Samsung Galaxy S26 Series May Be Thinner, Lighter Than Apple iPhone 17 Lineup

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup is expected to be unveiled in January and start shipping in February 2026. Fresh leaks have revealed the likely memory configurations for the series, along with insights on design. Most Galaxy S26 models are expected to get noticeably slimmer and lighter than their S25 predecessors and even the Apple iPhone 17 series.

In terms of design changes, reliable tipster Ice Universe claims that the vanilla Galaxy S26 will measure just 6.9 mm thick and weigh 164 gm (down from 7.2 mm and 168 gm on the Galaxy S25). The flagship Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to shrink to 7.9 mm and 214 gm (compared to 8.2 mm and 218 gm on the current S25 Ultra). 

That would make both the base model and Ultra thinner and lighter than their direct predecessors. The one exception is the Galaxy S26 Plus, which, at 7.3 mm and 191 gm, is rumoured to be fractionally thicker and heavier than the Galaxy S25 Plus it will replace.

If this tip is true, the Galaxy S26 series could also undercut Apple’s iPhone 17 lineup in both thickness and weight. For comparison, the base iPhone 17 is 7.95 mm thick and weighs around 177 gm, while the iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max both measure 8.75 mm and weigh roughly 204 gm and 231 gm, respectively. 

The standard Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will reportedly be available in just two variants each: 12GB RAM and 256GB storage and 12GB RAM and 512GB storage. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, will offer three options globally — 12GB/256GB, 12GB/512GB, and 12GB/1TB — except in select markets like China.

There, the top 1TB version will come with 16GB of RAM to stay competitive with local brands such as Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo, which rarely ship their premium flagships with less than 16GB. Outside those regions, Samsung appears to be sticking with 12GB RAM. All models in the S26 family are said to use ultra-fast LPDDR5X RAM rated at 10.7 Gbps.