Samsung has a tradition of incorporating older hardware into its flagship smartphones, especially in areas like camera technology, while enhancing performance through software advancements. The recent specs report on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, brings some unexpected news. It appears that one of its zoom sensors will be nearly identical to those found in the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra. But there’s a silver lining—the return of the variable aperture lens in Samsung’s latest flagship might compensate for this shortfall.
The details reveal that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will support a 5x optical zoom, continuing with a 50MP camera. While the hardware seems unchanged when compared to previous models, Samsung plans to leverage newer computational techniques to elevate photography and videography.
Take, for example, the Galaxy S25 Edge, which manages to deliver superior image quality at 4x zoom compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, even without a telephoto lens. This indicates that similar enhancements could be carried over to the S26 Ultra. In terms of the main camera, Samsung seems to be sticking to the 200MP sensor seen in its predecessors.
There’s excitement around the variable aperture technology expected to debut in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but specifics about improvements remain under wraps. Regarding other features, the new flagship will house a 5,000mAh battery, maintaining the same capacity as the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
While some features might not seem like a compelling reason to upgrade, it’s important to remember that the official release is still some months away. There may yet be surprises in store as more details emerge.
