The Samsung Galaxy S26, Galaxy S26 Plus, and Galaxy S26 Ultra are all rumored to be landing on February 25, so there’s probably not long to wait for them, and if you care about cameras on phones then they could be worth paying attention to.
After all, Samsung’s Galaxy S-series handsets usually have some of the best cameras and editing tools you’ll find on a phone, with the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra currently ranked second on our best camera phones guide – so the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra may well take its place.
But could any Samsung Galaxy S26 models take the top spot? While we can’t answer that yet, we do – thanks to leaks and rumors – have a good idea of the camera hardware to expect, which might give you some idea of just how good these phones could be for photos. So below, you’ll find our camera predictions for all three of these upcoming phones.
Samsung Galaxy 26 camera predictions
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 camera predictions |
|---|---|
|
Main camera: |
50MP |
|
Ultra-wide camera: |
12MP (f/2.2, 1/2.55-inch, 13mm, 120-degree field of view) |
|
Telephoto camera: |
10MP (f/2.4, 1/3.94-inch, 67mm, 3x optical zoom) |
|
Front camera: |
12MP (f/2.2, 1/3.2-inch, 26mm) |
The biggest Samsung Galaxy S26 specs leak so far also happens to be one of the most recent, and it comes from a reputable leaker, so the details here are what we’re most inclined to believe.
But if this is accurate, then not much will be changing for the Samsung Galaxy S26’s cameras, with this leak suggesting that it will have a 50MP main (wide) camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, a 10MP telephoto (with 3x optical zoom and a 1/3.94-inch sensor), and a 12MP front-facing camera. All of that is the same as the Galaxy S25.
That doesn’t necessarily mean the cameras will be totally identical though, as another leak suggested the main camera could use a different – but still 50MP – sensor, so perhaps it will have a larger sensor, which would allow it to capture more light and in turn offer improved low light performance.
It’s also possible that the big leak above is wrong, as we’ve elsewhere heard that the telephoto camera might have a 1/2.55-inch 12MP sensor, which would not just be more megapixels than the Galaxy S25’s sensor, but also larger. However, this is an older leak and from a less well-known source, so we’re not as convinced by that.
Finally, the same source as the big leak above had previously said that the Samsung Galaxy S26 might have a 50MP ultra-wide sensor, but they’ve seemingly changed their mind, since this is an older leak, and in any case they branded this potential upgrade as “useless”, so it doesn’t sound like a substantial change even if it does happen.
So for now our best guess is that the Galaxy S26 will have the same megapixel numbers in its cameras as the Galaxy S25, but there’s the potential for some of the sensors to be different and larger – with the main sensor in particular looking like it might be.
It’s also very likely that Samsung will have made some behind the scenes changes to improve photography on the phone.
Samsung Galaxy 26 Plus camera predictions
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus camera predictions |
|---|---|
|
Main camera: |
50MP |
|
Ultra-wide camera: |
12MP (f/2.2, 1/2.55-inch, 13mm, 120-degree field of view) |
|
Telephoto camera: |
10MP (f/2.4, 1/3.94-inch, 67mm, 3x optical zoom) |
|
Front camera: |
12MP (f/2.2, 1/3.2-inch, 26mm) |
Samsung’s Galaxy S Plus models tend to have the same camera specs as the base models. And rumors suggest that will be the same this year – so in other words the Samsung Galaxy S26 Plus will probably have the same camera specs as the Galaxy S26, detailed above.
All the same information tidbits apply then, with the most likely of those pointing to a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide camera, a 10MP telephoto camera (with 3x optical zoom and a 1/3.94-inch sensor), and a 12MP front-facing camera.
At least one leak slightly disagrees, pointing instead to a 12MP telephoto camera, but we’re less convinced by that, as detailed above.
What we might see is a new, potentially larger sensor for one or more of the lenses though, with a leak specifically pointing to this for the 50MP main sensor. And there will probably be improvements behind the scenes too, such as a new image signal processor (ISP), powered by the new chipset.
Samsung Galaxy 26 Ultra camera predictions
| Header Cell – Column 0 |
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra camera predictions |
|---|---|
|
Main camera: |
200MP (f/1.7, 1/1.3inch, 24mm) |
|
Ultra-wide camera: |
50MP (f/1.9, 120-degree field of view) |
|
Periscope camera: |
50MP (f/3.4, 1/2.52-inch, 111mm, 5x optical zoom) |
|
Telephoto camera: |
10MP (f/2.4, 1/3.94-inch, 3x optical zoom) |
|
Front camera: |
12MP (f/2.2, 1/3.2-inch, 26mm) |
The biggest Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra camera specs tip-off so far comes from @UniverseIce (a leaker with a good track record), who claims that it will have a 200MP main camera using the company’s HP2 sensor, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP telephoto with 5x optical zoom, a 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom (and a 1/3.94-inch sensor), and a 12MP front-facing camera.
Those specs would all be the same as the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s except for the 10MP telephoto camera, which if this is right would have a smaller sensor than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s equivalent. That would be strange as it sounds like a downgrade, so we’d take at least that element with a hefty helping of skepticism.
Alternatively, another source claims the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could have a 1/2.55-inch, 12MP telephoto sensor, though this source doesn’t have much of a track record.
Another source meanwhile agrees with the above leak claiming that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will have a 200MP HP2 sensor, but says that this will be paired with a new lens, while elsewhere a leaker says the 200MP camera could actually have a larger sensor – though this is an old claim that we haven’t heard since, so we’re not super convinced by it.
Finally, one leak claims that the main camera could have a variable aperture, letting you optimize it for the lighting conditions. However, this is again a very old claim that hasn’t come up since, so don’t count on it.
Follow TechRadar on Google News and add us as a preferred source to get our expert news, reviews, and opinion in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button!
And of course you can also follow TechRadar on TikTok for news, reviews, unboxings in video form, and get regular updates from us on WhatsApp too.
Read the full article here
