Transcription
So I’ve got 2 new updates about the Galaxy S26 Ultra, and while those are interesting, Samsung’s already planning a bigger change for the next Ultra. Let’s start with what’s locked in for the S26 Ultra, then I’ll get to what’s changing next.
What’s up, guys, Sal here. First up, we finally have our first Galaxy S26 showing on Geekbench. More specifically, the S26 Edge popped up with some solid numbers — 3,393 in single-core and 11,515 in multicore. That’s impressive by itself, but here’s the interesting part: that benchmark wasn’t even using the chip’s full potential. It was running at 4.0 GHz, not the max 4.74 GHz it’s capable of. Which means there’s still headroom as Samsung fine-tunes things before launch. And remember — this is for the S26 Edge, not the Ultra. The Ultra typically runs with slightly better scores. We’ve already seen the S25 Ultra edge out the S25 Edge thanks to better thermals, and I expect the same pattern here.
So, based on this data, how far can the S26 Ultra go? Factoring in thermal limits and efficiency curves, I’d say we’re looking at around a 15% bump when running at the full 4.74 GHz. That could push single-core past 4,000 and multicore close to 13,000. That would push the phone past 4,000 in single-core and close to 13,000 in multicore — a massive upgrade compared not just to the S25 Ultra, but also the upcoming iPhone 17 Pro Max. Single-core performance will likely be on par, but in multicore, the S27 Ultra is expected to be significantly ahead.
But performance gains aren’t just coming from the chipset. The S26 Ultra’s also expected to ship with faster RAM. Ice Universe says it’s getting LPDDR5X with 10.7 Gbps transfer speeds, which is about 25% faster than the RAM in the S25 Ultra. On top of that, it’ll have a 16GB RAM option worldwide. Technically, the S25 Ultra had a 16GB variant too, but it was limited to a few regions like Korea and China. With the S26 Ultra, 16GB becomes standard globally for the first time since the S21 Ultra.
So, what does faster RAM plus more capacity mean in real use? Well, everything should feel snappier — apps open quicker, multitasking is smoother, high-refresh-rate gaming feels more stable, and AI tasks get a boost since some RAM will be reserved for AI workloads. Pair that with the CPU gains, and the S26 Ultra should feel noticeably quicker across the board.
And while all of that is exciting for the S26 Ultra, Samsung’s already working on an even bigger change for the next Ultra — and yes, I know, it’s early to be talking about the S27 Ultra when the S26 hasn’t even launched yet. I can already see the “Let the S26 launch first!” comments. But this is worth mentioning because if the leak is accurate, it’s going to be a big one.
According to Ice Universe, Samsung is planning to use a 200MP Sony sensor on the S27 Ultra. What’s special about it? The sensor size. It’s nearly one inch — specifically, 1/1.1 inch — noticeably larger than the 1/1.3-inch sensor on the S25 Ultra and even the S26 Ultra. That’s about a 22% increase in sensor size, and that’s a huge difference. This kind of jump doesn’t just improve sharpness — it changes how the phone handles light, depth, and dynamic range. Low-light photography could see a huge step forward, and portrait shots could look more DSLR-like than ever before.
Now, while that sounds impressive, here’s where it gets messy. According to Ice Universe, Samsung might do what they’ve done in the last few years — remove a feature. And this time, it’s the 3x telephoto camera. The reasoning? Sony’s near one-inch main camera with a large aperture could replace the 3x zoom camera entirely. Honestly, that’s a questionable move. A dedicated 3x lens still has its advantages — better optical compression, nicer portrait bokeh, and in some cases, better low-light results at that focal length. Take it away, and you’re relying entirely on software to fill the gap. That could work, given the size of the Sony sensor… or it could backfire. We don’t know yet.
What we do know is there’s still a lot of time before the S27 Ultra’s launch, and things are far from finalized. Samsung often tests multiple hardware configurations right up until the final months before production, and sometimes even scraps big changes altogether. So, we’ll see where this one lands.
In the meantime, I’ve got six more S26 Ultra updates you can check out — click right here, and I’ll see you there.