Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera Updates Have Ton of AI

Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is here. Packing upgrades from the design to its fancy new Privacy Display, which aims to keep people from spying on whatever shady things you're up to on your commute. But the Ultra range has always been where Samsung unleashes its latest, greatest camera technology.

So, what's new for photographers?

Not Much Hardware Changed

In terms of hardware, not a lot has changed. The main camera has a 200-megapixel resolution. A 50-megapixel ultrawide-angle camera. 10-megapixel 3x telephoto and 50-megapixel 5x telephoto cameras. Those specs are the same as the previous S25 Ultra.

So those hoping for a wild overhaul of the cameras to keep pace with Xiaomi's upcoming 17 Ultra may be disappointed.

But there have been some tweaks. The main and ultrawide cameras now have wider apertures which should help capture more light. This will prove especially useful in low-light situations. Samsung specifically highlighted the improved performance of night mode imagery for both stills and video. Night video mode employing more advanced software processing for noise reduction and improved colors.

Video Features

Speaking of video, it'll still shoot in 8K. Supports Log codecs with built-in LUTs—which is what cinema pros call filters, essentially. This should make the phones more appealing to serious video creators. To show the phone means business, Samsung filmed and livestreamed its San Francisco launch event using the S26 Ultra.

There's also a feature called Horizon Lock which aims to keep the horizon level while shooting video, no matter how you twist and turn your phone. This kind of stabilization exists in action cameras already. It can be helpful for filming intense action, like if you're running to keep up as you're filming your friend skateboarding.

AI Is the Real Story

But because it's 2026 and AI is the word on everyone’s lips, many of the major updates come in the form of generative AI built deep into the camera experience. It allows you to use natural language prompts to edit images, including compositing one element of an image onto another. It can even change the outfit someone in your image is wearing.

During its Unpacked event, Samsung showed how its AI tools can take a picture of a dog and place it in the arms of a girl in another image. It also showed how the phone can instantly change a woman's outfit from a simple shirt to a cozy sweater, then to a more grungy skater aesthetic.

The images looked photo-realistic—at least as far as you could see on the YouTube livestream. How these tools actually work in everyday use remains to be seen.

The Bottom Line

Most of these upgrades are tweaks. Not breakthroughs.

The breakthroughs—according to Samsung—are the AI features. Put a dog in someone's arms. Change someone's outfit. Composite images together.

Cool party tricks. But are they why people buy Ultra phones? To take pictures of their dog, then AI-composite the dog into their friend's arms? To take a picture of someone in a shirt, then AI-change it to a sweater?

Or do they buy Ultra phones to take better pictures in the real world? Better low-light photos. Better action shots. Better portraits. Better everything.

Samsung seems to think it's the former. That people want AI gimmicks more than they want photography improvements. Maybe that's true. Maybe that's the future of smartphone photography.

The revolutionary features—according to Samsung—are AI. And that's disappointing for people who want better photography, not better AI tricks. However, at the rate everyone is using AI these days, it could prove a fun feature for many. Time will tell on this one.

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