Most smartphone rumor cycles have some amount of conflicting information, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t immune. Throughout this summer, leakers have gone back and forth on whether or not Samsung’s next supersized flagship would feature a battery upgrade, potentially delivering the brand’s first increase over its usual 5,000mAh cell size ever. Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like that’s happening after all.
The folks at SamMobile spotted new documentation from China’s Quality Certification Center for a battery with the model number EB-BS948ABY meant for an upcoming smartphone, complete with the usual 5,000mAh capacity. While there’s no guarantee this battery is specifically meant for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the timing is certainly suspicious. Considering the back-and-forth we’ve seen this summer between leakers promising a larger capacity versus those reporting Samsung’s sticking with its tried-and-true capacity, it sure seems like this is evidence pointing in the direction of the latter team.
While it’s tough to call this good news, it’s not necessarily bad news either. The rumor mill has been pretty consistent towards pointing to an upgrade on charging speeds, finally moving away from the 45W rating Samsung’s stuck with on its flagship products for years. Ice Universe, for example, was one of the main critics of that leaked 5,500mAh capacity, routinely doubling down on the usual 5,000mAh spec, while simultaneously promising 60W fast-charging. An upgrade’s an upgrade, even if it’s far from what every Galaxy fan would want.
It sounds like sticking with a 5,000mAh battery will also allow Samsung to slim the Galaxy S26 Ultra down to below 8mm — a far cry from something like the Galaxy S25 Edge, but a nice improvement nonetheless. Samsung’s also allegedly bringing battery improvements to both the Galaxy S26 Edge and the Galaxy S26 “Pro” meant to replace the standard model, with 4,200mAh and 4,300mAh capacities, respectively.
FTC: We use income earning auto affiliate links. More.
Comments