Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra's Rumored Design Upgrade Will Make Galaxy S25 Owners Envious
The next Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could (and we stress could) have a selfie camera feature that has long been incorporated by other brands, namely an under-screen camera. A rumor appearing on X states that the camera hole isn't visible on the display of a prototype S26 Ultra. Of course, whether this is true or otherwise, we don't know. If there IS such a prototype, it's always possible that Samsung could nix the idea if, say, it's unhappy with imaging results from the camera.
In the Galaxy S26 Ultra display prototype, the camera hole is not visible.
— kro (@kro_roe) February 3, 2025
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Manufacturers have long toyed with the idea of a hidden under-display camera (UDC)—those that have implemented such a setup have done so with varying success. Chinese brand ZTE was the first to the market with a hidden camera with the Axon 20 5G in 2020, and since then even Samsung's Z Fold phones have featured similar tech. Starting with the Z Fold 3 up until the current Fold 6, tiny 4 megapixel under-screen cameras were found under the main display. These were meant for video calls and not at all ideal for image or video capture.
UDCs, in concept, are promising due the fact that they remove the distracting physical camera punch hole, thus expanding the amount of UI real estate and improving the user experience, such as when watching shows or playing games.in full screen. The code that phone makers have yet to adequately crack is image quality. Sticking a display sandwich layer over the camera lens compromises image quality, even if some phones try to counter the subsequent haziness with unique image processing algorithms.
It's probably safe to say that this S26 Ultra concept will not see final production. Samsung flagships are all about high-quality imaging, so sticking a sub-par camera with sub-par performance on the S26 (unless there's some miracle tech we're unaware of here) is not something the company will risk.
