Samsung might introduce a 200 MP telephoto periscope camera in the Galaxy S26 Ultra

Samsung is expected to feature a 200 MP telephoto periscope camera in one of its future flagship models. Currently, the company uses 50 MP periscope lenses.

Samsung takes a cautious approach to camera upgrades in its flagship devices. While the upcoming Galaxy S25 series will largely retain the previous year’s camera hardware, a significant upgrade might arrive in 2025.

A likely candidate: Galaxy S26 Ultra

Renowned leaker Digital Chat Station claims on Weibo that Samsung plans to use a 1/1.5-inch 200 MP periscope telephoto camera in one of its upcoming premium devices. Given that the Galaxy S Ultra series traditionally debuts major innovations, it’s likely this new camera will appear in the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Currently, the Galaxy S24 Ultra features a 50 MP sensor for its 5x periscope camera, a specification that will persist in the Galaxy S25 Ultra. The only major change expected is a switch from a 12 MP to a 50 MP ultra-wide camera.

Samsung introduced the ultra-high-resolution smartphone camera trend with the Galaxy S20 Ultra. The Galaxy S23 Ultra upgraded its primary sensor from 108 MP to 200 MP. The next logical step is to implement a 200 MP sensor for the periscope camera. However, the mentioned 1/1.5-inch sensor will be smaller than the 1/1.33-inch main sensor found in the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Still, the Galaxy S26 Ultra won’t be the first device to feature a 200 MP telephoto camera. Vivo X100 Ultra, Vivo X200 Pro, and Honor Magic 7 Pro already use 200 MP sensors in their telephoto setups.

High-resolution telephoto cameras offer many advantages, including enhanced detail and the ability to crop from the center with optical-level quality.