Samsung’s next-generation Galaxy S27 Ultra may ship with three rear cameras instead of four, dropping the dedicated 10MP 3x telephoto lens entirely, according to a report from South Korean outlet ET News. The change would mark a notable shift in Samsung’s strategy of stacking as many zoom options as possible into its top-tier flagship.
The ET News report, published on July 31, outlines a clear camera hierarchy across the S27 lineup — and confirms that the Galaxy S27 Pro will not match the Ultra’s zoom reach. That camera gap between Samsung’s two highest-end phones is new territory for the series and worth understanding before buying decisions firm up.
Galaxy S27 Ultra and S27 Pro Camera Specs (Leaked)
According to the report, the Galaxy S27 Ultra would carry a 200MP main sensor, a 50MP ultrawide, and a single 50MP 5x telephoto — three cameras total. That means losing the 10MP 3x telephoto that the Galaxy S26 Ultra currently uses alongside its 5x lens. In practice, the 5x telephoto would have to cover the 3x focal length through digital cropping, which trades optical sharpness at that range for a simpler module and lower manufacturing cost.
The Galaxy S27 Pro, meanwhile, reportedly gets the same 200MP main and 50MP ultrawide but settles for a 12MP 3x telephoto — no 5x at all. Buyers who want long-range optical zoom would have only one option in the lineup.
The base Galaxy S27 and S27 Plus retain a more modest 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, and 10MP 3x telephoto configuration.
A separate, earlier leak from tipster Lanzuk via SamMobile (July 14) independently corroborated the four-to-three camera transition on the Ultra, noting that Samsung was exploring multiple prototype layouts while trying to reduce manufacturing costs. The convergence of two independent leak threads, three weeks apart, gives the four-to-three cut reasonable weight — though Samsung’s final decision is not locked until production tooling is finalized, and Lanzuk noted that the existing S26 Ultra layout could be retained if prototypes prove impractical.
What Buyers Actually Lose
On paper, moving from four cameras to three sounds like a downgrade — and in one specific way, it is. A dedicated 3x lens produces sharper results at portrait-range telephoto distances (roughly 70–80mm equivalent) than cropping from a 5x sensor can. Samsung’s rationale, per the ET News-sourced reporting, is cost reduction amid rising component prices. That is a margin-protection move, not a user-experience improvement, and it is worth calling out plainly: if the 50MP 5x sensor’s crop performance at 3x does not match a dedicated lens, this is a cut dressed as simplification.
On the Pro side, the gap is starker. Current Galaxy S-series Pro models have matched the Ultra’s zoom capabilities in recent generations. A 12MP 3x ceiling on the S27 Pro would create a meaningful hardware gap that pushes zoom-conscious buyers toward the pricier Ultra — exactly what Samsung would want if protecting the Ultra’s premium is the goal.
Both the ET News report and the Lanzuk leak also mention a possible 16MP square-shaped front camera sensor on the Ultra and Pro, though details remain sparse.
Timeline
The Galaxy S27 series is expected to launch in early 2027. SamMobile noted in July that the design was still at least six months away from finalization, with credible hardware leaks likely emerging once CAD files are locked down. These are early-stage leaks — treat them as directional signals, not confirmed specs.
Samsung has not commented on any Galaxy S27 specifications.
Sources: Android Police (citing ET News), SamMobile (tipster Lanzuk)
