Samsung’s upcoming flagship mainstream phones are looking to be more than just a normal rehash. New firmware hints at a 50MP main sensor, improved telephoto lens, enhanced pro video options and larger battery for the regular Galaxy S26 — which is exactly the right combination to directly solve two key problems that non-Ultra buyers have faced: snap quality on normal days and staying power.
Doing the Camera Sensor Swap Signals Real Benefits
Firmware strings observed by Smartprix say the Galaxy S26 and S26 Plus will transition from existing 50MP ISOCELL S5KGN3 sensors to a fresh batch of 50MP ISOCELL S5KGNG as the main sensor. Though Samsung hasn’t published public specs on the GNG yet, a generational change like this usually means users can look forward to better dynamic range, greater sensitivity in low light and faster autofocus performance due to updated photodiodes — and HDR readout pipelines are probably more advanced.
Both cameras will be getting a bump internally with the zoom telephoto camera jumping to a 12MP ISOCELL S5K3LD from the former 10MP driver of the S5K3K1. The extra resolution should be able to help tighten detail at native 3x, and clean up hybrid zoom at 6x and up. If Samsung continues its recent pipe dreams of optical image stabilization and multi-frame processing, we ought to see fewer mushy textures in day-to-day zoom shots as well as more consistent sharpness seen across the board.
The ultrawide may stay the course. If a 12MP Sony IMX564 continues to be used, then we can expect good color and decent video stabilization at the least. It’s not the showpiece of this leak but keeping the ultrawide untouched might give Samsung a chance to allocate tuning resources at extracting more from the new primary and telephoto pair.
Video Gets a Pro-Level Nudge With 4K/60 APV Support
Both phones should be capable of shooting with Samsung’s Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec up to 4K/60 on both front and rear cameras. That parity is important: creators are increasingly hopping between the selfie and main camera even within a single video. Equal rates and codec support at both ends take the friction out of editing, especially for social-first workflows.
The leak would mean APV will be present not just if the phones ship with the Exynos 2600 processor, but also if it launches with Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 chipsets, which should hint toward potential feature parity between regions. If true, it’s also a sound vote of confidence in the latest image signal processors and NPUs that inhabit both chipsets. Look for improved subject tracking, stronger HDR video and more stable stabilization without the artifacts that hampered some previous Exynos generations.
Battery Bump and Efficiency Gains Promise Longer Life
Bumping up from the S25’s 4,000mAh cell will be a 4,300mAh battery inside the regular Galaxy S26. The S26 Plus also allegedly remains at 4,900mAh. On paper, that appears the larger leap for the smaller phone but real-world endurance ought to increase on both if silicon efficiency and thermal management deliver as anticipated. Before you’re worried about reaching the end of your day with enough battery left to make it home, phones like the past two iPhone models or Samsung’s Galaxy S10 had much to fear by 8 p.m., but every little advantage helps, particularly as one advantage is a more efficient SoC and another is smarter background task policies.
There have also been industry whispers of magnetic Qi2 charging (ish) coming to more Android flagships this cycle, which could mean higher-reliability charging through improved coil alignment. Even when peak wattage doesn’t budge, fewer misalignments (and less heat) can equal more consistent top-ups during the day. Fast-charging details and wired speeds weren’t included in this leak, so those continue to be unknowns for now.
Why These Rumored Upgrades Could Make the Needle Move
The non-Ultra tiers of the S25 family were criticized for conservative hardware updates. This time, the rumored sensor swap and telephoto bump aim for typical daily shooting where mainstream users are going to see differences: indoor portraits, dim restaurants, zoomed shots from the stands. Load up APV at 4K/60 on each camera and you have a more creator-ready pipeline without requiring the Ultra model.
From a buyer behavior perspective, these are the right gambles. Consumer surveys done by companies such as Counterpoint Research regularly place battery life and camera quality at or near the top of purchasing drivers, a factor noted by more than 60% of those surveyed. Add a bigger battery (on the base variant), potential efficiency improvements, and genuinely notable camera upgrades, and the S26 pair could wind up being more of an incremental leap than last year’s duo.
As always, remember that pre-release firmware findings should be viewed with caution. Even so, sensor IDs and capacity values showing up in software build data are some of the more dependable early indicators. Should that be the case, Samsung’s next mainstream flagships wouldn’t only match — they’d nail the things that matter most to general users.
