Galaxy S26 Ultra may bring back variable aperture lens and drop one camera

Samsung might have big plans for the cameras, S Pen functionality, and battery on the Samsung Galaxy S26. 

On the camera hardware front, tipster Ice Universe claims Samsung is planning to bring back variable aperture to the primary rear camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. 

If you recall, the South Korean company introduced variable aperture lenses in the Galaxy S9 series in 2018. These lenses allow you to control the amount of light reaching the camera sensor, which is handy in different lighting conditions and offers better depth of field control. However, Samsung later removed variable aperture lenses on the Galaxy S20 series.

Additionally, tipster @Vhsss_God shared that Samsung might remove one zoom lens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. His claim is based on a prototype that came with three cameras — 200MP main + 50MP ultra-wide + 200MP telephoto. 

For comparison's sake, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has a 200MP primary camera, a 50MP ultra-wide camera, a 50MP 5x telephoto camera, and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. 

@Vhss_God added there could be Bluetooth support for the S Pen, which is surprising considering that Samsung nerfed the S Pen by removing Bluetooth-related functions on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Furthermore, the Galaxy S26 Ultra might have a bigger battery. The tipster says Samsung has developed a 5,500mAh stacked battery for the phone, which is 10% larger than the battery on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. 

Finally, Samsung is believed to be exploring silicon-carbon battery technology to maximise the battery life on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Since Chinese phone makers have already adopted the technology, it makes sense for Samsung to follow suit and match its rivals.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 series is expected to debut in the first quarter of 2026.

Source: @Vhsss_God, @TechKard via SamMobile (1) (2)

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