Samsung’s floating camera rings have marked the Galaxy S Ultra for years, and nobody outside the company can say yet whether they survive into the S27 Ultra. The leaks cannot agree.
In July, Gizmochina reported a leak pushing back hard on the idea of a Pixel-style horizontal camera bar. That rumour had gathered steam after the leaker Ice Universe hinted at a redesigned rear module. The new report called the widely shared horizontal renders “incorrect.” Samsung is said to be testing several design concepts internally, and none of them use that clean horizontal layout.
Cost over fashion
The reasoning is practical. The S27 Ultra has one fewer rear camera, but Samsung is reportedly not redoing the housing just because of that. Keeping manufacturing simple and costs under control comes first. The leak suggests the final design will try to look premium without being awkward to produce.
That fits the record. Over the past five years Samsung has made small, incremental changes to the Ultra rather than dramatic overhauls, which has kept the phones instantly recognisable. If it stays conservative, the S27 Ultra could look much like the S26 Ultra, with minor changes around the camera area for the reduced sensor count. The phone is not expected until early 2027, so there is plenty of time for plans to shift.
A different story later on
A later report, from Vietnamnet, points the other way. Concept renders by the designer 4RMD, with a simulated promotional trailer, show a substantially larger camera module. The Galaxy S27 Ultra and a rumoured S27 Pro are both said to abandon the vertical camera arrangement that has defined several generations of Samsung phones. The standard S27 and S27 Plus would stay closer to their predecessors, which would give Samsung a clearer visual line between its mainstream models and its most expensive ones.
Those renders are not official Samsung designs. Dimensions, body contours and finishing details could all change before launch. Some observers may not like the look either, since the rumoured arrangement invites comparison with the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 18 Pro.
Battery, screen and privacy
Beyond appearance, rumours suggest Samsung may finally go past the 5,000mAh battery that has been standard across several generations of Ultra phones. The exact capacity has not been confirmed, and any increase depends on the internal layout and on how much weight and thickness Samsung will accept. The concept trailer plays up a slimmer body, though the article’s author doubts a marginal cut in thickness would become the main marketing message.
The screen could also change. According to leaked information, the S27 Ultra may use DC dimming in place of the low-frequency pulse-width modulation (PWM) found on several earlier Samsung devices. PWM controls brightness by rapidly switching the light on and off, and some people who are sensitive to that flicker get eye strain at low brightness. DC dimming works differently and may reduce visible flicker, but how well it works depends on the panel and the brightness level. It remains unconfirmed, and independent testing would have to settle any comfort claims.
Samsung is also rumoured to be refining Privacy Display, the feature that makes on-screen content harder to read from side angles, which was a highlight of the S26 Ultra. All of this rests on unofficial reports, not tested hardware.
Sources
- Galaxy S27 Ultra may not feature the horizontal camera layout after all – Gizmochina
- Galaxy S27 Ultra leaks hint at Samsung's biggest redesign in years
