Samsung looks ready to make a pretty big change with the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera setup. After years of sticking with separate circular bumps for each lens, the Korean giant might be switching back to one giant camera island.
This isn’t exactly breaking news territory since Samsung already tried the unified island approach before. The Galaxy S21 Ultra back in 2021 had this design, but then Samsung ditched it for the individual lens circles we’ve seen on every Ultra phone since the S22.
So why go back? Samsung’s apparently running out of room to fit better camera hardware into the phone’s body. The company wants to upgrade the main camera and telephoto sensors, which means they need more space. A single large island gives them exactly that.
But here’s where things get interesting. Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro and Pro Max are also rumored to sport a massive camera bar that runs almost the entire width of the phone’s back. The leaked iPhone cases show this huge horizontal strip taking up about one-third of the rear panel. Coincidence? Probably not.
The timing feels pretty suspicious when you think about it. Both Samsung and Apple planning massive camera islands for their 2026 flagships? It’s like they’re both trying to outdo each other in the “my camera bump is bigger than yours” game.
What’s actually changing on Galaxy S26 Ultra
The S26 Ultra is expected to pack some serious camera upgrades. Samsung’s reportedly swapping out their current 200MP sensor for a Sony 200MP 1/1.1-inch sensor. That’s a pretty decent size bump from what they’re using now.
The telephoto situation is getting interesting too. Samsung’s finally upgrading that 3x zoom lens they’ve been using forever. Plus, they’re making the apertures wider across the board – going from f/1.7 to possibly f/1.5 or f/1.4 on the main camera, and from f/3.4 to f/2.8 on the zoom lens.
All four rear cameras will supposedly handle 4K 60fps video with 10-bit HDR. Though don’t get your hopes up for 8K 60fps – that’s still not happening if they stick with the current sensor technology.
Design getting rounder too
The camera island isn’t the only thing changing. The S26 Ultra is also expected to have even rounder corners than the S25 Ultra. Samsung’s been slowly moving away from those sharp, boxy edges that made the Note series famous.
The phone might also get thinner – possibly down to 7.8 or 7.9mm thick. That would make it one of the slimmest flagship phones around, especially considering all the camera hardware they’re cramming in there.
Chinese phone makers like Xiaomi, Vivo, and Oppo have been doing the giant camera island thing for years now. It seems like 2026 might be when Samsung and Apple finally decide to join that party. Whether this actually makes the cameras better or just looks more impressive on spec sheets remains to be seen.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t expected until early 2026, so there’s still plenty of time for these plans to change. But if the rumors are accurate, Samsung’s about to make their Ultra phones look pretty different from what we’re used to seeing.
Also Read | Samsung Galaxy S26 Edge may be slimmer than S25 Edge
