Rumor Hints at 200MP Telephoto Zoom Camera for Galaxy S26 Ultra

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Samsung is just two days away from unveiling the Galaxy S25 series. Meanwhile, rumors about the Galaxy S26 have started pouring in. We have already heard a few things about the 2026 lineup, mostly good things. There’s more good news, as a reliable industry insider hints at a 200MP telephoto zoom camera for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Samsung tests a 200MP zoom camera, potentially for the Galaxy S26 Ultra

According to Weibo leaker DigitalChatStation, Samsung is testing a larger, 1/1.5-inch 200MP telephoto zoom camera. It’s substantially larger than the two sensors found on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which are expected to carry over unchanged on the S25 Ultra. The 10MP 3x unit has a footprint of 1/3.52 inches, while the 50MP 5x camera has a sensor size of 1/2.52 inches.

The tipster revealed no other information about the camera in question. However, they pointed out how smartphone makers are shifting towards high-resolution telephoto cameras. Three of the five “Ultra” flagships coming out this year will allegedly sport 200MP zoom cameras. The Galaxy S25 Ultra misses out on it, but Samsung might join the trend with the S26 Ultra next year.

Samsung certainly needs to step up its zoom game. Once an industry leader in this space, the Korean firm has fallen behind the competition lately. The Galaxy S25 Ultra coming later this week may struggle to keep up with the pace, considering how Samsung kept the zoom camera hardware unchanged from the S24 Ultra.

While improvements in ISP and software processing can help, they can only go so far without hardware upgrades. Time will tell whether Samsung finally looks at the hardware side of things next year, upgrading the Galaxy S26 Ultra to a 200MP telephoto zoom camera. There’s still a long way to go before things start to take shape. For now, the focus is on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which launches on January 22.

Written by

Sumit Adhikari

Sumit, a life-long Samsung user, is passionate about technology and has been professionally writing on tech since 2017. He’s a mathematics graduate by education and enjoys teaching basic mathematics tricks to school kids in his spare time. Sumit believes in artificial intelligence and dreams of a fully open, intelligent and connected world.

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