New Galaxy S26 Ultra leak reveals color inspired by iPhone 17 Pro

Samsung's next flagship might be colorfully influenced by Apple's latest

(Credit: Matt Swider / The Shortcut)

• 📱 The Galaxy S26 Ultra has leaked again, revealing a certain design aspect

• 🟠 It seems that Apple’s Cosmic Orange could be coming to Samsung’s phones

• 👀 While it likely won’t carry the same name, it does look awfully similar

• ⚫️ The S26 Ultra could also skip black in its array of finishes

• 📅 Samsung is expected to announce the Galaxy S26 Ultra early next year

Samsung is always accused of copying Apple, Apple’s accused of copying Samsung, and so on. It’s a constant back-and-forth battle that never seems to end, and it doesn’t look like that conversation will be wrapping up any time soon. The Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung’s next flagship phone, could copy one of the iPhone 17 Pro’s distinctive design choices: an orange finish.

• More: Dbrand copies iPhone 17 Pro’s Cosmic Orange for skins and cases – and it’s good

A new photo has leaked (via Reddit) showing off three different dummies of the S26 Ultra and the colors it’ll allegedly come in: silver, bronze/gold, and a vibrant orange. While it likely won’t be called Cosmic Orange, it’s hard to ignore the fact that it looks strikingly similar to the same orange finish as Apple’s device. It appears to wrap around the sides as well with color-matched aluminum, while the camera sensors on the back add the only visible contrast.

It’s possible that this photo has been edited in some way to spread a falsehood that Samsung will copy Apple’s orange lead, but it does corroborate a previous leak from Max Jambor suggesting that “Orange is the new black” and that we’ll be seeing the color a lot more in 2026. This also hints that the S26 Ultra won’t come in a black finish, which is disappointing for those who like their devices to look more low-key than flashy.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to be announced sometime in early 2026, likely in January or early February. The phone is said to come with a similar design to the S25 Ultra with slightly rounder corners, an in-display selfie camera, and a Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 processor. There’s also a rumor that it could get a bit skinnier and drop the S Pen, although those rumors are few and far between. We’ll know more about the phone as more information leaks over the next couple of months.

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Max Buondonno is an editor at The Shortcut. He’s been reporting on the latest consumer technology since 2015, with his work featured on CNN Underscored, ZDNET, How-To Geek, XDA, TheStreet, and more. Follow him on X @LegendaryScoop and Instagram @LegendaryScoop.