Galaxy S27 Ultra May Drop Telephoto Lens to Cut Costs

Samsung may be ditching the telephoto camera on next year’s Galaxy S27 Ultra. The flagship may drop the telephoto camera sensor in a bid to reduce costs.

ETNews claims that Samsung is investigating cost-saving measures as component pricing is surging across the industry. As such, the company may not provide a 3x telephoto lens on the Galaxy S27 Ultra. Samsung may ship the Galaxy S27 Ultra with three cameras. If true, the Galaxy S27 Ultra may ship with a 200MP main shooter, a 50MP ultrawide lens and a 50MP telephoto camera with 5x zoom.

As for Samsung’s other S27 devices, it’s claimed that the series will ship with the following cameras:

• Galaxy S27: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto
• Galaxy S27+: 50MP main, 12MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto
• Galaxy S27 Pro: 200MP main, 50MP ultrawide, 10MP telephoto (3x)

The reasoning behind the pivot is claimed to stem from the “surge in semiconductor and component prices.” As RAM and storage pricing increases, devices like the Galaxy S27 series will only become more expensive to manufacture and to purchase from a consumer standpoint. Samsung would be wise to strip down non-essential inclusions in an attempt to balance the pricing.

Recently, Samsung launched its Galaxy Z Fold 8 series alongside the Galaxy Z Flip 8. Its new array of foldables comes with premium price tags. For instance, the Galaxy Z Fold 8 is available starting at $2,399 for the 256GB model. The more high-end Galaxy Z Fold 8 Ultra is also available, starting at $2,699 for the 256GB model. With the device pushing past the $2,000 price point, there may come a time when pricing is no longer sustainable for consumers.

Samsung is expected to launch the Galaxy S27 series in early 2027. There are no firm release window plans as of the time of writing.