{"id":478057,"date":"2026-02-16T07:17:24","date_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:17:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/478057\/"},"modified":"2026-02-16T07:17:24","modified_gmt":"2026-02-16T07:17:24","slug":"galaxy-s26-ultras-rumored-wider-aperture-could-be-its-biggest-camera-upgrade-heres-why","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/478057\/","title":{"rendered":"Galaxy S26 Ultra\u2019s rumored wider aperture could be its biggest camera upgrade \u2014 here\u2019s why"},"content":{"rendered":"

I\u2019ve been keeping up with all the Galaxy S26 Ultra<\/a> rumors of late, and with the next Galaxy Unpacked<\/a> looming, one rumored upgrade is already proving controversial. After putting the Galaxy S25 Ultra<\/a> through a year’s worth of photo shootouts against key rivals like the iPhone 17 Pro Max<\/a> and Pixel 10 Pro XL<\/a>, I believe this specific change could have a significant impact on the forthcoming flagship.<\/p>\n

I\u2019m referring to the rumor that the Galaxy S26 Ultra will gain a wider aperture<\/a>. While it might not sound like the spiciest upgrade, I know how drastically it can improve real-world camera performance. This would be a major asset, especially since the phone is tipped to recycle the same 200MP main sensor as its predecessor.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The photos I\u2019ve captured with the Galaxy S25 Ultra demonstrate exactly why a larger aperture might be just enough to secure the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s spot as the best camera phone<\/a> on the market.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

Increased low light performance<\/p>\n

Image 1 of 14<\/p>\n

\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"AppleiPhone 17 Pro Max(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)\"SamsungGalaxy S25 Ultra(Image credit: Tom’s Guide \/ John Velasco)<\/p>\n

If there\u2019s one primary benefit to a larger aperture for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, it would be the potential to dethrone the iPhone 17 Pro Max as the king of low light. The gallery above features photos I\u2019ve captured under dim conditions at night to highlight the dramatic performance lead Apple\u2019s flagship holds over the Galaxy S25 Ultra.<\/p>\n

In every shot, the iPhone 17 Pro Max delivers brighter images, almost magically illuminating shadowed areas. In contrast, those same areas appear much dimmer on the Galaxy S25 Ultra \u2014 and as a result, the sensor fails to capture the details hidden in the dark.<\/p>\n

Moving from the f\/1.7 aperture of the Galaxy S25 Ultra to the rumored f\/1.4 on the Galaxy S26 Ultra may seem like a minor change, but it would allow the sensor to gather significantly more light. In dim conditions, that extra light is vital for producing a brighter, clearer overall picture.<\/p>\n

Sharper, blur-free action shots<\/p>\n

\n

\"Recording\n<\/p>\n

(Image credit: Tom’s Guide)<\/p>\n

Another benefit of a wider aperture is how it inherently improves the quality of action shots \u2014 those fast-moving subjects that often come out blurry. Because a camera\u2019s aperture ties directly to other variables like shutter speed and ISO, a wider opening could finally allow the Galaxy S26 Ultra to produce crisp, blur-free action shots. These three factors together determine the overall exposure of an image.<\/p>\n

Get instant access to breaking news, the hottest reviews, great deals and helpful tips.<\/p>\n

For example, the \u201chole\u201d in the lens would be physically larger on the Galaxy S26 Ultra than it is now with the Galaxy S26 Ultra \u2014 allowing more light to hit the sensor. Consequently, the camera doesn\u2019t need to keep the shutter open as long to achieve a bright exposure.<\/p>\n

By reducing that exposure time, you\u2019re shooting at a much faster shutter speed. These faster speeds are what “freeze” a subject in motion, eliminating the ghosting or motion blur often seen in other cameras that are forced to shoot at longer shutter speeds.<\/p>\n

Better data for AI-assisted enhancements<\/p>\n

While there hasn\u2019t been much chatter regarding the specific Galaxy AI features<\/a> coming to the Galaxy S26 Ultra, recent teaser videos<\/a> from Samsung have me optimistic. Although the clips focus on video performance and improved hybrid zoom, a wider aperture could give the S26 Ultra a major advantage in AI-assisted processing.<\/p>\n

You may like<\/p>\n

The best current example of this is the Pixel 10 Pro XL\u2019s Pro Res Zoom<\/a>, which leans on generative AI to enhance zoom photos with incredible clarity. As I\u2019ve noted, the S26 Ultra\u2019s rumored f\/1.4 aperture would be a massive aid here, as it would allow its rumored 200MP main camera to capture a cleaner shot with significantly less noise.<\/p>\n

When a camera preserves that much raw data, Samsung\u2019s AI can, in turn, draw out even more detail while processing it. Looking back at the portraits I\u2019ve shot with the Galaxy S25 Ultra \u2014 which are already spectacular \u2014 I can only imagine the results if Samsung implements an AI-upscaling feature similar to Google<\/a>\u2019s Pro Res Zoom.<\/p>\n

In theory, the data captured through a wider aperture would exceed what I\u2019ve been getting with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. This would allow for much more aggressive cropping in post without the typical loss in detail. Everyone knows that digital zoom can soften an image, but with the S26 Ultra\u2019s hardware and AI working in tandem, that may no longer be an issue.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\"Google\n<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Follow Tom’s Guide on Google News<\/a> and add us as a preferred source<\/a> to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. <\/p>\n

More from Tom’s Guide<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"I\u2019ve been keeping up with all the Galaxy S26 Ultra rumors of late, and with the next Galaxy…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":425596,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[49,48,190,61],"class_list":{"0":"post-478057","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mobile","8":"tag-ca","9":"tag-canada","10":"tag-mobile","11":"tag-technology"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478057","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=478057"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/478057\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/425596"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=478057"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=478057"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=478057"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}