An upgrade that always pleases. Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra could significantly improve night photography

Well-known leaker Ice Universe has revealed interesting information about the future Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra. According to his sources, this flagship phone should offer a main lens with an f/1.4 aperture instead of the current f/1.7 found on the Galaxy S25 Ultra. If this speculation is confirmed, we could look forward to a significant improvement in the quality of night photography.

What the change from f/1.7 to f/1.4 means

The aperture number indicates how large an opening the lens has for light to pass through. A smaller number means a larger opening and more light reaching the sensor. The difference between f/1.7 and f/1.4 might seem small, but in reality, it’s a significant improvement in lens brightness.

Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera
HP2 + F1.4 Confirmed

— PhoneArt (@UniverseIce) August 4, 2025

A lens with an f/1.4 aperture lets in approximately half more light onto the sensor than one with f/1.7. In low-light conditions, this means the ability to capture brighter photos with lower digital noise and better details. The phone also won’t need to increase ISO sensitivity as much, which will positively impact the overall image quality.

Samsung and aperture experiments

Samsung has experimented with different approaches to aperture in the past. Galaxy S9 and S10 models had a variable aperture that automatically adjusted to lighting conditions. However, this technology was later abandoned in favor of software optimizations and computational photography.

The current Galaxy S25 Ultra features a main 200Mpx sensor with an f/1.7 aperture. If Samsung were to indeed switch to f/1.4, it would be one of the brightest lenses on the mobile phone market. Competitors like the iPhone 16 Pro Max use an f/1.78 aperture, while the Google Pixel 9 Pro has f/1.68.

When we will learn more

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to be officially unveiled in early 2026, likely in January or February. Until then, we can look forward to more information leaks from well-known leakers. Ice Universe is one of the most reliable sources of information about Samsung products, so his predictions often align with reality.

Are you looking forward to improved night photos on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?

Source: Ice Universe/X