News

Galaxy S26 Note And S26 Pro To Replace Ultra And Plus Models

The new Galaxy S naming scheme is likely to begin with Samsung’s 2026 smartphone range.

Published

2 years ago

August 20, 2024

samsung galaxy s26 note and s26 pro to replace ultra and plus models

Samsung first revealed the Ultra model of its Galaxy S smartphone series back in 2020, while at the same time dropping the popular Note branding from the lineup. The first handset with the new naming scheme was known as the Galaxy S20 Ultra, and although the South Korean tech giant has released several updated versions of the device in the years that followed, the Galaxy S25 Ultra is likely to be the final smartphone to carry the designation.

The reliable tech news source Yogesh Brar (@heyitsyogesh) has hinted that Samsung is considering renaming two phones in the Galaxy S series, beginning with the models to be released in 2026. In a post on X, Brar suggested that the Galaxy Ultra may get a rebrand as the Galaxy Note, while the “Plus” model will be renamed as the Pro.

According to the tech tipster, the transition (and return) to the Note and Pro naming scheme has already been finalized by Samsung. The company will likely launch the Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Pro, and Galaxy S26 Note models in 2026. The change to Pro branding indicates that this smartphone variant may offer enhancements over the standard Galaxy S26 model, including a bigger display, improved camera, and boosted battery capacity.

Also Read: UGREEN Nexode Pro Review: Portable Yet Powerful Chargers

It’s always advisable to approach tech leaks and rumors with skepticism, especially when they mention models that won’t be released until early 2026. Meanwhile, as we get closer to Q4 2024, the South Korean smartphone producer is reading the latest Galaxy lineup — the S25 — which is reported to be equipped with Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Gen 4 chipset or Samsung’s own Exynos 2500 SoC.

News

Visa’s Return To Syria Starts With A Test And A Bank In Lebanon

Foreign visitors will be the first users to benefit, but whether Syria’s own banks and cardholders follow is still an open question.

Published

6 days ago

August 27, 2026

Dana Saadeh

visa's return to syria starts with a test and a bank in lebanon

Visa is returning to Syria. Its first live international card transaction in the country was a test rather than a launch, and the milestone event ran through a Lebanese bank.

The acquirer (the bank on the merchant’s side of a card payment) was Fransabank Lebanon, with Paymera as the other named partner. Nadim Moujaes, who heads a Fransabank Group subsidiary, describes the test as both the culmination of “longstanding efforts to link Syria back to international payment networks” and “the first step in a larger path”.

Syrian President Ahmed Al-Sharaa makes the first electronic payment in Syria using a @Visa card at a store in Damascus, following the lifting of US sanctions on Syria. pic.twitter.com/lpAN7nQ6Fc

— Tech Magazine (@TechMGZN) August 27, 2026

“We are excited to have successfully tested live transactions today as we plan to enable international visitors to use their Visa cards while in Syria,” says Leila Serhan, Visa’s senior vice president and group country manager for the North Africa, Levant and Pakistan region. Although a significant first step, that plan doesn’t come with a hard date for when a visitor’s card will work normally.

Mohammed Safwat Raslan, governor of the Central Bank of Syria, says the test paves the way for international card acceptance in Syria and that maintaining strong compliance, risk management and operational controls will remain essential. Serhan likewise stresses that Visa has worked within applicable legal, regulatory and compliance requirements. For a test transaction, it seems there was a great deal of attention paid to the rules, with the entire operation being carefully managed.

Also Read: Lebanon’s 5G Era Begins With 150 Stations And A $1M Budget

The test is the latest step in a sequence that began in December 2025, when Visa announced a strategic roadmap to support Syria’s integration into the global digital economy. In February 2026 it hosted its first industry gathering of banks, ecosystem partners and policymakers in Damascus and, the same month, signed an agreement with Syria’s Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in San Francisco.

Michel Kattouah, Paymera’s CEO, called the test “the return of international card acceptance,” but while that’s positive news, there’s no word yet on when a Syrian bank will issue a Visa card to a Syrian customer.