This year started with a few iterative phone launches, but the last few months have taken us back into the exciting phones territory. From the all-new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 to Apple’s first-ever foldable iPhone Duo, we’re fresh off the flagship launch cycle from Samsung, Google and Apple. Everything from a Galaxy to a Pixel and new Pro iPhones have already been announced. However, there are a few devices left to launch in 2026.
While the ongoing RAM shortage and growing competition in generative AI are making it harder for phone-makers to deliver bold designs without pushing prices too high, we’ve seen some innovative phones this year. However, they came with price hikes and also led Apple to shake things up with its iPhone 18 lineup. We only got the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max, alongside the iPhone Duo, whereas the base iPhone 18 is expected to be announced alongside the iPhone 18E and iPhone Air 2 next year.
This year has already seen radical design approaches from the likes of Galaxy Z TriFold and Oppo Find N6, as well as camera innovations from the Ultra models of Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi. Now, it is already time for their successors and a few of these features to trickle down to their Pro siblings in the upcoming months.
The bottom line? 2026 is far from over, and there are still a few exciting phones left to be revealed.
Phones released in 2026 so far
Samsung Galaxy Z TriFold, Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy Z Fold 8, Fold 8 Ultra and Flip 8
Google Pixel 10A, Pixel 11, Pixel 11 Pro, Pixel 11 Pro XL and Pixel 11 Pro Fold
Apple iPhone 17E, iPhone 18 Pro, iPhone 18 Pro Max and iPhone Duo.
Oppo Find X9 Ultra and Find N6
Motorola Razr 2026, Razr Plus 2026, Razr Ultra 2026 and Razr Fold
Apple
The iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max marked the return of vibrant colors to Apple’s highest-end iPhones.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
A split iPhone 18 launch strategy
Apple introduced two new devices in the iPhone 18 series, but unlike previous years, the base model was missing. We got the iPhone 18 Pro and Pro Max along with the foldable iPhone Duo — the latter, which goes on sale Oct. 23. But there’s no base iPhone 18 or iPhone Air 2. For years, Apple has continued to announce the base iPhone model alongside its Pro siblings, while also experimenting with Mini, Plus and Air variants. This has changed in 2026.
According to a report from The Information and Apple analyst Ming-Chi Kuo, the Cupertino, California-based company was rumored to push the launch of the vanilla iPhone 18 to early 2027 in a bid to make space for the iPhone Duo. After the September 2026 event, it seems like the rumors were true. The standard iPhone 18 is tipped to be released alongside the iPhone 18E in March 2027.
The new Apple iPhone launch cycle might be:
March 2026: iPhone 17E
September 2026: iPhone 18 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone Duo
March 2027: iPhone 18, iPhone 18E and iPhone Air 2
September 2027: iPhone Air 3, iPhone 19 Pro/Pro Max and iPhone 20 (named to honor the 20th anniversary of the original iPhone’s 2007 debut)
Samsung
The Galaxy S25 Ultra debuted in January 2025.
Josh Steinbauer/CNET
Samsung has seemingly announced all its flagship phones for the year. It started with a tri-fold phone and carried that innovative energy into its mainstream foldable phones. The Korea-based phone-maker has had its ups and downs in 2026, but it has delivered some amazing devices.
In January, it announced the Galaxy Z TriFold, which was extremely limited in availability. The Huawei Mate XT competitor opted for a different folding design; this compromised its usability, but the overall tablet-in-pocket design was terrific nonetheless. The following month, Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series with forgettable upgrades to the S26 and S26 Plus, but added a unique Privacy Display feature on its top-of-the-line Ultra model. I wish it had added the same privacy capability to the Folds this year. While that didn’t happen, it launched an all-new wide Galaxy Z Fold 8 in July, which has been my favorite folding phone of the year. The new Flip 8 and Fold 8 Ultra are fine in their own ways, but the Fold 8 is the best combination of flip pocket-ability and fold usability.
While we’re unlikely to get any more flagship phones from Samsung this year, the Galaxy S27 series is reportedly bracing for a redesign. According to leakers Ice Universe, Sonny Dickson and Max Jambor, the Galaxy S27 series could adopt a camera bar design similar to the iPhone 17 Pro series.
Google Pixel 11 Pro brings software-led changes.Andrew Lanxon/CNET
Google’s Pixel 11 series arrived in August, focusing on new software features and a bigger camera sensor on the Pixel 11 Pro. The Pixel 11 Pro Fold also got a slightly thinner and lighter design over last year’s Pixel 10 Pro Fold. While a lot of the hardware remained similar to last year’s Pixel 10 series, many of the small revisions added up to noticeable improvements, including faster 25W Qi2.2 wireless charging using the phones’ PixelSnap magnets and the 40% slimmer camera bar on the Pixel 11 over the Pixel 10.
The 2026 Google Pixel lineup is led by useful smart features. CNET’s Mike Sorrentino put it best in his review: “Pixel-specific features like Live Translate are jaw-dropping and show the lengths Google has gone to make accessibility a priority.” The underwhelming HiLight LED feature and $100 price hike across the lineup might sting, but each new Pixel phone can stand its own.
Motorola
Motorola’s Signature 27 has four cameras on the back, but so far, we only know about the 50-megapixel main camera and a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto camera.Motorola
Motorola is all set to launch its Signature 27 phone in the US this year. Unlike the original Motorola Signature, the aggressive flagship will be coming to the US market.
The Motorola Signature 27 will be powered by the newly announced Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 processor, paired with a partial list of high-end features. It could especially benefit from and fill the void left by the recently departed OnePlus phone line. One of the best parts about the upcoming phone is that it’ll match Samsung’s Galaxy and Google’s Pixel lines with a seven-year commitment to software and security support.
During Qualcomm’s annual Snapdragon Summit, Motorola also unveiled several specifications of its upcoming phone. The Signature 27 will include a 50-megapixel main camera, as well as a 200-megapixel periscope telephoto lens to take clear zoom photos from far distances, like at a concert. It’ll likely have another camera on the back, but we don’t know its megapixel count yet.
Motorola is focusing on gamers with its new flagship device. The Signature 27 has a cooling system called ArcticMesh, which combines a diamond-infused thermal gel, liquid metal, copper mesh and a 3D vapor chamber that’s 40% larger than the previous Signature phone. Theoretically, it should help the phone stay cool during intensive gaming and video recording. Motorola’s new phone will come in two colors: a “Pantone Coal Smoke in tactical weave,” which is a darker shade with a woven texture and a “Pantone Capulet Olive in a brushed textile-inspired finish,” which is a green shade with a softer, tactile feel.
Where is OnePlus?
OnePlus has already announced its OnePlus 13 successor: the OnePlus 15.
Prakhar Khanna/CNET
However, we won’t get any more OnePlus flagships in the US. In July, the company confirmed that it’ll no longer operate in North America or Europe and won’t launch any further phones in the regions following 2025’s OnePlus 15. It had already merged some of its operations with its parent company Oppo in 2021, but all of its operations will now fall under the Oppo brand. OnePlus will continue to operate in China and India, but it’s unlikely to announce a top-end flagship phone this year.
Prakhar Khanna is a Writer at CNET with bylines in ZDNET, Forbes, and other major outlets. A digital nomad at heart, he thrives in chaos–mixing deadlines with travel, often writing stories on planes, trains, and cafe tables while hunting down the best pizza spots wherever he lands. His backpack usually carries one phone too many, and his playlists are stacked with 2000s Bollywood. Find him across social media @ParkyPrakhar.
Contact: parkydoesstuff(at)gmail(dot)com
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