Samsung leaked the Galaxy S26 in the most unlikely place last year

Source: Android Authority

C. Scott Brown / Android Authority

TL;DR

• Last October, a Samsung employee filed a bug report on Google’s Chromium Issue Tracker.
• The report included a video of a handset demonstrating the issue.
• The employee identified the hardware as an “S26.”

Leak discovered in a public bug tracker

This week is Galaxy Unpacked week, and we are just two days away from Samsung unveiling its latest smartphone lineup. Even with months of rumors and leaks, new information still surfaces—in this case, from an unexpectedly public source.

Samsung has been working to plug leaks within its organization, but employees can still unintentionally expose details while performing routine tasks.

The Chromium issue report

In October, a user with a Samsung email address submitted a bug report on Google’s Chromium issue tracker. The report complained of inconsistent frame rates in split‑screen view and included a video to illustrate the problem. Under Additional Comments, the reporter noted: “device is S26.”

The video contains a watermark at the bottom of the screen, clearly indicating that the device is an internal prototype not intended for public exposure.

Google’s response

The Chromium team responded with some confusion, questioning why the demo used the Firefox browser to showcase a purported Chromium bug. They suggested that the fluctuating frame rate was more likely a system‑level issue related to Samsung’s touch‑input handling rather than a Chromium problem.

Looking ahead

We’re still eagerly awaiting the official first look at the Galaxy S26 series this Wednesday. It’s intriguing to think that a video from Samsung itself has been sitting under our noses this whole time.

Stay tuned for full coverage of Samsung’s Galaxy Unpacked launch event.