Galaxy S26 Ultra Had No Choice but to Bring Back Camera Bump

Samsung’s upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra represents one of the company’s boldest engineering pushes yet. With a body thickness expected at just 7.9mm, it will be slimmer than its predecessor, the S25 Ultra (8.2mm). But that reduction in thickness introduces a design challenge that’s directly tied to the phone’s camera system.

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Samsung couldn’t make the Galaxy S26 Ultra slimmer without a camera bump

On the Galaxy S25 Ultra, the rear cameras sat directly on the back panel with no dedicated base or bump. According to renowned tipster Ice Universe, the main lens protruded 2.4mm from the surface. While noticeable, that’s a manageable protrusion. It largely goes unnoticed if you put on a case. With the Galaxy S26 Ultra, however, things change significantly.

The slimmer 7.9mm body means the camera has to extend further out, increasing the protrusion by 0.3mm. But that’s not it. Samsung has also upgraded the main sensor to an F1.4 aperture, which itself adds around 1mm of optical depth. In total, the primary camera now extends about 3.7mm beyond the body.

Leaving such a large lens standing alone would create an awkward and fragile look. To solve this, Samsung has returned to a pill-shaped camera base that blends the lenses into a unified housing. This design distributes the depth more evenly, making the protrusion appear intentional rather than jarring. A camera bump was a must to offer an improved lens and a slimmer body on the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Despite a slimmer body, the upcoming flagship houses the same 5,000mAh battery found in the S25 Ultra. Samsung may have optimized internals to create enough space for a sizeable battery in the phone. Rumors also point to faster charging, possibly 60W. If all of this holds, the Galaxy S26 Ultra could be a notable upgrade over this year’s Ultra flagship.