There were rumors earlier that Samsung may use a 200MP ISOCELL sensor for the Galaxy S26 Ultra‘s telephoto camera. This isn’t entirely out of the question just yet, as the S26 Ultra may have two telephoto camera units. For now, what we expect with a certain level of trustworthiness is that one of these two telephoto units has a 50MP sensor. The other one has not leaked yet.
The Galaxy S25 Ultra upgraded the 12MP ultrawide camera from the previous model to a 50MP ultrawide one. It is very likely that the same ultrawide will be available for the Galaxy S26 Ultra as well. The main camera may also be the same 200MP one, as per rumors.
So, right now, the biggest mystery is this second telephoto sensor, and hopefully, there we can see an upgrade.
Meanwhile, an earlier report indicated Samsung may bring variable aperture back on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but as an early report that is yet to be corroborated, we should take this with a grain of salt. It’s also possible for Samsung to use thinner camera modules for the phone to achieve a slim-chic profile.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to be announced sometime in early next year. It will face the yet-unannounced iPhone 17 Pro Max in the battle for the best phone on the market. For now, it seems Samsung may not be planning to upgrade the cameras on its beast, but rumors indicate some nice upgrades for the iPhone, so the Korean company may have a tough challenge to beat.
I personally think that if Samsung really sticks with the same camera setup for the third year in a row, it might disappoint fans who were hoping for something fresh and exciting. Even though the current sensors are solid, people expect innovation from a flagship like the S26 Ultra – especially when competitors like Apple are rumored to be stepping things up. Hopefully, that second telephoto camera brings a real surprise.
