Despite the redesign, the Galaxy S27 Ultra might not be that different after all

After months of speculation about the potential redesign of the Galaxy S27 Ultra, several recent leaks finally revealed some of the major potential changes. However, a new report claims that Samsung’s upcoming flagship may feel much closer to the Galaxy S26 Ultra than some images may have suggested.

Galaxy S27 Ultra may have the same dimensions as the S26 Ultra

Samsung may keep the Galaxy S27 Ultra largely unchanged in comparison to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, according to information from prolific leaker Ice Universe. Alongside several new renders of the upcoming flagship, the leaker claimed that the device will have more or less the same dimensions and display size as the current Ultra.



The new renders show that the S Pen and the bottom speaker will remain on the left side of the device, just like on the S26 Ultra. Of course, the camera layout looks completely different, running across the back of the device, just like on the iPhone 17 Pro, but that could be the only major change.

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Are there really multiple Galaxy S27 Ultra models?

An earlier rumor claimed that Samsung may launch the S27 Ultra in two different sizes. Ice Universe has shared images of all four Galaxy S27 models, two of which appear to have the camera bar design.

However, the leaker specifically mentioned the Galaxy S27 Pro, Galaxy S27, and Galaxy S27 Plus, without talking about a second Ultra model. There may be a confusion with the Pro model, especially if its design is closer to the Ultra than to the vanilla model.

The three non-ultra devices have the bottom-side speaker grille moved to the right of the USB-C port, which is a minor change from the Galaxy S26 models. This is one more detail suggesting there will be a Pro model instead of a smaller Ultra.

Throwback to a Samsung classic

Reaction to the potential new design online has been overwhelmingly negative, with many users on social media saying Samsung is blatantly copying Apple’s design. Besides the complaints that it’s nothing original, many critics just say they don’t like how the renders look and are worried the phone will still wobble.



Considering the premiere of the S27 series is months away, the final design is most likely going to be very different. The renders are also lacking many details, so the phones are almost certainly going to look much better in person.

Another fun detail is that Apple was blamed for copying the iPhone 17 Pro camera bar from Google’s phones. First introduced with the Pixel 6, the horizontal camera bump has been the signature visual element of Pixel phones for years. Samsung has also used a horizontal camera on its own Galaxy S10 series phones.

Change is necessary

Hearing about the potential redesign of the S27 Ultra was certainly exciting, but after seeing the renders, I am genuinely worried. Not only do they look like the illegitimate child of an iPhone 17 Pro and a Xiaomi 17 Pro, but they’re also completely void of the Samsung look. I can only hope those are some early ideas and the final result will be something much more refined and appropriate for the brand.

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