- The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra could have one fewer camera than its predecessor
- It seems that the 3x telephoto lens is being discontinued
- That would leave it with just a 5x optical zoom for telephoto shots, assuming no other changes are made.
Samsung’s Galaxy Ultra phones have long been the best options for telephoto photography, helped in part by their two telephoto lenses, where most high-end phones only have one. But it looks like the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra is becoming a bit more conventional, as it has reportedly lost one of its telephoto lenses.
This is according to @UniverseIce – a leaker with a solid track record – who claims that the 3x telephoto lens will be absent on the S27 Ultra. Although their wording is a bit ambiguous, it looks like Samsung will abandon this camera altogether, rather than replacing it with a different focal length.
In this case, if the other telephoto lens remains the same as on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, you will be limited to 5x optical zoom only. However, it’s possible that Samsung could modify this camera or even allow multiple zoom levels through a single lens, removing the need for an additional camera.
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The first rumors are circulating about the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra: the often mocked 3x telephoto lens, known for being tiny and disappointing, has finally changed. It didn’t get any stronger. He has not weakened. It’s just gone.😂April 30, 2026
A camera that won’t be missed greatly
Regardless, Samsung fans don’t seem too bothered by this news, with responses to the post including “good riddance, I say. I hope it’s not just the Ultra that says goodbye to that horrible lens,” and “finally. The 3x was always the middle child anyway.”
Granted, it’s not currently the most useful of the Ultra’s cameras, since you can already get a 2x “optical quality” photo from the 200MP main sensor. This 3x zoom camera also currently has a 10 MP sensor, while the other rear cameras are all 50 MP or higher.
While we take the claim of its removal with a pinch of salt, it is consistent with recent reports that The Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra will have a redesigned camera block (perhaps in the style of the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera block) to facilitate MagSafe-style charging, so that could well be the case.
If this is accurate, we certainly hope Samsung is planning camera improvements elsewhere, because while the 3x telephoto lens is arguably the least useful of the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s snappers, removing it without further changes would be a definite downgrade.
We probably won’t know for sure what Samsung is planning until early 2027, as that’s when the Samsung Galaxy S27 series will likely launch.
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