Samsung has kept a consistent approach to cameras on its baseline Galaxy S-series model for a few years. The Galaxy S25 arrived in January with the same triple camera setup as the Galaxy S24, which itself was rocking identical camera hardware to the Galaxy S23. A new report from South Korea’s The Elec suggests that the upcoming Galaxy S26 is expected to reuse the same camera modules as the ones used in its Galaxy S25.
This means a 50MP main (1/1.56”), a 10MP telephoto (1/3.94″) with 3x optical zoom, and a 12MP ultrawide (1/2.55″). But that was not the initial plan. The same report claims that Samsung planned to upgrade the Galaxy S26’s sensors alongside a higher starting price, but the iPhone 17’s launch altered those plans.
Apple’s decision to upgrade the vanilla iPhone 17 to a 120Hz ProMotion LTPO OLED screen and 256GB base storage while retaining its $799 starting price influenced Samsung’s decision-making. This allegedly led Samsung to a last-minute choice to scrap the Galaxy S26’s camera upgrades so the device could match the $799 entry point.
The impact is now expected to also lead to a delay in the vanilla Galaxy S26’s production timeline as Samsung will have to redesign its internal components. For reference, Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to enter mass production this month, while the Galaxy S26 and S26+ will begin their manufacturing journey in early 2026.
Source (in Korean)