Galaxy S26 Ultra camera recap: What may and may not change

A powerful camera system has always been one of the main selling points of Samsung's Ultra phones, and the same will be true for the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra. But how much different will the S26 Ultra camera system be from this year's model? Here's a quick recap.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra will borrow a lot of camera hardware from its predecessor, the S25 Ultra. Leaks suggest that almost the entire camera configuration, save for the 3x telephoto shooter, will be the same on next year's premium phone.

So, here's a quick rundown of what cameras we can expect from the Galaxy S26 Ultra:

In short, compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra, signs show that the upcoming S26 Ultra will have a different 3x telephoto shooter than the Sony IMX754.

There's also a possibility that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will only use the 12MP Sony IMX874 camera everywhere. Alternatively, similar to the S25 Ultra, the 2026 Ultra model could use either the IMX874 or the ISOCELL 3LU S5K3LU, depending on the market. This is yet unclear.

So, in terms of camera hardware, the Galaxy S26 Ultra won't be all that different from its predecessor. However, Samsung will most certainly improve the camera experience through software.

One of the ways it will do this is by enabling APV video. This mode, which supports 3D stereoscopic video recording, could play a role in the Galaxy XR headset experience.

Samsung may announce the Galaxy S26 Ultra a bit later than usual, with February 25 mentioned in a recent report. The next Unpacked event should take place in San Francisco.

The series may also consist of the usual base model and the Galaxy S26+. The fate of the S26 Edge is unclear.