Galaxy S26 series camera leak shows a worrying trend for Samsung’s flagship phones

With most Android flagship launches completed for this year’s cycle, it’s time to look forward to the next one. Many Android OEMs have already begun teasing their next flagships, and we’re also excited to see what Samsung has in store for the Galaxy S26 series. We’ve already heard plenty about the Galaxy S26 series’ camera upgrades (or lack thereof), but a new leak is now sharing supplier information, corroborating previously spotted camera specifications for the lineup.

A new report from South Korea’s ETNews (via Sammobile) reveals the suppliers for key camera components, in turn revealing specifications. According to the report, the Galaxy S26 Ultra will feature a 200MP primary camera, a 50MP ultrawide camera, a 10MP 3x zoom camera, and a 50MP 5x zoom camera. The Galaxy S26 Edge will come with a 200MP primary camera and a 50MP ultrawide camera. The Galaxy S26 Pro will come with a 50MP primary camera, a 12MP ultrawide camera, and a 10MP 3x telephoto camera. All three phones will have a 12MP front camera.

Here’s a comparison of the basic camera specifications across the past few Galaxy S-series lineups, compared to what we are expected to get with the Galaxy S26 series:

As you can see, the base Galaxy S-series flagship’s camera specifications have remained unchanged since 2023. With the launch of the Galaxy S26 series, it will be four generations without any upgrade in specifications.

Even the Galaxy S26 Ultra flagship appears to be reusing camera specifications from this year’s Galaxy S25 Ultra. Previous S Ultra flagships at least bumped up some camera specifications, but the next one could settle into complacency.

It appears that only the Galaxy S26 Edge will be receiving a camera spec upgrade, increasing from a 12MP ultrawide shooter to a 50MP one.

Samsung appears to be stubbornly sticking with a 12MP front camera for yet another year, marking four generations without an upgrade. The Galaxy S series flagships will lag behind the iPhone 17 lineup, as all the phones now use the 18MP front camera, which can shoot in both portrait and landscape orientations. That’s a significant deciding factor for the younger crowd that appreciates selfies on social media, and Samsung doesn’t seem to be doing anything to win them over.

This report doesn’t rule out minor improvements to the individual components, which can theoretically give us a better camera setup. For instance, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is rumored to feature a wider f/1.4 aperture for its 200MP main camera, compared to the f/1.7 aperture on the S25 Ultra. It also doesn’t mention any software improvements.

We’re hoping there’s more to the Galaxy S26 series’ camera setup than meets the eye (and the spec sheet), as otherwise, it is fizzling out our excitement for Android’s premier flagship.