Galaxy S26 Ultra leak points to a sweet camera upgrade for your close-up shots

What you need to know

• The Galaxy S26 Ultra might bump its 3x telephoto lens from 10MP to 12MP.
• Rumor has it Samsung might ditch its longtime 45W cap and bring faster charging to the party.
• The S26 Ultra could slim down to the 7.xmm range, shaving off some bulk from the S25 Ultra’s 8.2mm.

Samsung’s Galaxy S26 lineup isn’t dropping until early next year, but the leaks just keep coming, and they’re already painting a pretty interesting picture. The latest buzz claims the Ultra model might be getting an upgrade to its 3x zoom camera.

New details from Ice Universe on Weibo (via Android Authority) give us a clearer look at what Samsung is cooking up for the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera gear.

As per the rumor, Samsung is sticking with the tried-and-true for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This means we can expect the same 200MP main camera and 50MP 5x zoom lens, just like previous rumors said.

However, Ice Universe says the 3x telephoto camera is getting a noticeable upgrade to 12MP. For context, the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra rocks a 10MP lens for its 3x zoom. If the latest leak checks out, it will be a small but meaningful upgrade, especially for fans of crisp portraits and zoom shots.

Furthermore, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is likely keeping its usual 5,000mAh battery, but charging might finally get the upgrade fans have been waiting for. While Samsung has been stuck at 45W for years, word is the S26 Ultra could crank it up to something that brings it more in line with the fast-charging heavyweights out there.

Slimmer but still stacked

One standout potential change is in the body itself. Ice Universe claims the S26 Ultra is slimming down, landing somewhere in the 7.xmm range. That’s noticeably thinner than the S25 Ultra’s 8.2mm frame.

Packing the same 5,000mAh battery into a much slimmer frame isn’t exactly an easy feat, and if Samsung pulls it off, it’s a pretty big win for design and hardware engineering. Still, for power users chasing all-day juice, a bigger battery would’ve been the real dream.

In a separate report, Android Headlines claims the Galaxy S26 Ultra is getting a front camera upgrade. The exact specs are still under wraps for now, but something better definitely seems to be in the pipeline.

On top of that, the outlet says the 200MP main camera is expected to get a new and likely improved lens, plus a fresh laser autofocus sensor designed to lock focus faster and more reliably.