Galaxy S26 might make the storage upgrade Google Pixel refuses to – ditching 128GB

Ben Schoon | Jan 28 2026 - 7:05 am PT

As our phones become more and more important, storage does too, which is why the base storage tier on flagship phones has been moving up over the years. With the upcoming Galaxy S26, Samsung is reportedly finally moving away from a 128GB starting point, something we wish Google would do too.

For the past few years, Samsung’s Galaxy S flagships have been using 256GB as the starting storage allotment on the top-tier Ultra model, as well as on the Plus too. But the base model has still been starting at 128GB, with slower storage as a result.

That seems to be changing this year, as a Finnish retailer (via Suomimobiili & SamMobile) accidentially leaked the storage configurations of the Galaxy S26 series, at least as they’ll be sold in Finland. With that in mind, take it with a grain of salt, but here’s what we’re looking at:

Galaxy S26

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256GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black (Enterprise Edition)
512GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue

Galaxy S26+

256GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue
512GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue

Galaxy S26 Ultra

256GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue, Black (Enterprise Edition)
512GB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue
1TB: Black, White, Cobalt Violet, Sky Blue

Samsung is expected to have some other exclusive colors that may or may not be region-specific, but the most notable thing here is the complete absence of a 128GB storage tier on the entire Galaxy S26 series. It’s a rather big shift, and one that’s been a long time coming.

It’s likely inspired, at least in part, by Apple making the same move on the iPhone 17. As far as flagship devices go, it leaves just Google Pixel with 128GB starting storage tiers, something that surely the brand will be looking to finally address in the Pixel 11 series later this year – that’s what we’d hope, at least.