Samsung has announced its latest mid-range A-series of smartphones for 2026, but there’s still one model missing.
The Samsung Galaxy A57 leads the way as Samsung’s main mid-range model, following up on the Samsung Galaxy A56 with a slimmer design and a potentially healthy performance bump.
Then there’s the Samsung Galaxy A37, offering similar all-round vibes but with a less premium design and lower performance at a (significantly) cheaper price. You probably don’t need us to tell you that this is a direct follow-on from the Samsung Galaxy A36.
But where, exactly, is the Samsung Galaxy A27?
Chris Hall / Foundry
There was a preceding model for this missing model, and it shouldn’t surprise you to learn that it’s called the Samsung Galaxy A26. It was announced alongside the Galaxy A56 and A36 on 2 March, 2025.
Even if we take precedent out of the equation, there are strong indications that the Samsung Galaxy A27 exists in some form – or at least, existed.
Back in February, X tipster previously highlighted an IMEI listing that seemed to be for the Samsung Galaxy A27, under model number SM-A276B/DS. An earlier post from SammyGuru had pointed out that such telltale signs of the phone’s existence had been unusually late in arriving, possibly suggesting a delayed product launch.
Delayed or even cancelled?
From our understanding, the Samsung Galaxy A27 was set to launch alongside the A37 and A57, but Samsung seemingly adjusted its plans relatively late in the day.
If that was indeed the decision, why might Samsung have pulled (or delayed) its most affordable smartphone entry point?
There’s no disguising the fact that Samsung – like every other smartphone manufacturer – is facing major economic headwinds. The AI boom has forced up the price of memory components to a significant degree, prompting Samsung to bump up the prices of many of its flagship Galaxy S26 phones.
Connor Jewiss / Foundry
Manufacturers can’t afford to be quite so flexible in the mid-range market with its smaller margins, hence Google effectively re-releasing the Pixel 9a as the Pixel 10a.
It’s possible that Samsung simply found that the squeeze being placed on the Galaxy A27 made it unviable. The company has seemingly justified the Galaxy A57 price starting £30 higher than its predecessor by doubling the starting storage and differentiating its design from the A37, but there’s much less room for manoeuvre in the opposite direction.
There’s also a chance that Samsung wanted to give the A57 and A37 more room to breathe. Perhaps the Samsung Galaxy A27 will be given its own later launch window to help it sweep up the competitive sub-£300 market.
There is also the Galaxy A07 5G and Galaxy A17 5G for those wanting something in the budget range.
It’s all speculation at this point, but Samsung’s A-series rack is undoubtedly looking a little bare right now. We’d love to know why and we’ve reached out to Samsung for comment on the status of the Galaxy A27, and will update this piece if we hear anything back.
