The Galaxy S27 Ultra without the 3x camera would be a difficult transition for photographers

According to a new report, next year Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra can be leave the weak 3x zoom cameraInstead of the long-standing quad lineup that Ultra flagships are regularly known for, the new generation flagship moves to a triple camera system. With the extra space, Samsung has reportedly updated its main camera with variable aperture capabilities while doubling the 5x lens to capture distant details with a 200MP sensor.

It sounds reasonable on paper, but this rumor worries me a bit. Not because Samsung’s 3x camera is a must-have in the latest Ultras. I agree with the commenters who aren’t completely enamored with Samsung’s mid-range telephoto lens. While it can be useful for portraits, the level of detail leaves a lot to be desired and has proven to be incredibly noisy in low light. However, today’s bigger, better 3x zoom lenses have quickly become my favorite tool best camera phones.

Take the cutting edge OPPO Find X9 Ultra, vivo X300 Ultraor Xiaomi 17 Ultra. All three boast large 200MP sensors with wide apertures, OIS and other high-end camera features, packed into a familiar 3x telephoto package. The results speak for themselves. throughout Android Authority team, we were impressed with each other’s results from these strong 3x shooters. Just take a look.

All three of these phones produce great-looking portraits thanks to the natural compression-blur effect of their 3x cameras. They can capture fine detail at medium distances, take macro shots with better depth of field than ultra-wide lenses, perform well in low light, and generally make your shots easier to frame and capture with better results. It feels like Samsung is abandoning the idea of ​​a great 3x lens, just as other brands have proven the technology to make them really bright.

At the same time, I’m not sure that a single powerful 5x lens is the solution to the phone camera’s versatility problem. First, the typical 120mm focal length ends up in relative no-man’s land. It’s too narrow for natural-looking portraiture, which ideally requires a lens in the 35-70mm range. Even the latest and greatest 3x cameras often fall on the upper end of this ideal. Meanwhile, really long-range photography for wildlife, sports, and the like usually starts at 200mm (about 10x). 400mm and better is the latest, though, for turning long shots into close-ups trend in mobile lens extender kits.

This is not to say that 5x cameras are useless. They’re still very handy for zooming in on landscapes, delivering macros without getting too close, and with enough pixel information and good lighting, they can also provide the 10x capabilities required. They can be great shooters in their own right.

The biggest problem is that between the main/wide 22mm camera and the 120mm 5x, there are a lot of drawbacks that this setup will always struggle with. My time with the latest Pixel Pro models has been a frustrating experience, as I’ve struggled with questionable quality between the 1x and 5x lenses. Portraits in particular suffer from a lack of both natural blur and fine detail. As you can see in the image below, products from higher resolution sensors can hold up in overall presentation, but they don’t benefit from the natural compression of true focal length lenses.

Compared to the quality I got with the aforementioned Chinese Ultra phones, the Pixel 10 Pro XL at 2x to 4x just doesn’t hold a candle. Whether it’s detail at medium distances, macro and portrait shots, or powerful HDR capabilities in low-light zoom, these phones feel light years ahead. If Google’s computational photography can’t solve the problems with the modestly sized triple-camera formula, I’d be very surprised if Samsung could do better, even with 200 megapixels on the main and telephoto cameras.

Which brings me back to my initial concern: the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s much-welcomed primary camera and improved 5x zoom seem like the wrong bet, given what the best in the business can do with a powerful 3x camera. Photography is more than pure megapixels, white balance and HDR, which seems to be the Google and Samsung mantra.

Granted, 50- or even 200-megapixel data cropping technically allows for 2x or even 4x zoom with a “lossless” 12MP output, but that comes with caveats. As you throw away pixel data, you lose the benefits of pixel stacking, which means more noise, worse HDR, and less detail. More importantly, the camera still shoots with the same optics as at 1x with the same depth of field and background compression settings, resulting in flatter, denser images that make it really difficult to get creative. A great camera allows a photographer to get the most out of whatever they shoot: portraits, landscapes, concerts, and even pets. For this you need the right focal lengths along with hardware and software basics.

Personally, I’d take a more modest primary camera, and even ditch those dubious ultra-wides if it meant I could have a powerful camera close to the 50mm sweet spot. But don’t take my word for it, read any recommendations on the first lens a budding photographer should buy for their favorite new mirrorless. You always come back with the same answers: nice 35mm prime or 18-70mm variable. Why? These are the most versatile and realistic focal lengths for shooting.

No, I’m not sure the Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra would be as good as it sounds if it dropped the rightly derided 3x telephoto. It would be better to double down and build the best 3x camera that modern technology can offer. I hope the rumor is wrong.