From the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra to the Galaxy S26 Ultra: All the camera changes according to a roadmap leak

The Galaxy S23 Ultra (available here at Amazon.com) made the leap from the 108 megapixel sensor to the very first 200 megapixel camera in the flagship segment, but otherwise the camera hardware remained largely unchanged this year compared to the Galaxy S22 Ultra a year before. And unlike some Chinese competitors such as Xiaomi, Samsung's camera development is likely to continue at a rather leisurely pace over the next few years.

The leaker with the X-handle @Tech_Reve, who has proven himself to be quite reliable in recent years, has published a roadmap of changes, that summarizes Samsung's alleged plans for the cameras of the Galaxy S23 Ultra successors up to the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Of course, no leaker is infallible, and Samsung's plans may change several times over the next few years, so these hints should be taken with a grain or two of salt.

Galaxy S24 Ultra with new telephoto

Relatively certain, because emphasized several times in in the past is the transformation of the 10 megapixel periscope telephoto from optical 10x zoom in the Galaxy S23 Ultra to a 50 megapixel periscope telephoto with 5x zoom in the upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra. According to the leaker, the new sensor will offer a 0.7 um pixel size. 

Galaxy S25 Ultra with variable zoom

It's quite exciting to see what Samsung has in store for anyone willing to wait until the Galaxy S25 Ultra reaches the market in early 2025. According to the leaker, not only will the main camera be updated, but the ultra-wide angle and telephoto will also change again, meaning that Samsung may replace all cameras at once for the first time in a generation. The current plan is apparently to switch from a 12-megapixel ultra-wide-angle sensor to a 50-megapixel sensor, which is already common practice with the competition from China and is reportedly also planned for the iPhone 16 Pro next year.

Even more exciting, however, is the telephoto range, which may be covered by a single periscope zoom lens with variable focal length in 2025. Some may remember that there were similar Galaxy S24 Ultra rumors in the past so apparently Samsung is sticking to these plans and currently plans to implement them with the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Galaxy S26 Ultra with larger sensor

It is also quite interesting to see what is set to change in 2026 with the Galaxy S Ultra flagship. According to the leaker, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is apparently set to switch to a larger 200 megapixel sensor, presumably one of the many ISOCELL sensors, that are currently under development at Samsung. Specifically, the sensor will apparently be 1/1.1 inch in size, bringing it a little closer to the 1-inch format. The pixel size is said to be 0.7 um.