Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra: Credible camera sensor leak and optimized charging curve from debug tests surface
Reality vs. fantasy: A few days ago, the overly optimistic claims of a supposed Galaxy S26 leak contradicted a number of credible leaks from recent months. This now appears to have been confirmed by information from Vietnamese leaker @chunvn8888, who has provided some details from "debug tests", namely early tests of the now nearly finalized Galaxy S26 Ultra model, which about to go into mass production.
While there are no mass-produced test devices yet, and last-minute changes are still possible, especially since the Galaxy Unpacked launch is now scheduled for the end of February 2026, we consider this leaker's information significantly more realistic than the leaks from a few days ago. According to reports, the only change to the rear camera is the sensor behind the 3x telephoto lens, which is expected to switch from a 12 MP Sony IMX754 to a 12 MP ISOCELL S5K3LD sensor, likely again with a 10 MP crop.
Unfortunately, concrete details about this sensor are currently unavailable. According to previous information from Ice Universe, it is a 1/3.94-inch sensor, which is more of a downgrade compared to the 1/3.52-inch sensor in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The 12 MP IMX874 sensor behind the front camera also appears to be new. The rest of the sensor lineup, however, is identical to that of the current Samsung flagship, including the 200 MP ISOCELL HP2, which is already four years old and has been used unchanged as the main camera since the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
New APV codec supported
As leakers had previously indicated, Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra will support the APV codec for video recording, positioned as an alternative to Apple's ProRes. According to debug tests, the HQ version consumes 1.5 GB of memory per minute, while the LQ version uses 750 MB per minute.
(Almost) 60 watts of fast charging
The leaker also commented on the much-rumored 60-watt fast charging based on the test results. Accordingly, Samsung will support a 55-watt PPS protocol, which actually delivers 55 watts of charging power in the first 15% of the charging curve and then 70%, or 45 watts. While this may not sound particularly spectacular when compared to Chinese smartphones, it would be significantly better than Samsung's previous maximum possible 45-watt fast charging, which in reality can hardly achieve 45 watts of charging power. It remains to be seen whether Samsung will officially advertise 60 watts or the more realistic 55 watts, but a recent X-post from Ice Universe again suggests "60 watts".
Update 11:00 New software features such as 24 MP mode
In an update, the leaker has now also revealed further features, such as a 24 MP mode for standard and portrait mode, which means that 24 MP photos will be taken instead of 12 MP photos. Samsung is apparently following Apple's example, which has long since adopted this as the new standard. Until now, this was only possible on Samsung devices in Pro mode or using the Expert RAW app. In addition, it will apparently be possible to use regular HDR instead of HDR10+, adjust the focus speed, and avoid increased noise by combining several low-resolution photos into one with a higher resolution.
Source(s)
@chunvn8888 (1, 2, 3), Ice Universe
Image: TT Technology, Youtube
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