The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t expected to arrive until early 2026, but the picture of what to expect is still taking shape. With that in mind, two new rumors have emerged, with one suggesting a promising change, and the other pointing to more of the same.
Starting with the former, the Korean site Newsis reports that improvements on the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera array will lead to Samsung reintroducing the protruding camera island last seen on the Galaxy S21 Ultra, in place of the individual circles found on the S22 Ultra onwards.
While the report indicates that this is bad news for aesthetics, it does highlight the possible significance of the technological advancements. “With the Galaxy S26 Ultra also expected to feature significantly improved main and telephoto cameras, analysts say the design changes were made to accommodate this,” the translated report reads.
So what specific camera upgrades might these be? Earlier this year, the leaker Ice Universe tipped Samsung to resurrect the variable aperture it tested with the Galaxy S9 and S10 in the late 2010s. However, earlier this month he changed stance, saying that a fixed f/1.4 aperture will be in place, which should see 47% more light entering the camera, providing more detailed low-light photography with less noise.
While the S25 Ultra’s 50MP ultrawide and 5x telephoto cameras aren’t likely to change, there’s also talk of the secondary zoom lens getting a boost. The leaker FlashPandaPro not only believes that the camera will go from 10MP to 12MP, but that there will be a new laser AF sensor for faster focusing speeds.
No boost to battery
The second report comes from SamMobile, which spotted that China’s Quality Certification Center has issued a certification for a battery labeled EB-BS948ABY, believed to be destined for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It has a rated capacity of 4,885mAh, which is the same as listed for the S25 Ultra (though with an eventual advertised typical capacity of 5,000mAh).
On one level this is no surprise, given Samsung has kept battery capacity static since 2020’s Galaxy S20 Ultra, and indeed both Galaxy Club and Ice Universe have previously predicted no advance on capacity.
But it’s still disappointing when earlier reports indicated that Samsung’s imminent adoption of silicon-carbon batteries could lead to a capacity of between 6,000 mAh and 7,000 mAh, should the company choose to use a similarly sized cell. This suggests either the technology isn’t ready, or Samsung has chosen to stick with the same capacity with a smaller footprint.
Disappointment aside, it’s worth remembering that the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s battery life is pretty good as things stand, with the phone achieving a solid 17 hours and 14 minutes in our standard battery test, rising to 18 hours and 35 minutes in 60Hz mode.
In addition to this, we may still get a battery-related consolation prize. Last month, leaked code from the One UI 8.5 update hinted that charging speeds will increase from 45W to 60W on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, meaning less time at the power outlet if you’re in a hurry.
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