- The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could have a smaller sensor and pixel size for its 3x zoom camera
- That would be bad timing given that the iPhone 17 Pro has just had a major telephoto upgrade
- Samsung’s upcoming phone might also have a very chunky camera block
The iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max have just been unveiled with, among other things, some major telephoto upgrades – but based, on the latest leak, it sounds like the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could go in the opposite direction, and get a downgraded telephoto camera.
That’s according to reputable leaker @UniverseIce, who claimed in a post on X that the phone will retain the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 10MP 3x optical zoom camera, but that it will use a new, smaller sensor – one that also has smaller pixels.
Specifically, they say it will have a 1/3.94-inch sensor and 1.0µm pixels, while the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera has a 1/3.52-inch sensor and 1.12µm pixels.
Another news, I have been afraid to tell you, I am worried that you are angry.Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s new 3x sensor is actually degraded, with only 10mp f 2.4 1/3.94 1.0um，It is smaller than the current S25 Ultra IMX754.Therefore, it is true that I propose that Samsung…September 10, 2025
They seem very sure of this, adding in a reply that “there is no possibility of change”, which is unfortunate, because if this claim is accurate it’s likely to mean that this camera won’t perform as well as the S25 Ultra’s 3x zoom.
Now, it’s likely that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will have another telephoto camera too based on past form, with this perhaps being a 50MP 5x zoom one (as that’s what the Galaxy S25 Ultra has), so it probably won’t be reliant just on that 10MP sensor for zoom shots. But if it does have this rumored downgrade then it could struggle against the iPhone 17 Pro series.
After all, Apple’s latest two Pro handsets have moved from the 12MP 5x zoom of their predecessors to a new 48MP sensor with 4x optical zoom, which can also take 8x optical-quality zoom photos at 12MP. That, coupled with the main sensor’s ability to take 2x zoom shots, could make these much better telephoto options than Samsung’s upcoming flagship.
A bigger bump
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera bump reaches 4.5mm (compared to 2.4mm on the S25 Ultra), driven by the large-aperture main camera and telephoto lens. Hopefully, the improvement will justify this increased thickness. Samsung could easily accommodate a larger telephoto sensor… pic.twitter.com/hyKT8KuHNnSeptember 9, 2025
And that isn’t the only bad news for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, because in another post the same leaker has claimed that the phone’s camera block will be 4.5mm thick. That might not sound like much, but the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera block is only 2.4mm thick, so this could make the S26 Ultra feel much chunkier.
There may be good reasons for this, with @UniverseIce claiming it’s necessary to house a main camera with a larger aperture, which is an upgrade we’ve heard rumored before – but a chunkier phone with an inferior telephoto camera could be a tough sell.
Still, it’s possible that these leaks are wide of the mark – we should find out for sure early next year, as based on past form the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra will probably launch in January.
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