- The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could have one less camera than its predecessor
- 3x telephoto lens reportedly being abandoned
- That would leave you with just a 5x optical zoom for telephoto shots, assuming no other changes are made.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra phones have long been the best options for telephoto photography, helped in part by having two telephoto cameras, while most high-end phones have just one. But it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could become a little more mainstream, as it is reportedly losing one of its telephoto lenses.
This is according to @UniverseIce, a leaker with a solid track record, who claims that the 3x telephoto lens will be absent on the S27 Ultra. While its wording is a bit ambiguous, it appears that Samsung will abandon this camera entirely, rather than swapping it for a different focal length.
In which case, if the other telephoto lens remains the same as in the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, will be limited to only 5x optical zoom. However, it’s possible that Samsung will change this camera or even allow multiple levels of zoom through a single lens, eliminating the need for an additional camera.
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The first rumors about the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra are already circulating: the often-mocked 3x telephoto lens, famous for being small and disappointing, has finally changed. He didn’t get stronger. He did not weaken. It just disappeared.😂April 30, 2026
A camera that no one will miss
Whatever the case, however, Samsung fans don’t seem too bothered by this news, with responses to the post including “bye, I say. I hope it’s not just the Ultra that’s saying goodbye to that horrible lens” and “finally. The 3x was always the ‘meh’ middle child anyway.”
It’s certainly not the most useful of the Ultra cameras currently, as you can already get a 2x “optical quality” shot from the main 200MP sensor. That 3x zoom camera also currently features a 10MP sensor, while the other rear cameras are all 50MP or higher.
While we would take the claim of its removal with a pinch of salt, it is consistent with recent reports that The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will have a redesigned camera block (possibly in the style of the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera block) to facilitate MagSafe-type charging, so this could well be the case.
If accurate, though, we certainly hope Samsung is planning some camera improvements elsewhere, because while the 3x telephoto lens is arguably the least useful of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s snappers, removing it without other changes would be a definite downgrade.
We probably won’t know for sure what Samsung’s plans are until early 2027, as that’s when the Samsung Galaxy S27 series will likely launch.
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