Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera Test Shows Improvements, but Rivals Still Lead

While the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera looks similar to its predecessor’s, the company made a few hardware tweaks to go alongside software refinements, improving photo and video quality. The phone recently went through DXOMARK’s camera test, showing improvements in key areas, particularly in low-light conditions. Sadly, it still falls short of some rival flagship devices that continue to lead the rankings.

Galaxy S26 Ultra camera gets a low-light boost thanks to a wider aperture

The Galaxy S26 Ultra scored 157 points in DXOMARK’s camera evaluation. This is an improvement over last year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra, which scored 151 points. However, the latest flagship model currently ranks 18th globally, highlighting the stiff competition in the premium smartphone camera segment. The Apple iPhone 16 Pro earned the same score of 157 points, while the latest iPhone 17 Pro scored 168 points. Meanwhile, the Huawei Pura 80 Ultra tops the chart with 175 points.

DXOMARK saw meaningful improvements in the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s low-light performance. The phone features a 200MP main camera with a wider f/1.4 aperture, allowing the sensor to capture more light. As a result, it delivers brighter images with improved texture and reduced noise in dim environments. Moreover, the improved aperture contributes to a better signal-to-noise ratio in backlit conditions, resulting in cleaner portraits.

Samsung has also improved the zoom experience on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. The phone features two telephoto cameras: a 10MP lens with 3x optical zoom and a 50MP lens with 5x optical zoom. DXOMARK said that the telephoto module offers cleaner images thanks to improved noise control and more natural rendering. That said, the camera captures slightly less fine detail compared to the predecessor.

There are also improvements in the video performance of Galaxy S26 Ultra. This is mainly because of upgrades in multi-frame processing, HDR video algorithms, and stabilization. Speaking of some weaknesses, exposure remains unstable, while image noise is more visible than in rival flagship phones. You can read detailed camera tests in DXOMARK’s blog post. The phone is available for purchase on the company’s official website.