Samsung's 2027 launch plans

Samsung is considering launching its flagship Galaxy S27 series in January 2027, according to a report by the Korean informant Lanzuk, who uses the pseudonym yeux1122 on the Naver platform. The report, published on October 19, suggests the series could be released by February 2027 at the latest.

Previous launch dates

The Galaxy S26 was unveiled on February 25, 2026, a month later than the Galaxy S25, which was released on January 22, 2025. According to Lanzuk, Samsung has already chosen the main components for the Galaxy S27 and S27+ models and is now working on finalizing the production schedule. Mass production could begin soon, though memory and chips could cause delays.

Memory and storage upgrades

For the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra, Samsung is still considering using LPDDR6 memory and UFS 5.0 storage, the latest generations of these components. The UFS 5.0 standard, published by JEDEC, can reach up to 10.8 GB/s for sequential read and write speeds, compared to 5.8 GB/s for UFS 4.0. This means transfer speeds nearly double, but these components are more expensive, and memory costs are already rising.

Cost pressures and price increases

Samsung reportedly asked its suppliers to reduce deliveries by up to 30 percent in early October, to produce fewer smartphones rather than selling them at a loss. The company has also increased the prices of Galaxy S26 models and even Galaxy A models to compensate for rising costs. Similar price adjustments may be needed for the S27 Pro and Ultra models.

Heat issues with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6

The Galaxy S27 Ultra, whose design and camera components are largely known, has experienced delays in pre-production testing due to heat issues with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, an enhanced version of Qualcomm's new flagship SoC. If these issues are confirmed, Samsung could consider using its own Exynos 2700 chip instead.

Qualcomm's response

Qualcomm has denied the reports, with Don McGuire, the company's marketing director, stating on X that the claims are "100% inaccurate." He assured that the standard Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 has no systemic thermal issues, but his statement did not specifically address the Extreme version of the chip.

Official launch date still pending

If one is waiting for a Galaxy S27 or S27+, January 2027 seems feasible, as their components are already selected. However, the Pro and Ultra models still require decisions regarding memory and the chip. An official launch date will be confirmed when Samsung sends out invitations to its Galaxy Unpacked event. This year, the invitation was sent on February 10, fifteen days before the event.