Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra May Drop to Three Rear Cameras

Key Takeaways

• The Galaxy S27 Ultra may ship with three rear cameras instead of four, dropping the 3x telephoto lens
• Ice Universe claims 100% probability that Samsung will use the main sensor's crop for 3x zoom
• Samsung has used the same 10MP 3x telephoto sensor since the Galaxy S21 Ultra in 2021

A Six-Year Run May End for Samsung's 3x Telephoto

Samsung's Galaxy S27 Ultra might ship with one fewer camera than its predecessor. According to prolific leaker Ice Universe, the 3x telephoto lens that has been part of Samsung's Ultra lineup since the Galaxy S21 Ultra will not appear on next year's flagship.

The claim comes alongside speculative renders showing a redesigned camera island. While the renders are not leaked images, they are based on Ice Universe's earlier tip that Samsung plans a significant design overhaul for the S27 series.

“There is a 100% probability that the 3x telephoto camera will be removed and replaced by the main camera's crop.”

— Ice Universe, Lead Tech Tipster

If accurate, this would mark the end of Samsung's quad-camera setup on the Ultra line. The company has used the same 10MP 3x telephoto sensor for six years, a component that critics have called stagnant compared to the rapid improvements in main and periscope sensors.

Why Samsung Might Make This Move

The shift mirrors a broader industry trend. Apple and Google have both moved away from dedicated mid-range telephoto lenses on their flagship phones. Instead, they rely on high-resolution main sensors to handle 2x or 3x zoom through sensor cropping.

Samsung reportedly plans to use a 200-megapixel ISOCELL HP6 main sensor on the S27 Ultra. At that resolution, a 3x crop would still produce a 22-megapixel image, more than enough for most use cases. The math works out: eliminate a dedicated lens, simplify the camera module, and let computational photography handle the rest.

The vivo X300 Ultra serves as a proof of concept. That phone ranks among the best camera phones on the market despite using only three rear cameras. Samsung appears to be betting it can achieve similar results.

What This Means for the Camera System

The current Galaxy S26 Ultra uses four rear cameras: a main sensor, an ultrawide, a 3x telephoto, and a 5x periscope telephoto. If the 3x lens disappears, the S27 Ultra would likely keep the main, ultrawide, and periscope cameras.

This creates a gap in the optical zoom range. Users would jump from 1x on the main camera to 5x on the periscope, with 3x handled by digital crop. The quality difference between optical and cropped zoom is noticeable in low light and when shooting fine details.

That said, computational photography has improved dramatically. Modern image signal processors can produce cropped images that rival dedicated lenses in good lighting conditions. Samsung's own Super Resolution Zoom technology has gotten progressively better at filling in details.

Design Changes Also in the Works

The camera reduction ties into a broader redesign. Ice Universe previously reported that Samsung will move the camera island on the S27 series. The speculative render shows a more compact camera bump, which would be easier to achieve with three lenses instead of four.

A smaller camera module could mean a thinner phone or more room for battery. Samsung has been criticized for the prominent camera bumps on recent Ultra models. Removing one lens helps address that without sacrificing the periscope zoom that differentiates the Ultra from cheaper models.

The Counterargument

Not everyone sees this as progress. The 3x focal length is arguably the most useful telephoto range for everyday photography. Portraits, food shots, and street photography all benefit from that compression. A 5x periscope is too tight for many scenarios.

Cropped zoom also drains more battery than optical zoom because it requires more computational processing. And no matter how good the algorithms get, you cannot recover information that was never captured. A dedicated 3x lens, even a modest one, captures more light than a cropped 200MP sensor.

Samsung may be betting that most buyers will not notice the difference. For the minority who do, the Ultra has always been a compromise between size and capability. Something has to give.

Timeline and What We Know

The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027, following Samsung's typical January or February announcement schedule. That gives the company over a year to finalize the camera configuration.

Ice Universe has a strong track record with Samsung leaks, but even reliable tipsters get details wrong. The "100% probability" claim is unusually confident. We will likely see more corroborating reports as the launch approaches.

Frequently Asked Questions

Will the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra have fewer cameras than the S26 Ultra?

According to leaker Ice Universe, yes. The S27 Ultra is expected to have three rear cameras instead of four, dropping the dedicated 3x telephoto lens.

How will Samsung handle 3x zoom without a dedicated lens?

Samsung reportedly plans to use a 200MP main sensor and crop into it for 3x zoom. This produces a 22MP cropped image, relying on computational photography for quality.

When will the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra be released?

Based on Samsung's typical schedule, the Galaxy S27 Ultra is expected to launch in January or February 2027.

Is Ice Universe a reliable source for Samsung leaks?

Ice Universe has a strong track record with Samsung leaks and is considered one of the most reliable tipsters for Galaxy device information.

Source: GSMArena.com / Vlad