As the Galaxy S26 series begins its transition to One UI 9, contrasting speculations regarding Samsung’s next flagship persist. The most controversial subject is centered around the camera enhancements (or the absence thereof) for the Galaxy S27 Ultra.
The Camera Chronicles Persist
There is a consensus that Samsung intends to eliminate one camera while rearranging the layout to resemble that of the iPhone; nevertheless, ambiguity surrounds the remaining telephoto camera. Will it be upgraded with a new sensor and lens, or will it retain the existing configuration as the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
A leak from phonefuturist implies that Samsung is testing a 4x optical zoom telephoto with a 1/1.9-inch sensor, subsequently clarifying this was designated for the S27 Ultra.
Ice Universe later contested this assertion, declaring, “Do not trust that source, which has historically propagated falsehoods,” and that the claim “is 100% inaccurate.”
To be fair, phonefuturist only indicated that Samsung was “evaluating” the “super telephoto.” Ice also mentioned that Samsung will maintain the same 5x and 1/2.52-inch sensor as previously utilized.
Recently, Roland Quandt from WinFuture has contributed to the discussion, asserting that the S27 Ultra contains a 50Mp telephoto with 5x and a Sony sensor. He stated, “period. no idea why we’re even speculating on this.”
Thus, it appears to be two in favor of Samsung making alterations (excluding the removal of one camera) and one for maintaining the status quo.
Deciding whom to believe is akin to wagering on red or black in a casino. The S27 series launch is still months ahead, so the situation will likely clarify as the date approaches.
Quandt also noted that the S27 Ultra will feature a 50Mp ultrawide camera alongside a 16Mp selfie camera. This indicates the same resolution for the ultrawide as its predecessor but an upgrade from 12Mp for the front camera.
In other S27 updates…
The Ultra variant is expected to incorporate Samsung’s (specifically Samsung Display) new M16 OLED panel for the display. This was unveiled earlier this week, with the iQoo 16 (launching on 29 September) confirmed as the first device to utilize it, boasting an impressive brightness of 10,000 nits.
This implies that, despite strong expectations, the Pixel 11 devices did not receive the M16 OLED.
The S27 Ultra might utilize Qualcomm’s forthcoming Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro processor, expected to be revealed next week. The Xiaomi 18 series may be the first to officially feature this chipset, but the S27 Ultra may not have it universally, as Samsung might opt for its proprietary Exynos 2700 in certain markets.
Lastly, amid speculation over which S27 models will include the Privacy Display, Samsung is rumored to implement LPDDR5X memory in the more affordable S27 and S27+ versions, while only the Pro and Ultra will be equipped with the next-gen LPDDR6 chips.
There remains a singular rumor regarding a fifth S27 variant being included in the lineup dubbed the S27 Edge. This would signify Samsung’s return to the slender phone market following the S25 Edge.
