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Samsung Galaxy A26 5G tipped to launch with expandable storage following FCC leak

The Galaxy A26 5G will debut as a smartphone that might rock a feature Samsung has cut out of its premium Android smartphones for generations, according to its Federal Communications Commission (FCC) documentation. It is also destined for launch in the United Kingdom (UK) and Republic of Ireland, according to some additional new leaks. The device is also thought to debut with a design similar to that of the higher-end Galaxy A36 and A56 5G.

The Galaxy A26 5G is thought to be one of the first devices of its mid-range series to debut with an updated, monolithic camera hump rather than the separate rings of the A25 5G (as spotted on Amazon for as little as $184.99 today (February 17, 2025).

The newer model might remain relatively affordable, however, with the same kind of waterdrop-notch display as in 2024. It is also now tipped to ship in Ireland and the UK as well as other regions such as North America and India, thanks to its new leak.

It consists of new support pages on Samsung's official websites for both countries for the SM-A266B/DS, a device rumored to debut as the dual-SIM version of the A26 5G.

Surprisingly little is known about the device's internals to date (compared to its rumored A36 and A56 5G siblings, that is), although an FCC listing associated with the same model number seems to confirm that it will support Wi-Fi 5 in addition to Bluetooth, NFC and the 25W charging rate imparted by Samsung's EP-TA800 power brick. 

There is nothing unusual about that (especially the power brick, unfortunately) - however, the FCC notes that the A26 5G will be capable of SD card support.

That might be a mistake of some kind, yet suggests that the A26 5G could, like its forebear but unlike the higher-end A36, hang onto a microSD card slot in 2025. 

One UI 7 is massively delayed, but One UI 8 might arrive sooner than you think...From being one of the fastest Android brands to release the latest OS updates to becoming one of the sluggish brands this year, Samsung has disappointed a lot with One UI 7. The stable rollout has been painfully slow, with no official timeline in sight and not a single Galaxy device updated to the stable version yet — leaving fans frustrated. However, things might not be that bad with One UI 8.

The massively delayed One UI 7.0 rollout has been raising doubts about whether Samsung will be able to deliver One UI 8.0 on time. Well, that seems good for now, as per initial information shared by reputable Samsung tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) on Twitter/X.

Ice Universe says One UI 8 will arrive sooner than previously thought. While he didn’t share specific details about the One UI 8 release, this suggests that the rollout might not be delayed by a quarter like One UI 7. This seems somewhat true, especially considering Google’s accelerated release timeline for Android 16.

Android 16 development is already live. In fact, Google has already released two public betas, which are currently accessible to eligible Pixel owners. The stable version is expected to be released towards the end of the second quarter. Samsung might release the One UI 8 sometime in the third quarter of 2025.

If you have one from the Galaxy S25 family, you should already be enjoying One UI 7 goodness. Older Galaxy users might need to wait at least until April to get the stable update. The wait could be longer for mid-range and cheaper Galaxy devices. If you’re in the One UI 7 waiting queue, review the eligible devices list to ensure your device is ready for the next big upgrade.

mundophone