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Samsung's next flagship may be aiming directly at one of the most persistent smartphone camera annoyances: lens flare. New chatter from China suggests the Galaxy S26 Ultra will ship with updated optics and coatings to reduce flare and stop the yellowing of skin tones in photos.
Rumor source and what was reported
The claim comes from well-known tipster Ice Universe via a Weibo post that, when machine-translated, highlights improvements to the S26 Ultra's lens and coating technology. According to the leak, those upgrades are intended to cut down on stray reflections and deliver truer skin tones—something mobile photographers have asked for after earlier Galaxy releases showed occasional color shifts.
What the camera hardware rumors say
Previous leaks paint a familiar but refined camera layout: a 12MP front-facing shooter (believed to be Sony's IMX874) and a versatile rear quad-camera array. Reported rear sensors include a 200MP ISOCELL HP2 as the main imager, a 50MP Samsung JN3 ultrawide, a 50MP periscope telephoto (Sony IMX854), and a 12MP telephoto (Samsung S5K3LD).
Interestingly, the HP2 is the same primary sensor used in the Galaxy S25 Ultra, but rumors say Samsung will pair it with a brighter f/1.4 aperture versus the S25 Ultra's f/1.7. That wider aperture can help low-light performance, but it typically increases the risk of lens flare—so the reported coating and lens redesign would make practical sense.
Why lens coatings matter
Lens flare happens when stray light bounces inside the lens assembly and reaches the sensor, creating streaks or washed-out areas. High-quality anti-reflective coatings, tighter lens element tolerances, and smarter internal baffling can all reduce those artifacts. If Samsung's engineering team can combine a wide f/1.4 aperture with improved coatings, users could get better low-light shots without the trade-off of distracting flares.
What this means for users
For everyday photographers, these are practical upgrades: truer skin tones mean less time correcting color in post, and reduced flare improves image clarity in high-contrast scenes like backlit portraits or night cityscapes. For enthusiasts, the combination of a 200MP sensor with an f/1.4 aperture and periscope telephoto options promises more flexible framing and potentially stronger computational imaging results.
As always with pre-release rumors, take the details with caution. Ice Universe has a solid track record, but Samsung hasn't confirmed specifications or optical changes yet. Expect more leaks — and likely official word — as Samsung moves toward the S26 Ultra announcement.
Source: gsmarena
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