Why should the Galaxy S27 Ultra try harder if the iPhone 18 Pro and the Pixel 11 Pro are camera-lazy, too?

Great expectations can be tricky. Expecting—hoping, even—that a brand as big as Samsung would always make the right move will surely lead to disappointment if you're passionate about phones and phone makers.

I didn't mention Samsung for no reason. The company that struck gold with the brand-new passport-looking Galaxy Z Fold 8 has deliberately taken the wrong step numerous times in both the distant and recent past.

For example, I won't forgive Samsung for not upgrading the battery cell capacity on their Galaxy S Ultra models for seven consecutive years. It stayed at 5,000 mAh from the Galaxy S20 Ultra until the Galaxy S26 Ultra including.

And now, Samsung is about to make a wrong decision once again.

No new high-end sensor

Per the latest disappointing rumor, Samsung will fail to equip its upcoming flagship, the Galaxy S27 Ultra, with the brand-new 200 MP camera sensor, the ISOCELL HPC.

This imaging sensor isn't like any other 200 MP sensor. It's designed to capture more light without making the individual pixels larger.

Its main new feature is DeepPix, which increases the sensor's light-handling capacity by 60%, helping improve HDR, colors and detail in bright and dark areas. Samsung achieves this through a new pixel design that handles excess light more efficiently. The sensor also supports HDR at several in-sensor zoom levels, including 1.5x, 2x, 3x and 4x. It can shoot at up to 7.5fps in full 200 MP resolution, 30fps at 50MP and 180fps at 12.5MP.

Hey, I've seen this before!

The Galaxy S26 Ultra packs the ISOCELL HP2 from 2023—and it could've packed the massive ISOCELL HP0 for its telephoto. But no, Samsung apparently didn't think users worthy enough of such a premium sensor.

So, hoping for the Galaxy S27 Ultra to pack the new ISOCELL HPC is out of the question. But, for crying out loud, it would've been nice for Samsung to push the envelope, wouldn't it?

Who'll get it, then?

Most likely those exotic Chinese flagships would take full advantage of the ISOCELL HPC late in 2026 or in early 2027.

For example, the Vivo X300 Ultra packed the aforementioned ISOCELL HP0—and it did it very, very well.

But now that OnePlus is pulling out of the US and the EU, people will probably recall Chinese brands—including Vivo, Xiaomi and Oppo—less and less. That's collateral damage and I hope I'm wrong but it starts to look like in the US, there's another Big 3 (not just the AT&T, T-Mobile and Verizon triumvirate). The Big 3 of the phones!

Both Samsung and Google are far behind Apple in its home country in terms of popularity and sales, but that's not the point. The fewer "exotic" brands people have, the less likely they'll be to ever step outside and enjoy a flagship with outstanding features, which many Chinese phones offer.

But why even try harder?

That's perhaps a bit too cynical, but in reality, why would Samsung overachieve and refine its Galaxy S27 Ultra's camera to the maximum?

Why do it… if your popular rivals aren't?

I'm going to trash the iPhone 18 Pro or the Pixel 11 Pro in terms of camera, since these would surely be advanced and more than enough to produce stunning pictures in the right hands.

But both Apple and Google (yes, even Google) have definitely been lazy in recent years. They're no longer at the forefront of the mobile camera experience. That's the Xiaomi, Huawei, Oppo, Vivo and Honor territory—it's their phones that come with cutting-edge imaging technology on board.

What, the iPhone 18 Pro is rumored to get a variable aperture? Big deal, that don't impress me much, as mobile camera sensors are already small enough and being able to close down your aperture a step or down won't produce day-and-night type of results.

Meanwhile, a Pixel 11 member is claimed to retain its 10.8MP telephoto camera. Hey, we're closer to 2027. What do you mean, a 10.8MP telephoto camera?!

Yeah, everyone—including Samsung, Apple and Google—can come up with a decent camera system. But wake me when they move on to 1-inch sensors and 200MP for their telephoto snappers.

Six-month unlimited plan is now 57% off

$90

$210

$120 off (57%)

Mint Mobile is now allowing you to get whichever plan you like for either three, six, or 12 months for just $15/mo. If you go for the six-month unlimited service, for instance, you'll now have to pay just $90 upfront instead of $210.

Buy at Mint Mobile