Samsung is a company that never ceases to amaze us regarding the cameras on their smartphones, and the latest rumours around the Galaxy S26 Ultra don’t disappoint. Digital Trends managed to get hold of leaked information about Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra from Sanju Choudhary, who indicates that there is a 324 megapixel ISOCELL HR1 sensor in its primary camera. If that’s true, almost doubling what’s available on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, then this would be among the most detail-rich cameras available on any smartphone.
Read Also: These glasses could become more popular than the Apple Vision Pro
Choudhary also teased a 3x telephoto lens that reportedly packs a 50MP sensor on the S26 Ultra. That is far more powerful than the 10MP 3x telephoto camera on Samsung’s current flagships, both of which feature a 50MP periscope telephoto lens—rumour has it that will be cut in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. He said mass production hasn’t started yet, but development is almost complete. In addition, Samsung’s ISOCELL team is rumoured to work on a larger 432MP sensor.
Read Also: Human scientists are still better than AI ones – for now
Of course, these claims have opened controversies. Contrary to what one would expect from Redditor Choudhary, renowned tipster Jukanlosreve disagreed with Choudhary in saying that the Galaxy S26 Ultra was going to carry the same camera setup as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, thus carrying over that 200MP sensor from the S24 Ultra. Too high production costs may cause such a thing, or perhaps Samsung just concentrated on improving the image quality with software rather than new hardware.
Read Also: Google Play’s upcoming update could make sideloading apps much easier
Of course, it does not mean the Galaxy S26 Ultra will decidedly dominate the smartphone camera market while sporting a 324-megapixel camera. The fact is that the Galaxy S24 Ultra ranked among the best camera phones available already. It still had to fight with the very best ones. A 48MP primary camera on the Apple iPhone 16 Pro Max and Google Pixel 9 Pro XL can sometimes make this fight less decisive than the one with a higher megapixel count.
Read Also: New Samsung Leak Reveals Powerful Galaxy S25 Ultra Specs
For instance, in head-to-head photo comparisons, the Galaxy S24 Ultra outpaces the iPhone 16 Pro Max by just a hair, but it can’t overtake Google’s Pixel 8 Pro. While Samsung’s Ultra lineup gives you a powerful camera experience, it also proves the adage that most megapixels are not always the best photo.
Read Also: Investments in generative AI startups topped $3.9B in Q3 2024
Conclusion: Breakthrough Camera in the Galaxy S26 Ultra: As much as there will be a breakthrough camera in the Galaxy S26 Ultra, after all, only the rumoured 324-megapixel sensor chalks up the numbers high enough themselves; however, it won’t be sufficient to dominate the world of smartphones’ cameras. Photography enthusiasts will find much to admire, but their true domination depends upon a balance of hardware and software innovations.
