While the photo part is a key element of high-end smartphones, Samsung would ignore the latter for certain Galaxy S26 models. A strategic choice, in a world where certain components are increasingly expensive due to the race for AI.
A camera without new features for the Galaxy S26 and S26+
While rumors pointed to improvements for the photo part of the Galaxy S26, everything seems to be history, at least for at least one model. According to The Elecit would simply be the Galaxy S26.
The South Korean media explains more precisely that Samsung would consider maintaining the $859 price of the Galaxy S25 for this new generation, which would explain stagnation on the photo sensor side.
A choice which would be considered with the aim of reducing costs, in a world where the price of memory or even processors is constantly increasing. The cause: just-in-time production due to high demands on artificial intelligence infrastructures.
Samsung therefore intends to stay with a Galaxy S26 positioned at the same price as the Galaxy S25, even if it means limiting the novelty. Knowing that this model shares the same photo characteristics as the Galaxy S25+, the Galaxy S26+ should suffer the same fate.
The Elec underlines in passing that this decision by Samsung would also be influenced by Apple, which offered an iPhone 17 at the same price as the iPhone 16, despite the addition of a ProMotion screen and more internal storage.
To arrive at an unchanged price for the Galaxy S26, Samsung will also be able to count on one of its choices for this generation: the switch to its latest in-house chip, the Exynos 2600, instead of Qualcomm processors.
The bad news in the story is that the changes in plans for the photo part will delay mass production, which should begin at the end of January – thus justifying a later launch in 2026.
