The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra might not get any camera upgrades — but that's fine if it means we avoid a price hike
All about the money
· TechRadarFeatures By Jamie Richards published 5 January 2026
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In a lot of ways, 2026 is going to be a big year. In others? Not so much – and based on the latest leaks and rumors it seems like the launch of the Samsung Galaxy S26 family is going to land in the latter category.
Yes, it’s looking like another year of iterative, software-heavy, visually bland refreshes for Samsung’s top of the line smartphones, with no word of big hardware reshuffles in the vein of the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max.
For me, the biggest issue here pertains to the phones’ cameras, particularly the Samsung Galaxy S26, which has been rumored to sport the exact same triple-camera array as the current-gen Galaxy S25.
As for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the latest rumors concern only cosmetic updates to the camera housing. With that said, there have been other rumors suggesting new upgrades for the lineup, but nothing concrete.
Don’t get me wrong, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will still probably be one of the best camera phones, as the Galaxy S25 Ultra is now. But since last year’s upgrade (a resolution bump for the ultra-wide camera) was already pretty minor, the prospect of not getting a decent spec bump this year is pretty disheartening.
As for the standard Galaxy S26 and Galaxy S26 Plus, forget about it – a lack of camera upgrades would mark four years without a photography spec bump for these base-model units.
Looks pretty bleak, right? I wouldn’t blame even the most ardent Samsung fans for feeling a little uneasy ahead of the Galaxy S26 series’ likely announcement in January or February of this year. But with all that considered, there's one potential reason that would make this possible spec stall make a lot more sense.
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