Galaxy S27: In summary
- Expect a February/March 2027 launch
- There may be a fourth phone in the line-up
- Samsung could bring back variable aperture
- The S27 Ultra’s main camera might be a big upgrade
- A return to Exynos chipsets seems likely
Even though the dust has barely settled on the Samsung Galaxy S26 range, the rumour mill has already started to churn over what next year’s crop of phones might bring. If you’ve decided to skip the S26 line-up and are curious about upgrading to the Samsung Galaxy S27 series instead, here’s all you need to know.
As has been the case for several years, the Galaxy S26 range unfortunately represented another iterative update to Samsung’s flagship phones. They’re by no means bad devices, with the Galaxy S26 a great compact phone, and the S26 Ultra a leader in terms of productivity, but they aren’t all that different from the phones that immediately preceded them.
Our hope is that things will change with the S27 line, not least because Samsung has conceded plenty of ground to its competitors, with the likes of the Oppo Find X9 Pro now our favourite camera phone, while the OnePlus 15 has shown what can be done when bringing a massive battery and a 165Hz display into the mix.
There’s a lot riding on the Galaxy S27 range, so as more information comes in about these phones, we’ll be updating this page so that once they’re officially announced, you should already have a decent idea whether or not they’re worth considering.
Luke Baker
When will the Samsung Galaxy S27 be released?
In summary
- Expect a launch in early 2027
- Samsung could revert to its old launch schedule
As the Samsung Galaxy S26 phones are still so new to the market, we don’t yet have a concrete or even rumoured release date for the Galaxy S27 range.
However, there is a question as to whether or not Samsung will return to its usual release schedule after a delayed S26 launch.
With previous generations, Samsung has typically shown off its new range of flagship phones in January, before releasing them for general sale the following month. The S26 range ended up bucking that trend with a 26 February reveal ahead of an 11 March launch.
Hopefully we’ll get more of an idea of what Samsung has in store as we move further from the S26 launch, and we’ll update this section the moment anything changes.
For context, here are the release dates of previous Samsung Galaxy phones:
- Samsung Galaxy S26 – March 2026
- Samsung Galaxy S25 – February 2025
- Samsung Galaxy S24 – January 2024
- Samsung Galaxy S23 – February 2023
- Samsung Galaxy S22 – February 2022
- Samsung Galaxy S21 – January 2021
Luke Baker
How much will the Samsung Galaxy S27 cost?
In summary
- Expect a minimum price of £879/$899
- The new phones might be more expensive, but it’s unlikely
It’s too early to tell what the starting price of the Galaxy S27 range will be but for our money, we’d be surprised if the S27 didn’t start at £879/$899. The reason is that we’ve already seen a price increase across the board with the Galaxy S26 handsets.
In response to the global economic turbulence and the rising cost of memory, fuelled by the AI race, all three of the Galaxy S26 devices launched with a higher price than their predecessors.
As an example, the standard S26 costs £80/$100 more than the S25, although that does come with a move to 256GB as starting storage, as brands move away from 128GB models. When consumers are trying to save as much money as possible, price increases like these are tough to negotiate, so it would be to Samsung’s detriment if it increased these rates further for next year’s phones.
Here’s the starting price for previous Samsung Galaxy handsets:
- Samsung Galaxy S26 – £879/$899
- Samsung Galaxy S25 – £799/$799
- Samsung Galaxy S24 – £799/$799
- Samsung Galaxy S23 – £769/$799
- Samsung Galaxy S22 – £769/$799
- Samsung Galaxy S21 – £769/$799
Luke Baker
What specs and features will the Samsung Galaxy S27 have?
In summary
- A Galaxy S27 Pro could be on the horizon
- Big overhauls to the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s camera set-up
- The new Exynos 2700 chipset promises even better performance
Time to go Pro
One of the biggest rumours of the Galaxy S26 range that came to nought was a supposed rebranding of Samsung’s entry-level flagship. At one stage, it seemed that Samsung would ditch the S26 entirely, in favour of a Galaxy S26 Pro. We knew well in advance of the eventual Samsung Unpacked event that the phone had been scrapped, but it now appears that Samsung is looking to revisit the idea, albeit with a new approach.
It now seems that Samsung will add the Galaxy S27 Pro to the upcoming 2027 refresh, but as a model that sits between the eventual Galaxy S27+ and the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The reasoning is to have the Pro as a slightly cheaper option than the Ultra, something that could be achieved by ditching the S Pen – which makes a lot of sense.
Samsung is the only brand that has really stood by the stylus concept, and while the S Pen does have its uses, especially for productivity users who appreciate being able to take handwritten notes on the go, it’s not for everyone. If this rumour ends up being true, it’ll give consumers the ability to enjoy the Ultra-level specs they want, including the zoom cameras and Privacy Display, but without wasting money on a feature they don’t need.
Source: ETNews
Variable aperture and a new main sensor (S27 Ultra only)
Long-time Samsung fans may remember that the brand once dabbled in a variable aperture on its phones way back with the Galaxy S9 and the Galaxy S10, which allows a lens to actively widen or close to better adapt to low light. It’s a tricky thing to get right on a smartphone but, now that rumour has it Apple is looking to revitalise the idea with the upcoming iPhone 18 Pro, Samsung may want to follow suit for the S27 Ultra.
While there’s no word yet on what that might look like in a 2027 smartphone, the feature previously allowed the S9 and the S10 to flit between f/1.5 and f/2.4 apertures, depending on the scenario at hand.
Luke Baker
Even though it’s hard not to see the timing of the feature’s return as a knee-jerk reaction to Apple’s development plans, a variable aperture sensor would be great – particularly on the S27 Ultra – given that Samsung’s Ultra phones are already known for having some of the most versatile camera setups on the market. But this won’t be the only camera upgrade for Samsung’s next big flagship, as there’s also word of a new main sensor.
Admittedly, there’s conflicting information right now as to what kind of upgrade is in store for the main camera, but it’ll be an improvement over the S26 Ultra at least. One tipster has it that the S27 Ultra will use a larger 1/1.12-inch sensor that should be able to capture more light and detail than the 1/1.3-inch alternative currently used on the S26 Ultra.
However, another tipster explains that the 1/1.3-inch size will return but that the sensor itself will be one of Samsung’s new HP6 models which should provide better performance across the board. Once we have a better idea of which direction Samsung is heading, as well as any information regarding the regular Galaxy S27 and S27+, we’ll update.
Sources: ETNews | Digital Chat Station
Staying the course with Exynos
Before each new generation of Galaxy hits, we’re always left wondering which way Samsung might go with its chipsets. The company has flip-flopped a few times now between the industry standard Snapdragon CPUs and its own-brand Exynos processors. But this time the answer seems clear: the Exynos 2700 has already appeared on Geekbench servers.
A device under the name S5E9975 was spotted using the new chip, the results of which show a higher multi-core performance (10,350) than that of the Exynos 2600, which is currently used in the Samsung Galaxy S26 and the Galaxy S26+. The results did show a slightly lower grade in single-core performance, but given that we’re so far out from a final build of the chipset, this isn’t any cause for concern.
The current Exynos 2600 represented a big leap forward for Samsung’s tech, which has typically felt leagues behind the closest Snapdragon alternative. The chip is built on a super-efficient 2nm process and packs a redesigned vapour chamber for improved performance with heavy-duty tasks, and it’s exactly why the standard S26 is one of the most powerful compact phones you can buy now. If Samsung can go even further with the 2700 chip, the S27 could be a worthy upgrade.
Source: SamMobile
That’s all we know about the upcoming Samsung Galaxy S27 range, but check back soon for any new tidbits of information.