A change made at the main sensor will pass the Galaxy S26 Ultra in another dimension in terms of night photo.
Samsung seems determined to improve the photo part of its most high-end non-pre-click smartphone. A few weeks ago, the Leaker Ice Universe revealed that the manufacturer was preparing a wide opening for the main sensor of its future Galaxy S26 Ultra. He now comes back to the charge with more details.
According to him, Samsung will keep the 200 Mp2 isocell HP2 sensor, But its opening will go from f/1.7 to f/1.4. This change should make it possible to improve the capture of light of the order of 47 % compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The more the sensor receives light, the more the photo is likely to be clear and detailed, greatly participating in the final quality of the photos. In bad light condition, at night for example, the ultra galaxy S26 could thus be able to produce images with much less noise.
Hardware improvements for the camera of the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Samsung uses software processing to get usable night photos on its smartphones. But if the Galaxy S26 Ultra manages to capture brighter shots naturally, then the brand can reduce the influence of the algorithm, which should result in a Decreased digital noise. This wider opening will result in a reduction in the depth of field.
A simple calculation shows that the amount of light entering the camera is increased by 47% compared to the S25 Ultra. https://t.co/YtX7xZ8bWr
— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) August 4, 2025
The Galaxy S26 Ultra could be a photo turning point from a material point of view, as improvements are also provided for two other optics. The telephoto lens offering a 3X optical zoom should evolve, including a definition of 10 to 12 MP. This sensor was neglected from the ultra galaxy S21. The other telephoto lens, periscopic and with X5 optical zoom, would remain unchanged. The front camera, used for selfies and video calls, should also progress, without knowing exactly how.
Finally, a new laser sensor is expected, whose task will be to make the autofocus faster. In recent years, Samsung has mainly made software optimizations and very few hardware changes for the camera of its Galaxy S Ultra.