Samsung’s Ultra phones telephoto zoom quality may hit snooze until 2027

Samsung’s Ultra flagship — the Galaxy S25 Ultra — packs a versatile camera setup, including a 5x 48MP telephoto shooter. With Apple upping the zoom game with the iPhone 17 Pro lineup this year, you’d expect Samsung to do one better with the S26 Ultra next year. But if a new leak holds true, the company won’t meaningfully improve telephoto image quality on its flagships until 2028.

There has been a lot of buzz surrounding the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera setup in the last few weeks. Reports have detailed the improvements Samsung plans to make, including using a wider aperture for the primary camera and an upgraded 12MP sensor for the 3x telephoto shooter. The 48MP 5x telephoto will also seemingly get a faster f/2.9 aperture, enabling up to 37% more light to hit the sensor.

However, a wider aperture is only one part of the equation. Samsung started using the 1/2.52-inch 5x zoom sensor with the 2024 Galaxy S24 Ultra. So, you’d expect the company to switch to a newer imaging sensor 2–3 years down the line to further boost image quality.

But leaker @UniverseIce claims that won’t happen, with the Korean company apparently sticking to the same 48MP 1/2.52-inch 5x shooter for at least four years — until the 2027 Galaxy S27 Ultra.

Apple uses a 1/2.52-inch 48MP telephoto camera on the iPhone 17 Pro lineup with an f/2.8 aperture and a slightly smaller 4x (100mm) reach. In comparison, the S25 Ultra’s 5x camera has a longer 111mm focal length, albeit with a slower f/3.4 aperture. Technically, this gives the iPhone 17 Pro a noticeable advantage, as it can capture more light and details.

Samsung’s camera strategy: same sensors, year after year

Samsung seems to be following the same playbook with its other flagship camera sensors. It introduced the 200MP HP2 sensor as the primary camera with the Galaxy S23 Ultra and will reportedly stick with it through at least the 2026 S26 Ultra. Though still capable, the sensor is starting to show its age, with Chinese Android flagships outpacing Samsung’s flagship Galaxy phones in image quality with their larger sensors.

The latest ultra flagships from Vivo and Xiaomi pair 5x telephoto lenses with the same 200MP sensor that Samsung still uses as the primary camera on its Ultras.

As a small consolation, the S26 Ultra is rumored to feature a faster f/1.4 aperture for the primary and f/2.8 aperture for the telephoto sensor, which should help improve low-light performance. Still, don’t expect Samsung’s next Ultra flagship to bring radical improvements to image quality.