Galaxy S26 Ultra Adopts ALoP Camera for 5x Zoom Lens

Samsung’s latest Galaxy S26 Ultra doesn’t bring many hardware changes, especially when it comes to the camera, but it does introduce a few useful quality-of-life features. One of them is the horizontal lock for video recording, which has impressed us. There’s also another change that contradicts a rumor from last week, and Samsung has now officially confirmed the details.

Samsung confirms Galaxy S26 Ultra uses ALoP camera

Earlier reports suggested that the Galaxy S26 Ultra would feature a W-style periscope lens for its 5x telephoto camera. However, that’s not the case. A Samsung spokesperson tells SammyGuru that the Galaxy S26 Ultra actually uses an ALoP (All Lenses on Prism) design for the 5x zoom camera.

ALoP is Samsung’s newer periscope camera architecture where the lenses are placed horizontally on top of the prism rather than stacked vertically behind it. This layout allows for a larger aperture and improved light intake while keeping the camera module relatively slim. It also helps maintain better image quality for mid-range optical zoom levels like 5x.

Samsung teased ALoP (All Lenses on Prism) in November 2024, and there were earlier rumors that the Galaxy S25 Edge might use the technology. However, that never materialized. Instead, the new Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra moves away from the traditional periscope design and uses an ALoP setup for its 5x telephoto camera.

Beyond Samsung’s confirmation, a YouTuber who goes by Disassembling Parts also tore down the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The teardown confirms the presence of the ALoP camera module inside the device. That said, our in-house camera expert (W Vision) is working on a deeper explanation and what it means in practice. At the same time, we’re preparing our full review of the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

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