New Galaxy S26 Ultra battery and camera rumors have me worried — here’s why

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Samsung risks dropping the ball here

A Galaxy S25 Ultra held alongside a Galaxy S24 Ultra
(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

There is still a while to wait until the Galaxy S26 Ultra likely arrives. But a new rumor about the hardware has me wondering what its draw will be for the average consumer.

While the next generation of Samsung flagship phones won’t arrive until 2026, there are already rumors circulating about what we can expect from the devices. Two of the most recent come from well-known leaker Ice Universe and Galaxy Club.

Unfortunately, IU doubles down on rumors that the Galaxy S26 Ultra's battery will offer the same 5,000 mAh capacity seen in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Ice Universe also indicates that Samsung could increase the charging wattage over the current 45W limit, but Ice Universe doesn’t go into further detail.

Galaxy Club backs up this information, but adds that it isn’t just the Galaxy S26 Ultra's battery that could be familiar. According to the report, the S26 Ultra will likely feature a 200MP main camera again, but it’s uncertain if it will be a new sensor. As such, it is possible that the Galaxy S26 Ultra could feature the same main camera as the Galaxy S25 Ultra and the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Why is this so worrying?

Camera lenses on the Galaxy S25 Ultra

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

This rumor, and to be fair, it is a rumor, so take it with a grain of salt, highlights a major concern I have about the latest smartphones getting upgrades focused on software alone.

Here’s the thing: while Samsung phones remain some of the best phones on the market, the hardware updates have stagnated over recent generations. This has led to a focus on software and AI improvements as selling points for the newer phones. Now, if these rumors turn out to be accurate, then we can assume that the same will be true with the Galaxy S26 series. The problem is that Samsung has arguably made this a much harder sell thanks to how well it implemented Galaxy AI into all its devices.

Currently, you can use the majority of Galaxy AI features on last year's Galaxy S24 series, the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and Galaxy Z Flip 6, and the current Galaxy S25 series. But Samsung has released some features, including Circle to Search, to older devices like the Galaxy S21. Now, it is likely that Samsung will have exclusive AI features for the Galaxy S26, but you’ll still have access to the majority of Galaxy AI on older models, which ends up undercutting the Galaxy S26's appear quite a bit.

An image showing the Samsung Galaxy S24 with the Circle to Search feature being used on screen

(Image credit: Future)

This leads me to worry that Samsung is becoming too reliant on its AI to carry its newest phones. In my case, I focus on hardware when I look at a new phone because it will remain constant for as long as I use the phone. Software, meanwhile, will change and update, making it a lot harder to estimate its value. If the older and newer models have the same hardware, the reason to buy becomes more focused on how many software updates you’ll get, which is nowhere near as exciting an offer.

With all that said, it is still very early days as we don’t expect the Galaxy S26 Ultra until early 2026 at least. There’s a lot that we still don’t know and a lot that can change before the actual announcement. Hopefully, the Galaxy S26 series will have more than just token upgrades when it releases, but only time, and more rumors, will tell.

Let me know what you think. Would these minor upgrades be enough to have you switch to a newer Galaxy S phone, or do you expect much more impressive hardware changes before making a purchase?

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Josh Render
Josh Render
Staff Writer

Josh is a staff writer for Tom's Guide and is based in the UK. He has worked for several publications but now works primarily on mobile phones. Outside of phones, he has a passion for video games, novels, and Warhammer. 

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