Galaxy S26 and S26 Ultra 3x camera: Ice Universe claims "certainty" regarding sensor switch

As is the case with every new Samsung Galaxy S series launch, we have been inundated with leaks regarding Exynos SoC, battery tech, design, display, and more. Among these leaks, the hardware specs of the camera setup have proven to be the most contentious. As things stand now, it looks like the back camera setup of the Galaxy S26, the Galaxy S26 Plus, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra will remain almost the same as their predecessors, with only a few tweaks.

One such tweak is a new 3x Telephoto sensor. According to previous reports, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will replace the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 12 MP Sony IMX754 with the Samsung ISOCELL S5K3LD, another 12 MP sensor. Curiously, this new sensor is even smaller at 1/3.94-inch vs the 1/3.52-inch Sony IMX754 of the Galaxy S25 Ultra (Available on Amazon).

Ice Universe, who has previously confirmed this new 3x Telephoto sensor, has now doubled down on the information. Calling it a “certainty”, the leaker claims that all three Galaxy S26 models will use the 12 MP ISOCELL S5K3LD telephoto sensor with a f/2.4 aperture, and a 10 MP effective sensor crop. 

The leaker is so confident in the information that they are challenging everyone to “take a screenshot and save it” and compare with the actual camera specs of the Galaxy S26 when the series officially debuts in February 2026.

Aside from this change in sensors and larger apertures for the main and 5x Telephoto cameras on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the rest of the camera hardware is expected to remain the same. So, from a purely hardware perspective, it looks like we aren’t going to get a considerable improvement in photo quality with the Galaxy S26 series.

That said, there might still be some photo quality upgrades, courtesy of the Exynos 2600’s new ISP and the improved image processing.

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