The Galaxy S27 may be the S10 Plus successor I’ve been waiting for

Unboxing a new Samsung smartphone used to be an event. I remember running home, knowing a shiny new Galaxy Note 9 was waiting for me, unable to contain my excitement as I ripped open the box. I felt the same as I picked up my Rise of Skywalker Galaxy Note 10 Plus for the first time. The devices felt alive, and they continued a long tradition of interesting Samsung phones.

Unfortunately, I haven’t felt that in a long time. Samsung’s current designs feel uninspired, and it is surprising that we have seen the same general design for almost five years in its flagship Galaxy series. Sure, there have been minor refreshes along the way, but nothing like what we were used to seeing from the company.

Thankfully, leaks suggest that’s about to change, as the upcoming Galaxy S27 reminds me of one of the best phones the company has ever released.

There’s a certain attitude you have as an insurgent that’s much harder to maintain as an incumbent. Samsung’s early designs showed it was trying to blaze a trail, while its recent success has made that difficult. When you have a massive installed user base buying your product every year, you do your best not to upset that — it’s human nature, and it’s especially true in business.

Unfortunately, that can lead to a bland product, and there’s no better example than the Galaxy S26 lineup. Samsung’s recent design language is uninspired, meant to offend as few people as possible while sitting on store shelves. It seems easy to criticize from the sidelines, but Samsung knows what it is doing, with the sales figures to back it up.

If the Galaxy S27 rumors are correct, we won’t have to wait long for some of that to change, as Samsung might be going back to one of my favorite designs.

Early Galaxy S27 renders show Samsung returning to a horizontal camera bar, much like we had on the Galaxy S10 Plus. It’s given me a tinge of excitement about a Galaxy phone I haven’t felt in a while. The Galaxy S10 Plus was close to perfection. Sure, the pill cutout for the front-facing camera was a bit wonky, and the ultrasonic fingerprint sensor was a bit slow, but I didn’t care.

It proved you could make a device that was sleek, stylish, and powerful — that didn’t have to weigh as much as a Fiat. The Galaxy S10 Plus was a welcome departure from the S9. It felt like the first time Samsung took photography seriously, and I loved the images I got from my S10 Plus. Low-light performance was also better than expected. Its display still holds up well, and it was a vintage, saturated Samsung panel.

I was devastated when Samsung didn’t bring the Galaxy S10 Plus design back for another go. Until then, each design had been around for two years, but Samsung only gave the S10 Plus one year in the sun. It wouldn’t have been so bad if what followed weren’t an abomination. The Galaxy S20 Plus was a hideous brick, with no distinctive flair.

I’m relieved that Samsung might bring back some of the S10 Plus magic with the Galaxy S27, but the company has other reasons for switching things up.

If Samsung changes the design on the Galaxy S27 next year, it’s not because the company loves us. Samsung has made it clear over the last few devices that it only sees itself as competition. The company is perfectly content to make its newest devices only truly attractive to people coming off of two- or three-year upgrade cycles. However, this year, that poses a problem.

As Android Authority’s Shimul Sood points out, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is still excellent, with years of software support left and no signs of slowing down. If Samsung is going to convince buyers to part with their beloved Galaxy S24 Ultra, it’s going to have to come up with something special.

The Galaxy S27 could be that device if Samsung takes a big swing. The design will be different, and early camera rumors suggest a primary sensor upgrade. I’d love a silicon-carbon battery and for the Bluetooth S pen to return, but I’m not going to get greedy. Samsung is savvy enough to know it needs to do something if it wants to keep the same record sales momentum it’s enjoyed from the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Maybe I’ve set a low bar for myself to be excited about a Samsung flagship again, but I know the company is capable. I absolutely love using my Galaxy Z TriFold, and I’m curious to see what’s next from the company’s foldables.

The Galaxy S24 Ultra is a phenomenal smartphone that has aged well. If I didn’t review devices for a living, there’s a good chance it would be the phone in my pocket right now. It was the last device to carry any of the Galaxy Note’s heritage, and Samsung will need to come out with a similarly inspiring phone to match.

The Galaxy S27 is off to a good start. Let’s hope it has what it takes — and I’m rioting if it doesn’t come in a Prism White colorway.