The Galaxy S25 Plus Is Proof the Plus Series Should Stay

If you’re looking forward to the new Samsung Galaxy S26 series next year, we have some potentially bad news. Rumor has it Samsung will officially scrap the Galaxy S26 Plus in favor of its Edge model. However, we’ve heard this rumor before, and after using the Galaxy S25+ for the last six months, I think it should stick around.

The middle child in Samsung’s phone lineup has always struggled to find its place, trying to be bigger and better than the base model without cutting into sales of Samsung’s Ultra phone. But that doesn’t mean it should disappear. In fact, I bought the Galaxy S25 Ultra earlier this year, used it for two weeks, and then happily returned it for the Galaxy S25+.

We’ve Heard These Rumors Before

The first major Samsung Galaxy S26 rumors started swirling earlier this month, and they’re already starting to sound like the same rumors we heard in 2024 and the year before that, too.

See, in 2023, we started to hear whispers that Samsung wanted to scrap its Plus model phone, but that never happened. Then, after Samsung’s Galaxy S24 series arrived, there were many reports and rumors that the Galaxy S25+ would be discontinued. Clearly, that didn’t happen, since I have one in my pocket, but those same whispers are starting to get loud again.

According to the popular Korean news outlet The Elec, Samsung plans to release a larger Galaxy S26, a slightly smaller Galaxy S26 Edge, and an even bigger Galaxy S26 Ultra next year. People on Twitter and Reddit are already saying the Plus is dead. The only thing that makes this next generation different from previous years is that there’s now a clear replacement, the Galaxy S26 Edge.

Sound familiar? It’s no secret that Samsung’s middle phone doesn’t sell exceptionally well, but the latest “Edge” model isn’t the answer. Shortly after the Galaxy S25 Edge hit the shelves, we heard that sales were so incredibly low that Samsung had to lower its production numbers.

Those reports spawned rumors that Samsung wanted to replace the Plus with the Edge, but now it’s rethinking that strategy. See where I’m going with this? Rumors are all over the place. I don’t know about you, but that doesn’t sound like a good option to replace the Plus.

The Samsung Galaxy S Plus Sells Just Fine

Just because the Galaxy S Plus model doesn’t have huge numbers doesn’t mean it needs to be replaced, especially with something like the Edge that most buyers don’t care about. Sure, Samsung’s base model flagship phone and its popular Ultra model bring in more sales, but the Plus model still does just fine.

At the beginning of the year, we heard the S24+ sold over 7.2 million units compared to roughly 16.8 million S24 Ultra phones and 13 million units of the smallest Galaxy S24. I don’t know about you, but moving over 7 million phones is still pretty good.

Then, in May, we learned that the entire Galaxy S25 lineup was doing great and already outselling the S24 series. With things going so well, and phone sales having their best year since 2019, why would Samsung randomly make a huge move and kill the Galaxy S26 Plus? They wouldn’t, and they shouldn’t.

For comparison, market watchers said the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Flip 6, combined, only sold a little over 5 million units to close out 2024. Yes, those two fancy phones sold less than the Galaxy S24+. Are they going anywhere anytime soon? No, they’re not, and the new Galaxy Z Fold 7 looks pretty great. So why would Samsung scrap its relatively successful Plus model?

Don’t get me wrong—anything can happen. I just don’t think it makes all that much sense for Samsung to kill the Galaxy S26 Plus, and I’m getting kinda sick of hearing the same rumor year after year.

Samsung’s Plus Model Is the Perfect Middle Ground

For many, including myself, Samsung’s Ultra phones are too big, heavy, and hard to hold or use one-handed. That’s exactly why I returned my Galaxy S25 Ultra for the Galaxy S25+, which I absolutely love.

Samsung’s Galaxy S Plus model is the ideal phone for me. It’s the perfect middle ground. After using the Galaxy S25+ since it came out, I’m completely convinced that it should stick around. It delivers a premium and well-rounded experience that’s as close to the Ultra without getting out of hand in terms of size and price.

While Samsung’s goal with the Plus model has changed over the years, the Galaxy S25+ is a hair smaller than the Ultra, still packs the same incredible specs and display, gets excellent battery life, and even has a telephoto zoom lens. Sure, it’s missing a fourth camera, and some of the camera lenses are a bit different, but they’re still excellent.

On the flip side, the Galaxy S25 Edge is the same size and design as the Galaxy S25 Plus, but it’s worse in several key areas. The S25+ delivers more cameras, longer battery life, better speakers, faster charging, and costs $100 less.

If Samsung wants to ship more Galaxy S Plus units, I don’t think ditching it for the Edge model, which has downgrades across the board, is the answer. Instead, Samsung should focus on improving the current Plus model for 2026. Make the cameras slightly better or have a different layout than the base Galaxy S26. Maybe give it the fancy anti-reflective screen from the Ultra, or drop the price a little bit to make it more lucrative to potential buyers.

In my review of the Samsung Galaxy S25+, I concluded that it’s so similar to the Ultra that it’s the Samsung phone most people should buy. After using it for nearly six months, I stand by my statement. If you plan to upgrade to a new Galaxy in 2026, you should want the Galaxy S26 Plus. Here’s to hoping the rumors are wrong and one gets released.