What you need to know
- Samsung may revive variable aperture on the Galaxy S26 series, ending years of relying on fixed lenses and high megapixel counts.
- Samsung is said to be actively working with major suppliers like Samsung Electro-Mechanics and MCNEX for the camera tech.
- A true variable aperture means better real-world photos, including cleaner night shots, improved highlights, and more natural background blur.
Samsung has relied on software and high megapixel counts for years, but a new ET News report hints at a big change for the Galaxy S26 series: the return of variable aperture. Industry insiders say Samsung plans to move away from the fixed-aperture lenses used since the Galaxy S20.
If you’ve followed Samsung for a decade, this might sound like deja vu. You might remember that the Galaxy S9 and S10 experimented with a dual-aperture system that could switch between f/1.5 and f/2.4. It was a neat party trick, but ultimately limited.
This time, though, Samsung is reportedly working on a fully variable system, like the one on the Xiaomi 14 Ultra, which lets the lens move smoothly between different stops. We’ve first heard about this rumor last year, with the latest report adding weight to the possibility that Samsung may finally revive this feature.
Simply put, a variable aperture lets your phone physically adjust the amount of light reaching the camera sensor. This means better low-light photos, cleaner highlights in bright scenes, and real depth-of-field control that most phones can only imitate with software.
Professional-grade ambition
The report says Samsung has tapped multiple camera-module partners, such as Samsung Electro-Mechanics and MCNEX, to develop and test variable-aperture components. While the tech is still early in development and far from certain to land in this year’s phones, Samsung is said to be “strongly committed” to exploring it again.
Rumors about the Galaxy S26 series suggest Samsung is under pressure from several directions. Leaks say the S26 Ultra could have a wider main lens, around f/1.4, along with sharper telephoto sensors, better low-light performance, and improved image processing using Samsung’s Galaxy AI tools.
That said, these features may not come to the base models. Samsung usually reserves its best camera tech for the most expensive Ultra version. The S26 and S26 Plus are likely to get the new Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 or Exynos 2600 chips, but the advanced lens features will probably stay exclusive to the Ultra.
Android Central’s Take
This shift feels like a long-overdue admission that software processing can only take us so far. I’ve spent years testing phones that try to fake bokeh and natural blur, but there is no substitute for actual glass and moving parts.
For people who use their phones as their main cameras, this change could finally bring professional-level control over depth and light, without digital artifacts. If the rumors are true, the S26 Ultra will be more than just a minor upgrade. It could be the biggest change in Samsung’s camera approach in years, and honestly, it’s the kind of mechanical upgrade I’ve been hoping for.
date: 2026-02-10 14:38:00