Rumors suggest the Galaxy S26 Pro and Edge might have a key advantage over the iPhone 17.
Two of the three members of Samsung's 2026 ultra-high-end handset family are tipped to support lower charging speeds than the entire iPhone 17 roster, which sounds bad... and a little sketchy.
The Galaxy S26 Pro may not offer significant charging improvements over the standard Galaxy S25, according to information shared by PhoneArt (aka @UniverseIce) on X following the iPhone 17 series launch.
The S26 Pro and S26 Edge are rumored to continue supporting 25W charging, which may be considered underwhelming by 2026 standards. The S25, S25 Plus, and S25 Edge, as well as the S24 and S24 Plus, also feature the same charging speed, a specification shared by numerous older Galaxy S models.
Even the Galaxy S20 and S20 Plus from 2020 had a 25W charging limit, while the S10 and S10 Plus from the previous year only supported 15W charging. Samsung enthusiasts have been waiting roughly five years for an upgrade in this area, and it appears that this wait will continue into early 2026.
While Apple doesn't openly advertise charging speeds, the spec sheets for the iPhone 17 models suggest around 40W charging support when used with compatible adapters. This would be a notable improvement over the standard iPhone 16's 20W charging speed.
In contrast, devices like the OnePlus 13 and 13R offer 100W and 80W charging respectively, while Google's Pixel 10 Pro and 10 Pro XL offer 30W and 45W charging.
In real-world tests, a Galaxy S25 charged from 0 to 54 percent in 30 minutes and reached full charge in one hour and 22 minutes. The OnePlus 13 achieved a full charge in just 43 minutes.
However, the iPhone 16 Pro Max, despite its 27W charging capability, took one hour and 42 minutes to fully charge. Therefore, judging Samsung too harshly may be premature until the iPhone 17 series can be fully tested.
There is reason to be skeptical about this information. It would be illogical for Samsung to increase the Galaxy S26 Ultra's charging speed to 65W while maintaining 25W for other models, especially after equipping the Galaxy S25 FE with 45W charging.
While it's unclear if the Galaxy S26 Pro is intended to be a significant upgrade over the standard S25, it's likely that the S26 Pro and S26 Edge will outperform the S25 FE in most aspects. The rumor about the charging speed should be viewed with skepticism.
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