Samsung has reportedly dropped plans to upgrade the next-gen Galaxy S27 Ultra smartphone’s camera hardware with a variable aperture lens that once appeared on earlier versions of the series.
Rumours had suggested Samsung was intent on bring back the feature – which alters the amount of light that is allowed into the sensor – for the Galaxy S27 Ultra. That would bring a much-needed update to the stale main 200 megapixel camera.
However, according to an ET News report (via 9to5Google) in Samsung’s native South Korea, Samsung has “decided not to reintroduce ‘variable aperture’ cameras in the Galaxy S27 series.” The feature has fallen victim to “higher manufacturing costs and thicker cameras” according to the report.
Given mobile manufacturers are wrestling with increased costs of RAM and storage without passing everything onto consumers we may see companies cut corners in other areas, like the cameras.
And this isn’t really the biggest deal in the world. It’s not like Samsung fans have really missed the feature over the last few years given it disappeared from the range after the Galaxy S10 series in 2019. After that, Samsung replaced the hardware with software correction.
However the feature, which is common on DSLR lenses, would have offered greater flexibility when shooting with the main camera and could potentially improve performance in multiple light conditions as the lens could be physically adjusted to let in more or less light. Considering Samsung may also nix the 3x telephoto camera on the 2027 model – due very early next year – while sticking with the 200mp main sensor, the cameras may actually get a downgrade for this edition.
The report says Samsung’s initial motivation had been the sense that Apple is planning to include a rear camera with variable aperture lens on the iPhone 18 Pro range for the first time. Samsung likes to either get ahead of any new iPhone features – like the new wider Galaxy Z Fold 8 – or quickly catch up when the S Series arrives a few months after the new iPhone.
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