Fresh Galaxy S26 leaks have already teased plenty of design details ahead of the expected February 2026 launch, but a new claim suggests Samsung may have experimented with something even more eye-catching: an Apple-style camera control button.
According to a post shared on LinkedIn by a former employee tied to a Samsung supplier, Samsung explored adding a dedicated camera button to the Galaxy S26 series. The idea reportedly went beyond a simple shutter key, too. It was said to include swipe gesture support, mirroring the style of camera controls seen on recent iPhone models—likely aimed at making it faster to zoom, adjust settings, or jump into capture modes without tapping the screen.
So why hasn’t this shown up in the leaks? The same claim suggests Samsung ultimately didn’t move forward with the plan, and recently leaked Galaxy S26 renders don’t show an extra side button. One possible reason is that Samsung may have looked at real-world feedback around similar camera buttons and concluded that many users weren’t using them as much as expected. Another practical explanation: early renders and prototype-based leaks aren’t always perfect, and small hardware elements can be missing or changed late in development. That means a camera control button isn’t completely off the table yet, even if it’s looking less likely right now.
If Samsung does decide to bring a dedicated camera button to the Galaxy S26 lineup, it wouldn’t be alone. After Apple introduced its own take on a camera control button, other smartphone brands quickly experimented with similar implementations—showing that the idea is spreading beyond a single ecosystem as companies look for new ways to improve one-handed photography and video recording.
Still, there’s an important detail working against this rumor: none of the well-known phone tipsters have backed up the existence of a Galaxy S26 camera button so far. That makes it more likely that the feature was tested internally and then shelved, rather than locked in for mass production.
For now, the safest takeaway is this: Samsung reportedly considered an iPhone-like camera control button for the Galaxy S26 series with swipe gestures, but current leaks and insider chatter suggest it probably won’t debut on the final Galaxy S26 models—unless Samsung quietly revives the idea closer to launch.
