Samsung Galaxy S27 camera leak reveals more than we wanted to hear – including a major disappointment

Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra — (Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

The camera specs for the forthcoming Galaxy S27 family of phones have leaked, revealing that the changes to the hardware will be minimal.

That might come as a disappointment for those expecting something new from Samsung, with the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27 Plus set to use the same sensors as previous Galaxy S26 devices.

We'd already heard that the Galaxy S27 Ultra would be dropping a lens, losing the 3x telephoto and just offering a single 5x telephoto instead. This is where it will differ from the Galaxy S27 Pro, which will have that 3x telephoto, a slight step-down in range.

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That telephoto lens in the Galaxy S27 Pro is based on the same sensor that's being dumped from the Galaxy S27 Ultra this time around, reported to be the 10-megapixel Samsung S5K3LD, according to SammyGuru. A cynic might say that the Pro is using the Ultra's spare parts.

Elsewhere, both the Ultra and the Pro will use the same 200-megapixel main camera, based on a Samsung ISOCELL HP6 sensor. This is the new hardware across all these cameras, so the positive is that the main camera – the one that people use most – is getting a boost.

Otherwise the Ultra and the Pro will share the same ultrawide and selfie camera hardware.

Positioning these new devices, from the camera perspective, leans heavily on the new sensor for the main camera that's going into the Ultra and the Pro. We already know that the Ultra is a great device, with the weakness being the 10-megapixel 3x optical zoom.

It's strange that Samsung is introducing a new device with that very same camera. While the Pro will benefit from a new main camera experience, the telephoto experience might not hit the pro levels that some expect.

We're expecting the Ultra and the Pro to have a fresh new design, while the power might come from either the Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6, Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6, or the Exynos 2700 – although the latter might just be reserved for the S27 and S27 Plus.

Otherwise we're expecting the Galaxy S27 Pro to get Privacy Display, with most of Samsung messaging for the new devices going into the new AI features that they offer.

The phones are expected to launch at a Galaxy Unpacked event in February 2027.

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Chris has been writing about consumer tech for over 15 years. Formerly the Editor-in-Chief of Pocket-lint, he's covered just about every product launched, witnessed the birth of Android, the evolution of 5G, and the drive towards electric cars. You name it and Chris has written about it, driven it or reviewed it. Now working as a freelance technology expert, Chris' experience sees him covering all aspects of smartphones, smart homes and anything else connected. Chris has been published in titles as diverse as Computer Active and Autocar, and regularly appears on BBC News, BBC Radio, Sky, Monocle and Times Radio. He was once even on The Apprentice... but we don't talk about that.