A render showing how the Galaxy S26 Ultra compares to the S25 Ultra | Image Credit – Ice Universe
One new sensor and lots of other changes
he Galaxy S26 Ultra will get a new 12MP 3x camera.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is reportedly set to inherit the Galaxy S25 Ultra‘s standard 200MP HP2 rear camera, 50MP JN3 ultrawide snapper, and 50MP 5x IMX854 sensor. The 12MP front-facing camera will also be retained.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra‘s 10MP 3x telephoto Sony IMX754 camera will be replaced with a 12MP S5K3LD 3x unit. The S5K3LD is an in-house 1/3-inch sensor and Samsung has previously equipped its foldable and mid-range handsets with it. It’s larger than the 1/1.39-inch sensor it’s replacing.
Galaxy S26 Ultra might also feature a bunch of software-side changes.
To make sure the Galaxy S26 Ultra makes it to the best camera phones list while rocking most of the same sensors as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, Samsung will introduce several other changes. There will be an option called Adaptive Pixel that cuts down on noise by stitching together multiple low-resolution photos into a single high-resolution one.
There will also be a 24MP option for default and portrait mode. Samsung may also introduce a focus speed slider, which will presumably let you adjust how quickly focus changes.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to give you the flexibility to disable HDR10+ and use regular HDR.
Lastly, the camera will reportedly offer a new video format option called APV and it will come in two quality levels – APV HQ, which records at high quality and uses 1.5GB of storage per minute and APV LQ, which records at lower quality and uses 750MB of storage per minute.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will take more detailed photos
Even though Samsung’s upcoming phone is likely to feature only one new sensor, there will be other improvements that should still improve the overall experience. The primary 200MP camera and the 50MP 5x unit are said to have bigger apertures or openings, which should help them collect more light, improving the quality of photographs.
So, in essence, only the ultrawide camera will remain unchanged, while the rest of the rear camera hardware will be updated.
And, of course, there are the software-side tweaks that should improve the photography experience further.
A good year for the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Galaxy S26 Ultra may feature faster charging.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will reportedly have rounder corners and a pill-shaped camera array. The device will be powered by the Exynos 2600 or Snapdragon 8 Gen 5 Elite, depending on the region, and the faster chip will be paired with the latest RAM technology.
There’s some confusion about the charging speed, with eminent leaker Ice Universe claiming it will support 60W charging, and @chunvn8888 saying the device will feature a new charging solution but the same 45W speed.
Overall, this looks like a meaningful, if not drastic, upgrade. The only ominous cloud hanging is the potential for a price increase over the outgoing Galaxy S25 Ultra. However, with component prices rising, most upcoming handsets will also probably cost more, so users may be willing to overlook this, provided the price hike isn’t substantial.
