The launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is now pretty close, with February 25th seeming to be the likely date, but rumors are already surfacing about the potential cameras specs for its replacement, the 2027 Galaxy S27 Ultra.
Obviously at this very early stage you have to take such speculation as exactly that - vague speculation - as plenty could change in the next 12 months. But on the flip side, this new rumor does come from a well-regarded and long-time tipster, Ice Universe.
The tip states that the S27 Ultra could get a new primary (wide) camera, as well as fresh ultra-wide and selfie cameras. Frankly, it's about time Samsung upgraded the main camera in its flagship phone. The current ISOCELL HP2 sensor we have in the S25 Ultra was first introduced for the S23 Ultra, so assuming it also finds its way into the S26 Ultra, it'll have featured in 4 consecutive generations of Ultra phones. While the sensor is still competitive, it's no longer the benchmark in camera phone image quality it once was. By 2027 it'll certainly be due for replacement if Samsung wants to compete with the likes of Vivo, Oppo and Xiaomi, all of which certainly haven't played it so conservative with their camera hardware.
The rumor states that only the telephoto camera in the S27 Ultra might remain unchanged, but that would make sense as it's been rumored that the S26 Ultra could be getting a fresh telephoto module.
As for what sensor Samsung could choose to replace the venerable ISOCELL HP2? We've recently seen Sony reveal its first 200MP sensor, which is physically larger than any of Samsung's 200MP offerings, so that would theoretically be an upgrade over the HP2. But it remains to be seen whether Samsung would be prepared to switch to a rival sensor manufacturer for the primary camera in its flagship phone.
Story credit: IceUniverse / X
