Android Central Labs
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Going into this review, I was prepared to be disappointed. From the start, Samsung seems to have made no major changes to the camera system in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. It has the same big numbers as the Galaxy S25 Ultra, which at first seemed like an issue, especially when other companies are spending a lot of money on major improvements to the camera equipment.
It’s proof that pages are getting smaller, a position Samsung has taken publicly this year. As I noted in my Galaxy S26 Ultra review, this phone is more than meets the eye, and it all starts with the camera system.
Note: To view high-quality photos, expand the photo using the icon at the bottom right of the image, then click “View First.”
Amazing updates await
Over the past few weeks, I’ve been carrying the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra alongside the Galaxy S25 Ultra, OnePlus 15, Honor Magic 8 Pro, iPhone 17 Pro Max, and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL. I usually take two phones with me everywhere I go to compare the cameras in different situations, which means I was able to take hundreds of photos with the Galaxy S26 Ultra in a short amount of time.
One of the biggest strengths of the Galaxy S26 Ultra is its stability. Images are almost perfectly balanced, have natural colors, accurate lighting, and are painted with good detail. That 200MP primary camera is the star of the show day and night.
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Compared to the results of the competition, the Honor Magic 8 Pro usually produces punchier photos with deeper, brighter colors and more details. Some may prefer this look, as Samsung phones were similar. However, Honor’s camera settings often produce blurry images of whatever you’re trying to capture.
On the other hand, the Google Pixel 10 Pro XL and the iPhone 17 Pro Max, on the other hand, often match the color accuracy and good exposure of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but they lack the fine details produced by the Samsung camera.
The ultrawide camera doesn’t stand still either, though. It usually produces more saturated images and has fewer variants than the competition. The example above gives you a good idea of ​​what to expect.
Samsung’s imaging system has been leading the industry for years, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s is better than ever in some cases. When taking pictures of pets or people, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s picture mode is a cropper. This year, Samsung seems to have improved motion capture, taking clean photos even when pets or children aren’t moving.
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But one of my favorite ways to take pictures on modern phones doesn’t work well on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I often use portrait mode to create a shallow depth of field, mimicking the look of a professional camera. The S26 Ultra often struggles to understand what I’m looking for in these situations, while phones like the Honor Magic 8 Pro and Google Pixel 10 Pro XL get it right almost every time.
I am very impressed with the stability of the Galaxy S26 Ultra camera. It may not be the best in any particular area, but in general, its images are often considered the best result in the middle.
The Ultrawide camera is used in conjunction with the main camera to deliver smooth, ultra-stable video. Samsung’s first Steady Shot system is available as well as a new Horizon Lock option, which does exactly what it says on the tin. In the video example above, I rotate the phone side to side using all three stability settings to show the effectiveness of each option.
Horizon Lock isn’t necessarily “better” than the existing Steady Shot system. Still, it’s an interesting option that uses digital cropping and multiple sensors to deliver the most stable video you’ll find anywhere, even if Motorola was the first to offer it.
Space Zoom returns to Earth
While the telephoto quality on this phone is generally excellent, it doesn’t always match the range offered by Samsung’s biggest competitors. No, I’m not talking about Apple or Google, two companies that produce the same telephoto quality as Samsung; rather, I’m talking about competition from Chinese OEMs that have been pushing telephoto camera specs recently.
Let’s start with the good, though. Samsung has improved clarity by 5x by using the new All Lenses on Prism (ALoP) concept for the 5x telephoto zoom camera. This reduces distortion compared to traditional lenses, such as the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
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When it comes to telephoto quality, there is no room for physics. AI can do a lot to improve a photo and create the details it deserves, but it still can’t replace the look and feel of a photo taken with better equipment.
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Phones with bigger sensors or more zoom lenses will give better results than the Galaxy S26 Ultra, but it may not matter that much in the end. Honor Magic 8 Pro usually performs better in terms of zoom quality, but Samsung’s results are not bad by any means and are the best that the company has produced so far.
Not “Ultra,” but pretty close
The Galaxy S26 Ultra isn’t “the best” in any area, but it’s so consistent in its results that this doesn’t matter. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Ultra usually delivers realistic results, although not the best quality from a smartphone to date.
I expected a little better performance from the sensors of this phone, since it is labeled “ultra”, but the performance from 3 out of 5 is top notch, and the two telephoto sensors are usually very good, and that’s what really matters at the end of the day.
Samsung’s best launch yet comes with a new display model and better cameras than ever. See what you missed with great zoom details and a compact camera that outperforms the competition.
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