Samsung’s latest Galaxy S25 Ultra is officially here, though it hasn’t hit the shelves yet. Pre-orders are live, and there are some solid offers, but they won’t last long. While some of us are still waiting to get our hands on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, leaks and rumors about next year’s Galaxy “Ultra” flagship are already circulating. One rumor suggests that Samsung won’t upgrade the telephoto zoom on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Samsung will continue with 5x telephoto zoom on Galaxy S26 Ultra
Tipster @PandaFlashPro, who recently shared details about upcoming launches, suggests that Samsung won’t upgrade the telephoto zoom on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This means the 5x telephoto zoom could remain on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as well. A few days ago, we also reported that Samsung is testing the Galaxy S26 Ultra with the same camera setup as the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The S25 Ultra has a quad-camera system on the back: 200MP wide, 10MP telephoto with 3x optical zoom, 50MP periscope with 5x optical zoom, and 50MP ultrawide. There’s a small chance that Samsung could upgrade the primary sensor.
While the telephoto zoom might stay at 5x, another rumor says the Galaxy S26 Ultra could feature a 200MP telephoto sensor (1/1.5-inch optical format). This sensor hasn’t been announced yet, as Samsung hasn’t revealed a 1/1.5-inch 200MP sensor. While a 200MP telephoto sounds impressive, rivals like the Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo X200 Pro, and Honor Magic 7 Pro have already shipped with similar 200MP telephoto sensors.
If things go according to plan, Samsung could debut the Galaxy S26 Ultra in January 2026. We’ll likely hear more details about the next flagship in the coming weeks or months, with processor info likely arriving in the fourth quarter of 2025. That’s when Qualcomm typically announces new flagship processor(s).
