What’s happened? Renowned tipster @UniverseIce has shared an exciting update about the purported Galaxy S26 Ultra’s primary camera.
- The tipster shared what appeared to be a screenshot of the image properties section on an Android phone, showing the f-stop number as F1.4.
- Now, the tipster claims that the f-stop belongs to the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 200MP primary sensor.
Why is this important? A larger opening in front of the camera sensor allows more light, thereby increasing detail and sharpness in the picture while also improving dynamic range.
- The Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor with a f/1.7 aperture and a 1/1.3-inch sensor size.
- Even though the Galaxy S26 Ultra will use the same sensor (with identical resolution and sensor size), the larger aperture could result in noticeably better image quality, especially in low-light conditions.
- Furthermore, a bigger aperture should also enhance the natural bokeh effect, making close-up shots of flowers, insects, and even portraits look more appealing and aesthetically pleasing.
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Why should I care? If you’re a smartphone photography enthusiast, planning to upgrade to an Android flagship in 2026, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is shaping up to be a pretty good option.
- Previously, we heard rumors that the Galaxy S26 Ultra would keep the same camera sensors as the current S25 Ultra.
- While that could be true to a reasonable extent, the company could improve the aperture to get better pictures without changing or upgrading the hardware.
- Besides the primary camera, the dedicated 3x optical zoom camera could also get a minor upgrade to a higher-resolution sensor (12MP instead of 10MP).
OK, what’s next? Elsewhere, another leak claims that the Galaxy S26 series could benefit from improvements to the image signal processor in Samsung’s in-house Exynos 2600 chip.
- Samsung is reportedly redesigning its entire imaging stack, and the update could benefit photography and videography on the Exynos 2600-powered handsets.
- The updated ISP might support concurrent image capture from up to four camera sensors, provide five-frame HDR fusion, 14-bit RAW capture, and native 8K 60 fps HDR10+ video.
- However, all of this remains speculation at the moment, as Samsung hasn’t confirmed anything about the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
