The Galaxy S26 Ultra could make taking night shots a lot more effortless

What you need to know

• The Galaxy S26 Ultra could finally stop faking night photos with software and start capturing real light, thanks to a wider F/1.4 aperture.
• Samsung is purportedly keeping the 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor but pairing it with a wider lens opening.
• Compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s F/1.7, this could be a massive upgrade for dark scenes.

Samsung's next Ultra model might actually nail night shots, with a new leak suggesting a beefed-up main camera with a wider aperture, meaning it actually captures light instead of faking it with software.

According to a fresh leak from @UniverseIce, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is expected to stick with the same 200MP ISOCELL HP2 sensor found in the Galaxy S23 Ultra and Galaxy S24 Ultra, but this time with a wider F/1.4 aperture. That small tweak could mean noticeably better light capture and image quality.

Last month, the leaker hinted at a “large aperture” for the S26 Ultra’s main camera. Now, Ice Universe has further shed light on this camera detail. That’s a noticeable jump from the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s f/1.7 aperture.

Aperture, in simple terms, is the hole in the lens that controls how much light reaches the camera sensor. The wider it is, the more light it pulls in, giving you cleaner, more detailed photos, especially when you're shooting in the dark.

More light, less noise

The f-number is basically the ratio between a camera’s focal length and the size of its aperture. The smaller the number, the wider the opening, and the more light your camera can take in.

Pairing the same sensor with an F/1.4 aperture lets the Galaxy S26 Ultra pull in more light, giving it a boost in low-light shots. It also creates a shallower depth of field, so you’ll get a nice background blur that makes subjects pop.

In a follow-up post on X, the leaker said the updated camera is rumored to take in about 47% more light than the one on the Galaxy S25 Ultra.

Pro mode fans, this one’s for you

This upgrade might fly under the radar for casual users, but for photographers who rely on Samsung’s manual controls, that wider aperture is a big win, especially when shooting in low light.

Samsung and Google don’t usually shake up their smartphone camera hardware too often. But this new rumor hints that the next Galaxy Ultra might finally bring a big change to the table.