The Galaxy S27 Ultra needs a better camera, according to our readers

People want a better camera system on the Galaxy S27 Ultra

The latest leaks point toward Samsung not using its own ISOCELL HPC camera sensor on the Galaxy S27. That's a bit disappointing, given there's tech inside Samsung that labels "industry's first."

In the same article, we asked you, our readers, "Should Should Samsung be more aggressive with the cameras on the Galaxy S27 Ultra?" The poll gathered quite a lot of votes (more than 2000), and the sentiment is clear.

More than 65% of all voters think Samsung should bring real upgrades to the camera system of the Galaxy S27 Ultra. Another big chunk of responders, almost 25%, wants a bigger battery, and just 9% of our readers think the Galaxy S27 Ultra will be a great phone. That's alarming.

No big camera upgrades on the Galaxy S27 Ultra

This is an understatement, given the Galaxy S27 Ultra is expected to bring a camera downgrade. Say goodbye to the 3X telephoto camera, because there won't be one on the Galaxy S27 Ultra.

The phone will most likely feature the same 200MP main camera with a slightly different sensor, a new 50MP ultrawide, and the same 50MP periscope telephoto as the one on the S26 Ultra.

There were rumors about Samsung bringing back the variable aperture camera we first saw on the Galaxy S9 series, but the latest information suggests it's a no-go. Samsung is trying to cut the costs due to the ongoing memory crisis, and we won't get a variable aperture on the S27 Ultra.

There's one rumor talking about a new main sensor with LOFIC technology, but we'll have to wait and see how this plays out.

The Galaxy S27 Ultra will be all-rounder once again

Apparently, Samsung will stick to its formula of making a great all-rounder device, rather than focusing on specific features like other competitors. For example, Chinese camera phones have always been more aggressive and often use the latest and greatest camera sensors.

We've seen different innovations as well, such as a dedicated color sensor to help with color accuracy, Huawei's variable aperture first seen on the Mate 50 Pro, a motorized moving prism that shifts light dynamically between two different focal lengths using a single sensor, and more.

Meanwhile, Samsung is removing one camera and sticking to a very safe formula for its most popular flagship device.

The end of hardware upgrades?

 


I wrote a piece about the Pixel Watch 5 and how this device marks the end of hardware upgrades as we know them. But it's been a long time coming, and Samsung is one of the biggest offenders, so to speak.

The company has been releasing devices with incremental upgrades in the past couple of years, including flagship phones with identical camera systems from one generation to the next and the one after that. This has been going on for years.

And now the fans have spoken. Samsung needs to bring more upgrades to the Galaxy S27 Ultra or face the consequences. Meaning further declining sales and loss of customer loyalty. Especially bad in this time of economic uncertainty and chip shortages.