Samsung fans hoping for a big camera upgrade in 2027 might want to lower their expectations a bit.
There’s been plenty of speculation that the Galaxy S27 Ultra would finally move past the familiar 1/1.3″ 200-megapixel sensor Samsung has been using since the S23 Ultra. The most exciting rumor pointed to Sony’s new LYT-901 — a 1/1.12-inch 200 MP sensor unveiled recently and already being hyped as the next big thing in Android photography.
But according to well-known tipster Ice Universe, Samsung isn’t planning to use it. While that may sound obvious considering Samsung makes its own sensors, his prediction that the S27 Ultra’s sensor size will remain unchanged does seem reasonable. In fact, Samsung has steadily been shrinking its 200MP sensor generation after generation since the very first one. In other words, it’s highly unlikely we’ll see a near-1-inch (or even slightly larger) 200MP ISOCELL sensor anytime soon.
- ISOCELL HP1: 1/1.22″
- ISOCELL HP2: 1/1.3″
- ISOCELL HP3: 1/1.4″
- ISOCELL HPX / HP9: 1/1.4″
And for those wondering why it matters, a smaller sensor with smaller pixels produces less accurate signals, which generally results in relatively poorer image quality. This aligns with what we’ve seen in camera comparison tests between the Galaxy S25 Ultra and its Chinese counterparts such as the vivo X300 Pro.
Samsung’s top-tier phone in 2027 could once again rely on a slightly “updated” version of the 1/1.3-inch ISOCELL sensor we’ve seen for several years now.
Over the past few generations, the company has leaned heavily on software processing to squeeze improvements out of largely unchanged camera hardware. Meanwhile, rivals have been pushing ahead with bigger sensors, and many of the phones, such as the Oppo Find X9 Pro (our review) and vivo X300 Pro, are nicely tuned for those sensors as well.
For now, the latest leak suggests the next few Ultra phones won’t be the generational camera jump many are hoping for — even when the rest of the industry keeps moving forward.
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(Source: Ice Universe)
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