Samsung’s Galaxy S27 Ultra May Sacrifice a Camera to Save Space

A compelling new leak surrounding the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s camera array suggests Samsung might actually remove a lens rather than upgrade it.

Ever since the Galaxy S21 Ultra introduced a dual-telephoto system, Samsung’s flagship phones have been celebrated for their unparalleled long-range zoom. This hardware strategy maintains optical clarity across varying focal lengths, preventing the phone from relying too heavily on digital cropping from the primary sensor. However, that era may be coming to an end: rumors indicate the dedicated 3x telephoto lens will be dropped from the S27 Ultra entirely.

#Galaxy S27 Ultra

According to reliable industry tipster Ice Universe, Samsung plans to shift that mid-range zoom workload onto the 200MP main sensor. In practice, this means the primary camera will have to maintain image fidelity through digital cropping up to the 5x mark, at which point the periscope telephoto lens will take over.

While a 200MP sensor sounds more than capable on paper, there is a distinct reason the Galaxy S26 Ultra utilizes 16-to-1 pixel binning to compress that data into a cleaner 12MP output. To achieve a 3x zoom without a dedicated lens, the phone will have to either crop into that binned 12MP image or utilize the full 200MP resolution for extra detail—a process that notoriously introduces noticeable noise, particularly in moderate to low-light conditions.

Samsung could lean on artificial intelligence to smooth out that digital noise, but AI processing has its own limitations and frequently introduces unwanted visual artifacts. It is precisely why rival Chinese smartphone manufacturers, such as Oppo and Vivo, are equipping their flagship devices with physical teleconverters rather than pushing the digital limits of 200MP sensors.

Some reports have suggested Samsung might compensate by upgrading to a larger 1/1.12-inch 200MP ISOCELL sensor to naturally boost overall image quality. Yet, looking at the company’s historical trajectory, a significantly larger in-house 200MP sensor seems unlikely. Samsung debuted the 1/1.22-inch ISOCELL HP1 back in 2021, but this year’s HP5 actually shrunk to 1/1.56-inch.

So, what could justify axing the 3x telephoto lens in the first place? The answer might lie in a redesigned internal layout meant to accommodate magnets for Qi2 wireless charging compatibility. Removing the extra camera hardware would free up the crucial internal real estate needed to fully support a proper magnetic ring and its ecosystem of accessories.

Ultimately, this leaves consumers with a polarizing question: does camera versatility outweigh the convenience of Qi2 magnetic accessories? Or is this simply a calculated cost-saving measure masquerading as a fresh design direction?