The new Galaxy S26 range of phones is official and it’s now confirmed that none, not even the Ultra, have built-in Qi2 magnets for convenient MagSafe-style charging.
Like me, you’re probably wondering why, considering that Samsung was widely expected to follow in the footsteps of Google’s Pixel 10, which does have this feature. At a briefing at Samsung’s flagship London store ahead of Unpacked, I wanted to find out more.
I sat down with Kadesh Beckford, Senior Product Manager at Samsung UK, to discuss the S26 devices, find out why magnets have been left off the upgrade list, and what “meaningful innovation” was chosen instead.
Beckford said: “We’ve taken our learnings from the Galaxy S25 Edge, where we’ve been able to make phones, thinner and lighter [with a] maximum amount of durability and actually bring real-time benefits.”
He went on to cite the way that devices such as the Galaxy Z Fold 7 have also benefited from this research and development, making it “one of the thinnest and lightest foldables on the market”.
Luke Baker
The same applies to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, according to Beckford. Instead of magnets, the brand prioritised “being able to increase the vapour cooling chamber system to the largest ever we’ve had in the device” and making the phone “again slimmer and lighter”.
A case of priorities
After all, you’re going to put a case on it anyway so, as Beckford explains, this is the solution that made the most sense to the team. “If you have a case – and a lot of people do on their smartphones and AI phones – you’ll actually need to have also a Qi2 case on top of all of that.”
“So why not bring through meaningful innovation where you’re going to find your phone lighter, faster, thinner than before with maximum durability and then if you do want to go to the Qi2 solution, we’ve got a plethora of them available.”
It’s a fair point, although, as I recently discovered, I’ve enjoyed using the minimalist Arc Pulse case on the Pixel 10, which lets me enjoy the design and feel of the phone without blocking the Qi2 magnets.
Luke Baker
So it seems clear that, for the Galaxy S26 phones at least, Samsung has prioritised making the devices thinner (the Ultra has shrunk 0.3mm) along with other hardware improvements, such as a larger vapour chamber and the new Privacy Display. Beckford also pointed out that it has retained the built-in S Pen.
All of these features were chosen instead of the magnets many fans were hoping for. We’ll decide whether or not the trade was worth it when we review the phones.
Instead, perhaps the Galaxy S27 range will make the jump. I have a feeling it will, but for now, Samsung has bet on other benefits to drive sales of its latest flagship models.
As part of our chat, Beckford also hinted that there would be no Galaxy S26 Edge model this year.
Find out the Galaxy S26 details in our ultimate guide. If the S26 Ultra is your top choice (we think it’s the only sensible choice, our hands-on review could tell you all you need to know. And if you’re deciding between the S26 Ultra and the Pixel 10 Pro XL, we have a comparison review of the two models that might help you to decide.