Samsung is the internet's laughing stock over this Galaxy S26 Ultra design blunder

While the new Galaxy Z Fold 8 and the revamped Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra are great and all (hey, let's not forget the new Galaxy Z Flip 8 while we're at it!), Samsung has managed to get widely mocked on social media.

There's no one to blame but Samsung itself for this, as the main protagonists in this funny story are the Galaxy S26 Ultra (one of the best Android phones out there) and the official Samsung Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack.

Looks a bit silly

When the aforementioned Samsung Magnetic Wireless Battery Pack (a complex moniker for a simple magnetic power bank) is snapped onto the back of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it looks like this:

Yes, as Alvin (a well-known tech tipster on X) points out, it's "painful to watch", since the battery pack clearly gets on top of the phone's bottom camera lens.

All ideas about symmetry are forfeited and OCD people will surely twitch at this design choice.

It's fully functional, though

Thankfully, Samsung's official battery bank doesn't get in the way of the camera performance and many people confirm that all cameras of the Galaxy S26 Ultra are fully functional with the accessory on.

There's a simple explanation for this, as the bottom camera is a telephoto one. If it was the ultra-wide snapper, we'd definitely deal with a problem.

It's because of how light and focus work together. Think of a camera lens like a funnel for light, not a window. If you cover the bottom half of a window, you cannot see the floor anymore. But a camera lens works differently because light from your entire picture hits every part of the glass at the same time. The top half of the lens still catches light from the top, middle and bottom of your scene, so your whole picture still shows up.

Yes, but…

…people are not letting go and Samsung quickly became the internet's laughing stock because of this design choice.

"Samsung being Samsung" and "Samsung reaching new levels" are among the more mannered comments, while others go straight for firing engineers and worse.

Does it matter that much to you?

To me – yes. I mean, the combo works normally, but we're dealing with a $1,300 phone here. When I'm paying top dollar, I expect everything (and I do mean everything) not only to function but also to look pristine.

If it was a $600 Galaxy A phone, maybe this wouldn't be as hilarious.
 

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