Samsung’s Ultra flagships could be stuck with the same telephoto camera until 2027

Samsung’s Ultra flagships are known for pushing smartphone specs, but a new leak suggests the company may be hitting the snooze button on sensor upgrades.

Well-known Samsung leaker Ice Universe claims the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 50MP telephoto sensor, a 1/2.52-inch unit with 0.7μm pixels, won’t be replaced anytime soon. According to him, the exact same sensor, which also appeared on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, will feature in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and even the Galaxy S27 Ultra, marking four consecutive years without an upgrade.

If true, this would echo Samsung’s decision to stick with its 200MP ISOCELL HP2 main sensor and Sony’s IMX754 3x telephoto sensor across multiple generations. Ice Universe has been very vocal about his frustration with Samsung’s camera stagnation of late. The leaker has even started a Change.org petition to demand new leadership for the company’s camera division, which honestly might be a bit much.

The tipster also previously revealed that the Galaxy S26 Ultra may actually downgrade the 3x shooter to a smaller sensor. While the 3x camera is believed to be a 12MP sensor, the leaker says it’ll shoot at 10MP.

If this latest claim is true, it means the Galaxy S27 Ultra, a phone that will be released in 2027, will still rely on a telephoto sensor first introduced in 2024. For a brand that prides itself on Ultra photography, that’s a long time to keep things unchanged. That said, this is still very much a rumor at this point. Samsung could certainly end up switching things around, at least for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, if not the upcoming Galaxy S26 series.