Samsung is widely expected to be very conservative with the spec upgrades of the Galaxy S26 Ultra compared to last year’s model. That’s certainly true for the cameras, with a new leak confirming what could be a tiny change for the selfie camera.
Galaxy S26 Ultra may have a wider selfie camera
Samsung may have a tiny upgrade for the Galaxy S26 Ultra front camera. Leaker Ice Universe shared the full specs of the selfie shooter on the new phone, and they’re almost identical to those of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Those include a 12MP 1/3.2-inch sensor and an f/2.2 aperture.What’s different is the 85-degree field of view on the new model, which is slightly wider than last year’s 80-degree FoV. That would allow shooting selfie photos with a wider perspective and potentially more people in the photos. It’s also handy for shooting video, as the wider FoV usually leads to more stable footage.
Relying on the software
Samsung will focus on Galaxy AI features with the Galaxy S26 lineup. | Image by Evan Blass
Samsung is expected to have largely the same camera hardware on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as last year. The company will stick to the same sensors, but it may feature optics with much wider apertures on the 200MP main camera and the 50MP periscope camera. That could improve the low-light performance of those cameras.
As for the selfies, Samsung is certainly missing the chance to respond to Apple’s Central Stage front camera, which was introduced with the iPhone 17 lineup. That camera uses a square sensor and allows you to switch between portrait and landscape photos without losing quality and rotating the phone.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra will have other meaningful upgrades, including an improvement to the charging speeds. Wired charging will finally reach 60W, a significant jump from the 45W we’ve seen in the last few years. Wireless charging is also going up from 15W to 25W. While that’s far from the 100W offered by most Chinese flagships, it’s an important step forward for Samsung.
Probably the most exciting new feature will be the new privacy display. Samsung has apparently invented a way to hide whatever you have on your screen from anyone who’s prying from the sides. Until now, you needed a special screen protector to get that feature, but the S26 Ultra may change that.
Not an annual upgrade
While there are some improvements coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, they don’t sound like enough to upgrade if you have one of Samsung’s more recent Ultra flagships. I don’t think annual upgrades are necessary, but I would’ve loved if Samsung had a little more in store this year. There’s still a chance we’ll get some exciting surprises come Galaxy Unpacked, but we need to wait until February 25 to see if that’ll happen.
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Ilia, a tech journalist at PhoneArena, has been covering the mobile industry since 2011, with experience at outlets like Forbes Bulgaria. Passionate about smartphones, tablets, and consumer tech, he blends deep industry knowledge with a personal fascination that began with his first Nokia and Sony Ericsson devices. Originally from Bulgaria and now based in Lima, Peru, Ilia balances his tech obsessions with walking his dog, training at the gym, and slowly mastering Spanish.
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