in an attempt to draw customers away from industry leaders Apple and Samsung, Samsung has fallen into a period of design malaise. If you don’t like the look of its phones from the past few years, you probably won’t be swayed by the S26, on this evidence.

Even Google’s Pixel 10 series looks very similar to the Pixel 9 after years of Google radically reinventing the look of its smartphones.

Perhaps it also highlights that we really don’t need new flagship phones every year. From inside the industry, it seems inconceivable that these major tech firms wouldn’t release a new model like clockwork, but given the quality of these phones, it’s not consumers who need new models each year but the firms themselves who are desperate to keep people buying their products.

The truth of the matter is the phone in your pocket is probably more than good enough for another year or three.

Still, if you really are due an upgrade, the Galaxy S26, S26 Plus or S26 Ultra could be one of the phones for you, if you can afford the latest handsets. We expect Samsung to unveil them come January or February next year, as the company is not expected to deviate from its recent release patterns.