Samsung has not made any noticeable upgrades to the main camera of its Ultra flagship in the last few years. The Galaxy S25 Ultra features the same 200MP HP2 sensor with a fast f/1.7 aperture found in the 2023 Galaxy S23 Ultra. It seems Samsung will stick to the same primary camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra for next year, but with one major upgrade: a larger aperture.
Ice Universe claims Samsung’s flagship Ultra phone for next year will pair a large aperture lens with the same HP2 sensor. The wider aperture should compensate for the old HP2 sensor, significantly boosting the light it can capture. This will help boost the overall image quality, especially in low-light conditions.
The leaker further says this will be the “most obvious” upgrade to the primary camera on Samsung’s Ultra flagship since the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
A wider aperture typically introduces softness and blurriness around the edges. It also results in a very shallow depth of field for close-up shots, which can cause parts of the subject to appear out of focus. It remains to be seen how Samsung plans to address this issue.
Samsung’s recent flagships have failed to keep up with Chinese rivals like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo in the imaging department. They use significantly larger 1-inch type sensors for primary cameras on their devices, enabling them to capture images with better dynamic range and details. By using a wider aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung may finally start to close the gap.
Galaxy S26 Ultra could deliver the biggest Ultra refresh in years
Ice Universe has recently shared several details about Samsung’s next Ultra flagship. His sources suggest the S26 Ultra will retain a 5,000mAh battery but support faster 60W wired charging speeds — the highest ever on a Galaxy phone. It will also use Qualcomm’s Snapdragon 8 Elite 2 ‘for Galaxy’ chip, with a peak clock speed of 4.74GHz. Perhaps most surprisingly, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will include all these in an even slimmer chassis.
If the leaks about Samsung’s next flagship prove accurate, it could mark the most significant upgrade to the lineup in years.
