Galaxy S27 Ultra May Feature Only One Zoom Camera — No 3x Lens

Samsung may have planned some bold camera changes for the Galaxy S27 Ultra. A trusted industry insider says the company may drop the 3x zoom camera from the 2027 flagship. And no, there’s no replacement for it. Instead, Samsung will rely on an upgraded 200MP primary shooter to produce lossless shots up to 3x magnification. If this rumor holds, next year’s Galaxy S26 Ultra could be the last to feature the iconic quad-camera layout.

Galaxy S27 Ultra may drop 3x camera, switch to Sony’s 1-inch-type 200MP sensor

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be a refinement of what’s already considered one of the most complete smartphone camera systems on the market. According to early reports, it will feature an improved 200MP main camera with an upgraded ISOCELL HP2+ sensor. The rest of the sensors may remain unchanged, meaning a 50MP 5x zoom camera, a 10MP 3x zoom camera, and a 50MP ultrawide lens. You can expect some refinements for all of these sensors for enhanced picture quality.

However, its successor may not have such comprehensive camera hardware. Leaker Ice Universe suggests that the Galaxy S27 Ultra may drop the 3x telephoto camera altogether. The device could feature only a single zoom lens — likely a periscope-style sensor with advanced zooming capabilities. Instead of relying on two separate zoom cameras, Samsung may use a larger, more advanced primary sensor capable of handling low-magnification zoom digitally while maintaining optical-quality results.

To make this happen, Samsung will reportedly ditch its in-house ISOCELL HP2 sensor for a Sony-made 200MP sensor, possibly close to 1-inch in size. Coupled with a larger aperture, this sensor should be able to digitally crop images to produce lossless pictures. There have been rumors of the Galaxy S26 Ultra possibly featuring this sensor, but it looks like Samsung has delayed the plans to the S27 Ultra.

That said, these are unconfirmed early rumors subject to change. Samsung is still several months away from launching the Galaxy S26 Ultra, let alone the S27 Ultra. We will keep a close eye on these developments and let you know when we have more information.