Samsung will axe one of the Galaxy S27 Ultra's cameras
Reports suggest Samsung may remove the 3x telephoto camera from the upcoming Galaxy S27 Ultra to cut costs and optimize hardware. The company is expected to rely on sensor cropping from the main 200MP camera instead.
Why it matters
This shift reflects broader industry trends in smartphone hardware design and the increasing reliance on computational photography over optical hardware.
According to two separate sources, Samsung is considering dropping the dated 10MP 3x telephoto camera on the Galaxy S27 Ultra. The sensor has been around since the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and it seems it will finally retire next year.
One of the sources specifically states that there won't be a substitute for the 3x telephoto camera. Only the 200MP main unit, the 50MP 5x telephoto shooter and the 50MP ultrawide camera will remain. Industry sources say that this is a cost-cutting measure and the sensor itself has reached its "technical saturation point."
While most people will likely think of this as a downgrade, it's merely a side step in our books. We believe that the 10MP sensor has been long overdue for an upgrade or removal because cropping from the main 200MP achieves better image quality in most scenarios, rendering the 10MP 3x telephoto unit obsolete.
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