The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera wants to keep it real, and that can be a very good thing
Galaxy S26 Ultra reportedly fixes its biggest camera quirk.
This article may contain personal views and opinion from the author.
Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra. | Image credit — PhoneArena
Is it finally time for Samsung to retire the radioactive green grass and neon blue skies? If the latest rumors are true, the upcoming Galaxy S26 Ultra is about to make a huge change to your photos, swapping that "Instagram-filter" look for something much more real.
In a move that could completely change how we think about Galaxy cameras, Samsung is reportedly changing the "recipe" it uses to take photos. The goal for the new Galaxy S26 Ultra is simple: stop making things look fake and start making them look like real life.
According to a new report from a reliable leaker, the next big Samsung phone will focus on "natural" colors. For years, Samsung has been famous for aggressive automatic editing—taking a dull scene and turning the saturation all the way up until the colors pop off the screen. While that looks cool at first glance, it isn't accurate. The report says this new approach will fix that, specifically helping with skin tones, so people don't look overly smoothed out or brightened.
While the main camera sensor (the hardware that captures the light) might not change much in terms of megapixels, there is chatter about a change to the lens itself.
To understand why this is a big deal, we have to look at the phones most of us are actually buying. Here in the U.S., if you walk into a store, you are usually choosing between three main flavors: Samsung, Apple, and Google (Motorola as well).
I know, I know—there are other phones out there from brands like OnePlus, Xiaomi, or Vivo that actually have bigger, better camera hardware than all three of these. But since you can't easily walk in to a store and buy those in the States, we are going to focus on the "Big Three" we all know.
For a long time, these three brands have had very different personalities:
Samsung switching to a natural look would be them realizing that "more color" doesn't always mean "better photo." By giving you a natural image, they are giving you a better starting point. You can always add a filter later if you want that neon look, but you can't easily remove it if the phone bakes it in automatically. This puts Samsung much closer to the Google Pixel philosophy, targeting people who care about color accuracy, not just flashiness.
I have a confession to make: I kind of like the "Samsung lie." There is something satisfying about taking a picture of a beach on a Galaxy phone and seeing the water look impossibly blue on that bright screen. It saves me the trouble of editing my vacation photos to make them look better than they actually were.
But, there is a downside I won't miss. For years, I’ve felt that Galaxy phones struggle with people. In indoor lighting, my friends often end up looking slightly orange, or their skin gets smoothed out so much they look blurry. If this new "natural" style fixes the orange-face problem, I am 100% on board.
I think this is the right move for the "Ultra" phone specifically. If you are spending over $1,000 on the S26 Ultra, you probably care about photography. You likely want the best, most accurate picture possible so you can edit it yourself. Let the cheaper phones keep the fun, punchy filters for social media, but let the Ultra be a serious camera.
My only worry? Regular buyers might think the new photos look "boring" compared to the old ones. It’s hard to sell "accuracy" when people are used to "pizzazz." If they can combine this new realistic look with the aforementioned rumored camera upgrades, the S26 Ultra could finally be the camera that makes me put my Pixel in the drawer (for a little while, at least).
The "Samsung Look" is getting a reality check
In a move that could completely change how we think about Galaxy cameras, Samsung is reportedly changing the "recipe" it uses to take photos. The goal for the new Galaxy S26 Ultra is simple: stop making things look fake and start making them look like real life.
The rumored upgrades
- Real colors: moving away from super bright, neon colors to what your eyes actually see.
- Better portraits: less artificial smoothing on faces, so you look like you, not a wax figure.
- Wider lens opening (aperture): this would let more light into the camera naturally, so the phone doesn't have to use as much software magic to brighten up dark photos.
Why a "boring" photo can actually be better
I can confirm that the overall photography style of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is realistic, that is, it is as close as possible to the colors of the real environment. For those who like high contrast and high saturation, this is not a good thing, as the photos will look…
— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) January 17, 2026
To understand why this is a big deal, we have to look at the phones most of us are actually buying. Here in the U.S., if you walk into a store, you are usually choosing between three main flavors: Samsung, Apple, and Google (Motorola as well).
For a long time, these three brands have had very different personalities:
- Samsung has been the "fun" camera. It makes the sky bluer and the grass greener. It’s great if you want to snap a pic of your lunch and post it immediately without editing it. But sometimes, it looks a bit like a cartoon.
- The iPhone is the "warm and safe" one. Apple photos often look a little yellow or golden. They are very reliable—you know what you are going to get—but they can sometimes struggle to handle really bright lights and dark shadows at the same time.
- The Google Pixel is the "dramatic" one. It likes deep shadows and cool, blueish tones. It usually captures the most detail in the clouds and textures, giving photos a moody, realistic vibe.
Samsung switching to a natural look would be them realizing that "more color" doesn't always mean "better photo." By giving you a natural image, they are giving you a better starting point. You can always add a filter later if you want that neon look, but you can't easily remove it if the phone bakes it in automatically. This puts Samsung much closer to the Google Pixel philosophy, targeting people who care about color accuracy, not just flashiness.
I’ll miss the pop (but not the orange faces)
I have a confession to make: I kind of like the "Samsung lie." There is something satisfying about taking a picture of a beach on a Galaxy phone and seeing the water look impossibly blue on that bright screen. It saves me the trouble of editing my vacation photos to make them look better than they actually were.
But, there is a downside I won't miss. For years, I’ve felt that Galaxy phones struggle with people. In indoor lighting, my friends often end up looking slightly orange, or their skin gets smoothed out so much they look blurry. If this new "natural" style fixes the orange-face problem, I am 100% on board.
I think this is the right move for the "Ultra" phone specifically. If you are spending over $1,000 on the S26 Ultra, you probably care about photography. You likely want the best, most accurate picture possible so you can edit it yourself. Let the cheaper phones keep the fun, punchy filters for social media, but let the Ultra be a serious camera.
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