The Samsung Galaxy S25 family of devices is coming out in two days and we're looking forward to seeing what the South Korean OEM has cooked up this year. Rumors are never certain, but for the most part, it seems like we have a nearly complete idea of what to expect and that's that the phones won't be that different from last year's.
If you're on the fence about upgrading to the Galaxy S25 series, here's something that might be enough to sway you to wait one more year. A new rumor has just pointed to what could be a potentially massive change in a device lineup that has remained mostly stagnant for the last few years—a bigger battery and faster charging? Yes, please.
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Series Might Make a Long Overdue Jump to 65W Fast Charging
Since 2019, when Samsung released the Galaxy Note 10+, the maximum charging speed across its entire portfolio of mobile devices has remained stuck at 45W. The Note series hasn't been a thing for so long that it seems ridiculous that the OEM has refused to move up from there, especially when competitors see 80W as the floor from which to build. Unfortunately, the S25 series due in a few days isn't expected to be radical in that regard.
However, if a somewhat vaguely conveyed rumor from @kro_roe on X is anything to swallow whole, it looks like 2026's flagships may finally be the ones we've been waiting for to save the day. The Galaxy S26 phones might finally break Samsung out of its charging stagnancy and bring in 65W wired fast charging. It's not quite the level of its competitors, but if you know Samsung, you'll take what you can get.
If the current charging structure across Samsung's flagships will still be relevant, that might mean 65W charging only finds its way to the S26 Ultra and S26+. The vanilla S26 might get upgraded to 45W, or, in a nightmare scenario, stay stuck at 25W. The latter would be a grossly unpopular move.
Samsung Is Also Expected to Adopt Silicon-Carbon Batteries; A 5,500mAh Cell Likely for the S26 Ultra
This charging change doesn't seem like it is coming in isolation either. Samsung will be ready to adopt the silicon-carbon battery tech that all of its competitors are using in their flagships, but you're going to have to wait until 2026 for that to happen. That likely means a bigger battery, and for that, faster charging seems like a necessity. In the case of the S26 Ultra, “5,500” is the number that's been flying around.
Compared to what the competition will look like in early 2026, 5,500mAh is hardly large—some manufacturers are already making plans to cross the 7,000mAh threshold. However, for a company like Samsung, loyalists are going to have the make the best of the upgrade, as relatively minimal as it might seem.
We can assume that the vanilla S26 and the S26+ will also see similar increases in capacity. With bigger batteries and faster charging coming at the same time, you might not necessarily notice a big improvement in charging speeds. But again, that's if these rumors pan out. We're still a full year away.
