Why Samsung’s Ultra Flagships Don’t Use a Large Zoom Camera?

Samsung’s Ultra flagships in the Galaxy S family deliver solid performance, excellent design, and pro-grade camera capabilities. However, when it comes to telephoto zoom lenses, the company doesn’t use larger sensors like other brands. That’s because Samsung prioritizes a thin and lightweight design, while still delivering amazing photography through the primary camera.

Samsung won’t sacrifice slimness for a larger telephoto zoom camera

As smartphone technology evolves, consumers’ expectations have also increased — from top-tier performance and battery life to premium design and cutting-edge photography. However, Samsung’s ambition for the Galaxy S Ultra flagship is clear — it balances between innovation and practicality.

More importantly, with the introduction of the new Ultra model each year, Samsung is leaning toward a slim and lighter build without compromising on performance and camera quality. For instance, Samsung removed Bluetooth functions from the S Pen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra to reduce weight, and in the future, it may drop the S Pen entirely.

So, there’s little chance that Samsung will implement a large-sensor telephoto lens in the Ultra model. Since doing so would make the device bulkier and thicker, which conflicts with the company’s design philosophy. A well-known tipster, Ice Unvirese, recently said the same in a post on X, adding that “If Samsung insists on pursuing this, they might create a new model dedicated to imaging, but the body design would inevitably go wild.”

While some other brands have started adopting larger telephoto sensors, Samsung has not seen serious competition in this space yet. In fact, the Korean firm is getting strong demand from buyers for its flagship Galaxy S25 Ultra globally. This boosts confidence within the company that consumers prefer slimmer and lighter phones if they deliver top performance and photography.

As you know, Samsung’s decision to remove the telephoto lens from its slimmest Galaxy S device, the Galaxy S25 Edge, disappointed many users. Regarding this concern, a company executive recently said that the most popular zooms that consumers use are the 0.6X (for wide shots), 1X, 2X, and 3X. So, the company believes that without a dedicated telephoto lens, most users’ needs can still be met through improved digital zoom and image processing.