Massive Galaxy S26 Ultra rumors just dropped: release date, privacy display, and Qi2 charging
The rumor mill is ever-spinning, but we can tell when a device, like the Samsung Galaxy S26, is close to release because the leaks start dropping fast and furious. With that in mind, a deluge of Galaxy S26 leaks has appeared in the last couple of days, covering everything from new colors to a revamped Bixby AI assistant.
New leaks today cover Qi2 charging, the rumored privacy display, and a refinement of what colorways we might see. Let's get into it.
Six Colors
An earlier leak revealed purported SIM trays for the Galaxy S26 Ultra showing off four colors: black, light blue, lavender, and pink gold. Reliable leaker Evan Blass tweeted on January 20 a full lineup of colors that seemed to confirm the previous rumor and added a couple of hues.
Here's what Blass says is coming:
- Black
- White
- Silver Shadow
- Sky Blue
- Cobalt Violet
- Pink Gold
Likely, Cobalt Violet or Sky Blue will be the ones you see in Samsung promotions, often referred to as the 'hero' color in the phone industry.
Qi2 Charging Revealed in Leaked Battery Pack
The German website Winfuture revealed leaked images of a Samsung-branded battery pack that is supposed to support Qi2 wireless charging. The accessory shown in the image above is equipped with a magnetic Qi2 charging ring.
According to Winfuture, it's supposed to deliver up to 15W of power via a USB-C cable, with up to 20W of wired charging. Like the phone's rumored battery, this pack will come with a 5000 mAh capacity. It should also include a kickstand so you can use it as a phone stand.
WinFuture noted that the pack will cost around €59.90 in Germany, or about $70.
Samsung's Galaxy S25 series supports 'Qi2 Ready' cases but doesn't come with built-in magnets needed for Qi2. Last December, a Korean publication reported that Samsung was working on a Qi2-capable charging dock that could potentially charge multiple devices, including Galaxy Watches and Buds. Samsung confirmed it would support Qi2 in a press release from the Wireless Power Consortium in early 2025.
Privacy Display
The rumored Privacy Display feature is expected to launch with One UI 8.5, which should be released alongside the S26 series.
As part of the One UI beta program, Samsung revealed the One UI 8.5 Good Lock. A screenshot of the display appears to reveal a new Privacy Display tile in the swipe-down settings menu (spotted by SammyFans).
As a reminder, Privacy Display is meant to darken the screen so that people can't snoop on your apps from the side.
The icon shows a phone with a shield covering it, labeled 'Privacy Display.' You'll be able to manually enable the feature or assign it to specific apps, such as WhatsApp. The S26 display is supposed to feature a new 'Flex Magic Pixel' OLED screen that enables the privacy feature, meaning it might not come to older Galaxy phones.
Alongside the Privacy Display, the One UI 8.5 update should feature the ability to personalize the settings screen. You can reportedly create image-based tiles and adjust their size or layout.
Expected S26 Release Date
Samsung has yet to officially confirm when its next Galaxy Unpacked event will take place. The event was rumored to be pushed back from the recent January window.
Rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 Unpacked Event could take place on February 25. The phones would hit store shelves around March 11.
We expect Samsung to announce the Galaxy S26, S26+, and S26 Ultra. There may even be an announcement about the U.S. launch date and price of the Galaxy Z TriFold.
As for prices, with the ongoing RAM crisis, it's not clear whether even Samsung knows what to charge for the Galaxy 26 phones.
