Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra tipped for a massive camera upgrade — but leakers argue if it’s real or not

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It's apparently being tested, but does that mean it's actually confirmed?

Galaxy s25 Ultra concept design by Technizo Concept on YouTube
(Image credit: Technizo Concept)

Two contradictory Samsung Galaxy S26 rumors have emerged concerning a possible under-display camera upgrade.

One leaker, Kro_roe, claims that the S26 Ultra is undergoing testing with an under-display camera, (in line with one of their previous leaks) and is working on improving the image quality. But another, PandaFlashPro, says its unlikely that Samsung will add an under-display camera to a Galaxy S Ultra model for at least another two years due to poor performance.

The current Galaxy S25 series uses punch-hole front cameras across the board, removing a small part of the display to create a window for the sensor to look through.

While Samsung uses an under-display camera on the inside screen of the Galaxy Z Fold 6 and older Z Fold models, it's yet to use one on any other kind of device.

Under-display cameras allow the sensor to look through a specially-arranged section on pixels on a screen, meaning that part of the display remains usable unless you need to take a photo.

But because of the extra layers in the way of the camera, the photos they tend to take look fuzzy compared to a regular phone camera. Samsung also handicaps the UDC on the Galaxy Z Fold 6 by using a tiny 4MP sensor.

Photo quality vs. cool factor

Samsung still sells the Galaxy S series heavily on its camera quality, even with the recent focus on Galaxy AI features. It therefore feels unlikely to us that Samsung would sacrifice one of its flagship's cameras on the altar of futuristic-looking display tech. That said, it's also entirely possible that Samsung is at least trying this tech out again while still developing its 2026 flagship.

It's probably not worth waiting for the Galaxy S26 Ultra purely for an under-display camera, especially if you're looking to upgrade soon. The Galaxy S25, Galaxy S25 Plus and Galaxy S25 Ultra are all excellent phones, adding hardware refinements like better performance and battery life and the Ultra model's new 50MP ultrawide camera. There are plenty of new software and AI features too, like the Now Brief daily summary or Audio Eraser for clearer-sounding videos.

However, the Galaxy S26 already has other rumored upgrades over the S25, like a higher capacity silicon-carbon battery, a higher-frequency chipset and possibly even a 324MP main camera for the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

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Richard Priday
Richard Priday
Assistant Phones Editor

Richard is based in London, covering news, reviews and how-tos for phones, tablets, gaming, and whatever else people need advice on. Following on from his MA in Magazine Journalism at the University of Sheffield, he's also written for WIRED U.K., The Register and Creative Bloq. When not at work, he's likely thinking about how to brew the perfect cup of specialty coffee.

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