Samsung rumored to add 'variable' aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera

What you need to know

• Samsung is rumored to be interested in plugging "variable aperture" into the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
• Rumors about the aperture range remain unknown; however, Xiaomi recently did this, delivering an f/1.63 to f/4.0 range on the 14 Ultra.
• Previous rumors claim Samsung is working on 200MP telephoto tech with a 1/1.5-inch sensor.

Interest around Samsung's next smartphone series continues as new rumors suggest a major camera addition.

Rumors this time around stem from an Ice Universe Weibo post, which claims Samsung could provide a "variable aperture" on the next flagship Galaxy (via SamMobile). The tipster purports this camera addition could arrive on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Unfortunately, the rumors don't expand much about the range of aperture we could see if this proves true.

Ice Universe went into more detail in the comments with users, with one post stating the variable aperture could land on its primary lens.

Additionally, the tipster claims in a separate response that the S26 Ultra's primary lens will "significantly improve night scenes and HDR." The smaller an aperture is (take f/1.8 for example), the more light can hit your camera's sensor. Typically, you'd use this in scenarios where there isn't enough natural light, so you can see your subjects clearer.

Perhaps, with that, we can pretend Samsung will deliver one aperture setting that's quite low to cover low-light and another that's better for the middle game. But it's still extremely early and things can always change.

It's worth highlighting that the Galaxy S9 feature variable aperture for its primary lens, as noted by SamMobile. The device could swap between a f/1.5 and f/2.4.

If you're thinking more current day, Xiaomi's 14 Ultra features variable aperture with its primary lens. The phone launched in February with an aperture range of f/1.63 to f/4.0. While Samsung's version with the S9 was known more as "dual-aperture," Xiaomi's version truly delivers variation as users can gradually climb (or descend) through their aperture levels.

In short, it gives the consumer a little more agency with their photos and the look as a lower number affects the depth of field. Xiaomi provided this aperture variation on a one-inch sensor, the Sony LYT-900 (50MP).

The tipster on Weibo claims Samsung will continue to provide the same camera "solution," which could indicate a 200MP sensor. However, Samsung was previously rumored to have a 200MP telephoto lens in the works. The Korean OEM is supposedly working to craft a 1/1.5-inch sensor for this lens. Extra details remain unknown, but there's speculation the Galaxy S26 Ultra could grab this — and maybe with Samsung's ALoP tech, too.