Samsung’s newest Ultra appears to change how its 5x telephoto works, and that has sparked a familiar question: is it still a periscope camera, just a newer kind? Early evidence points to a redesigned, prism-based module that differs from last year’s approach—and from the way most people think about “periscope” zooms.
What Changed in the S26 Ultra 5x Telephoto Camera
A report from GSMArena indicates the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x optical unit no longer follows the classic folded periscope arrangement where light enters through a rectangular opening, hits a prism, and travels sideways across the phone to a sensor mounted at a right angle. Instead, the S26 Ultra’s elements reportedly sit parallel to the phone, closer to a “traditional” lens layout—yet light is still bent by a prism inside the module.
This change carries two immediate consequences users can see in practice. First, minimum focus distance has moved from roughly 26 cm to about 52 cm on the 5x lens, according to GSMArena’s testing. If you loved tele-macro–style close-ups at 5x on the previous generation, you’ll need to stand back a bit more—or switch to another camera and crop.
Second, bokeh looks different. The S25 Ultra’s 5x could render out-of-focus highlights with more rectangular edges, a quirk often tied to the entrance pupil shape in folded optics. On the S26 Ultra, the blur circles appear more rounded or oval, hinting at a new optical pathway and aperture geometry.
ALoP Explained and Why It Matters for S26 Ultra
One plausible explanation is Samsung’s ALoP architecture—short for All Lens on Prism—described in Samsung Semiconductor materials. In ALoP, a 90° prism still folds the light path, but the lens elements sit atop the prism while the image sensor remains perpendicular to the phone. In other words, it is not a back-to-basics “straight” lens; it is a reconfigured folded design.
Why go this route? ALoP can shrink module height while enabling a brighter aperture, which aligns with Samsung’s marketing of a wider telephoto aperture this generation. The more circular bokeh seen in samples also tracks with ALoP’s entrance optics, where light first passes through lens glass rather than a rectangular window into a prism tunnel.
So why did Samsung drop the word “periscope” from official materials? Semantics. While many in the industry treat any 90° folded path as a periscope, Samsung Semiconductor does not explicitly brand ALoP that way. It’s still a prism-based folded zoom, but not the conventional “elements-between-prism-and-sensor” periscope most consumers picture.
Is It Still a Periscope Lens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra
Functionally, yes—if your definition of “periscope” is any folded optical system that uses a prism to bend light by 90°. On paper, the S26 Ultra still meets that description. Strictly speaking, though, ALoP is a newer twist on the concept, and that may be why Samsung avoids the label even though the path is still folded.
Absent a full teardown, there’s room for debate. Publications like GSMArena have compared behavior and results, while documentation from Samsung Semiconductor outlines how ALoP works. Expect detailed cross-sections from teardown specialists such as TechInsights or iFixit to settle the architecture question definitively once retail units are dissected.
What It Means for Your Photos and Everyday Shooting
The upside of the redesign is simple: more light at 5x. A brighter telephoto typically yields faster shutter speeds and cleaner low-light images, especially for indoor events or night portraits where 5x framing looks natural. Autofocus performance can also improve in dim scenes when the lens gathers more light.
The trade-off is close-up flexibility. With the minimum focus distance now around half a meter, tele-macro enthusiasts will need a new routine. In many situations, switching to the main camera and using Samsung’s in-sensor crop for 2x–3x framing can produce sharper near‑field detail than forcing the 5x to focus at its limit. If a shorter telephoto is available on the device, that’s often the better pick for tight close-ups.
Video shooters could also see steadier 5x footage in low light. A brighter aperture lets the phone keep ISO lower and shutter speeds higher, which helps stabilization do its job without introducing as much motion blur or noise.
Bottom Line: What Samsung’s New 5x Design Delivers
Is Samsung using a newer periscope lens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra? In essence, yes—if you define “periscope” by the folded, prism-based light path. The S26 Ultra likely adopts Samsung’s ALoP approach, which modernizes the folded zoom to enable a wider aperture and more rounded bokeh, while sacrificing minimum focus distance. Samsung may have dropped the periscope label, but the core idea of bending light with a prism is very much still in play.
