Design leaks show Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra continuing a tradition I wish it would abandon entirely

The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will continue a design tradition that is going two generations strong now. What first started with the Galaxy S25 Ultra and became even more pronounced with the Galaxy S26 Ultra will reportedly continue to become more noticeable with the S27 Ultra next year.

Galaxy S27 Ultra gets even rounder edges

Samsung ditched its iconic boxy look and gave the Galaxy S25 Ultra rounded edges instead of sharp ones. Then, with the Galaxy S26 Ultra this year, the company further rounded out the corners of its flagship phone.

Now, according to one of the most reliable industry insiders on the internet, the Galaxy S27 Ultra will take this evolution a step further. Samsung’s next flagship offering will feature even softer edges for what should theoretically be a more comfortable grip.


Worth noting, however, is that this report talks about the edges of the frame, not the four corners of the phone’s chassis. The corners look like they might be the same as the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with the edges going for a curvier feel.



A much bigger design change for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, according to leaked design renders over the last few days, is the rear camera island. In addition, an unverified leak claims that Samsung has tested an S27 Ultra model with no S Pen but a 7,000 mAh battery.

Now that, in my opinion, is a much bigger improvement than any new processors, cameras, or design modifications to the chassis. Especially as it looks like that Samsung is not introducing a variable aperture to its flagships, which the iPhone 18 Pro is apparently getting.

Catch up on the Galaxy S27 Ultra:

• Galaxy S27 Ultra looks like an iPhone 17 Pro Max copy
• Galaxy S27 Ultra might lose the S Pen for a better battery
• The Galaxy S27 Ultra redesign ultimately doesn't matter

A return to tradition in some form

Interestingly, the Galaxy S25 Ultra got flatter edges than its predecessors, it was just the corners that got a lot rounder. So, in some ways, this is a return to tradition for Samsung, as the Galaxy S24 Ultra and the Ultra models that came before it also had somewhat softer and rounder edges.

According to the leaked designs shown above in the tweet, the change will be a very minor one. Something that is felt more than it is noticed visually.

Is Samsung adopting the iPhone design?

However, as the corners and the edges get rounder and rounder each year, I can’t help but wonder whether Samsung is ultimately heading towards a flagship phone that resembles an iPhone.

As mentioned above, leaked designs for the Galaxy S27 Ultra show a rear camera island very similar to the redesigned iPhone 17 Pro. That redesign helped the iPhone 17 top smartphone sales charts.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra, meanwhile, was the best-selling Android phone in Q2 2026 due to its late release this year. Either the redesigned camera island will help it maintain that spot or it will fall a few spots down instead. Who knows, it might even surpass the iPhone 18 series this time.

You’ll get used to it

In my opinion, the same thing will happen next year that has happened with the iPhone 17 Pro, the upcoming foldable iPhone Ultra, and the Galaxy S25 Ultra and Galaxy S26 Ultra. Once the initial knee-jerk reaction fades, most people will start liking the new design of the S27 Ultra.

Personally, my first reaction was questioning why the camera island is that large when everything inside it is on one side, given that these design leaks are real, of course. I’m not the only one with that question, either, as it seems.



Personally, while I might find the design reminiscent of those Chinese phones that mimic Apple’s phones, I’m not entirely opposed to it. Like I said, we’ll get used to it pretty soon.

Overall, I preferred the boxy designs that came before, and I’m not a fan of Samsung making rounder and rounder phones. So slightly rounder edges would be the least of my complaints.

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