Samsung S26 Ultra Sets New Camera Benchmark
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra is setting a new bar in mobile photography, with DXOMARK reporting leading results for photo, video, and zoom performance. The results highlight the rapid pace of innovation in the Android ecosystem, driven by both advanced optics and AI-powered image processing.
The primary 200MP sensor retains its 1/1.3-inch size, comparable to the iPhone 17 Pro Max, but its aperture has been widened to f/1.4 from f/1.7 on the S25 Ultra. This hardware modification allows the sensor to capture 47% more light, significantly improving low-light performance and noise reduction for "Nightography" shots. On-device processing is handled by a custom 3nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, which integrates a dedicated AI image enhancer. This chipset powers Samsung's "ProVisual Engine," which performs real-time data analysis to preserve textures and clarity, and "ProScaler AI" for upscaling video content with enhanced color precision. A key manufacturing shift is in the 5x telephoto camera, which no longer uses a traditional periscope lens. It now employs a newer "All Lens On Prism" (ALoP) system, a technology Samsung first showcased in late 2024, resulting in a physically smaller camera module. Despite leading in certain zoom capabilities, the S26 Ultra's overall DXOMARK score of 157 places it 18th in global rankings. It trails competitors like the iPhone 17 Pro (168 points), with noted deficits in low-light autofocus and portrait mode subject segmentation compared to Apple's flagships.
