A new report suggests that next year’s Galaxy S27 Ultra may undergo a major shift in its camera system. One that could divide mobile photography enthusiasts. According to the leak, Samsung is considering removing its long-standing 3x telephoto camera, transitioning from a quad-camera setup to a triple-camera system instead.
In its place, Samsung is reportedly planning to upgrade the main camera with variable aperture technology and significantly enhance the 5x telephoto lens, potentially equipping it with a 200MP sensor for improved long-range detail. On paper, the move sounds like a logical refinement: fewer cameras, but more capable ones.
However, this rumored direction raises concerns especially for users who rely on versatile focal lengths rather than just raw megapixel counts.
The current 3x telephoto lens on Galaxy Ultra devices has never been universally praised. It’s often criticized for lacking detail and struggling in low light, even if it remains useful for portrait shots. Still, recent developments across the industry suggest that 3x zoom cameras are finally reaching their full potential.
Devices like the Oppo Find X9 Ultra, vivo X300 Ultra, and Xiaomi 17 Ultra have demonstrated just how capable modern 3x cameras can be. With larger 200MP sensors, wider apertures, and optical image stabilization, these setups deliver strong results across multiple scenarios particularly portraits, mid-range shots, and even macro photography. The natural compression from a 3x lens also produces more pleasing subject separation compared to wider lenses.
That’s where the concern lies. Dropping the 3x camera entirely could create a noticeable usability gap between the main wide lens (around 22mm) and a 5x telephoto (roughly 120mm). This range often used for portraits and everyday framing would rely heavily on digital cropping rather than true optical zoom.
While high-resolution sensors can simulate 2x to 4x zoom levels through cropping, the trade-offs are significant. Users lose benefits like pixel binning, resulting in increased noise, reduced HDR performance, and flatter images. More importantly, cropped images lack the natural depth and compression that come with dedicated focal lengths, making them feel less dynamic and harder to compose creatively.
Even a powerful 5x camera has its limitations. It’s useful for distant subjects, landscapes, and certain macro scenarios, but it sits in an awkward middle ground. It’s too narrow for natural-looking portraits typically best captured between 35mm and 70mm and not quite long enough for serious long-range photography, which often starts closer to 200mm (around 10x zoom).
This isn’t just theoretical. Phones that rely on a similar triple-camera approach such as recent Pixel Pro models have shown weaknesses in the 2x to 4x range, particularly in portrait quality and detail retention. Despite strong computational photography, they still struggle to replicate the look and flexibility of a dedicated mid-range telephoto lens.
The bigger issue is philosophical. Smartphone photography isn’t just about stacking megapixels or improving HDR. It’s about having the right tools for different shooting scenarios. A well-balanced camera system offers multiple focal lengths that allow users to adapt creatively, whether shooting portraits, landscapes, or close-ups.
Eliminating the 3x lens in favor of stronger main and 5x cameras may streamline the hardware, but it risks sacrificing one of the most versatile focal lengths available today. For many photographers, a high-quality 3x camera sits close to the ideal “sweet spot,” offering natural perspective and flexibility without forcing users too far into digital zoom territory.
As it stands, this is still a leak, and Samsung’s final decision remains unknown. But if the company does move forward with this approach, it may be betting on the wrong upgrade path especially at a time when competitors are proving just how valuable a well-executed 3x camera can be.