Is Samsung using a newer periscope lens on the Galaxy S26 Ultra? Here's what we know

Samsung reserved most of the highlight upgrades on the Galaxy S26 series for the Galaxy S26 Ultra, including a wider aperture on the primary camera and the 5x telephoto camera. One change that flew under the radar is that the 5x camera is no longer a periscope zoom lens. Instead, Samsung has switched to a different lens type for the 5x zoom camera.

Galaxy S26 Ultra has a different 5x optical zoom camera setup

A report from GSMArena notes that the new Galaxy S26 Ultra uses a “traditional” lens design for its 5x optical zoom camera, with the lens elements and the sensor parallel to the phone. In contrast, the S25 Ultra uses a periscope lens design for its 5x optical zoom camera, in which a prism bends light 90°, so the lens elements and the sensor are perpendicular to the phone.

Because of this change, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x optical zoom camera has a poorer minimum focus distance of 52cm. In contrast, the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 5x optical zoom camera could focus at 26cm and beyond.

For people who love using the telephoto camera for close-up shots, this is a noticeable downgrade — though it’s important to caveat that most people use the 5x zoom camera for zoom shots on far-away subjects.

The report further notes that the different lens assemblies create different bokeh. The Galaxy S25 Ultra produces a more rectangular bokeh for out-of-focus lights, while the Galaxy S26 Ultra produces a more oval/circular bokeh.

Samsung’s specifications and marketing for the Galaxy S26 Ultra make no mention of a “periscope,” whereas those for the Galaxy S25 Ultra do. The report alludes to a reason for the lens swap and says it’s likely not due to the wider aperture, but doesn’t yet share the exact finding.

Is Samsung using ALoP on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?

There’s speculation that the Galaxy S26 Ultra uses Samsung’s ALoP (All Lenses on Prism) technology for its zoom lens. In an ALoP solution, the sensor sits perpendicular to the phone, but the lens elements sit on top of the prism (rather than in between the prism and the sensor), parallel to the phone.

This allows for a smaller camera module while allowing for a faster aperture. This should also explain the circular bokeh (since the rectangular prism isn’t the first entry point for light in this setup).

However, an ALoP setup cannot be considered a “traditional” lens design, as it combines perpendicular and parallel elements, so we’re curious about GSMArena‘s exact findings on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x optical zoom camera since they say it goes back to a “traditional” lens design.

Confusingly, while Samsung Semiconductor does not publicly classify ALoP as a “periscope” zoom camera, the use of a prism in the camera module to bend light by 90° does technically make it a “periscope” zoom camera. ALoP merely reconfigures the architecture of what is referred to as a “conventional folded zoom” camera module — periscope zoom cameras with the visibly rectangular lens opening.

Thus, Samsung’s hesitation in assigning the word “periscope” to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera setup remains unexplained. Samsung’s Mobile division often neglects a deep dive into technical specifications, so it’s not entirely surprising that it doesn’t mention either ALoP or periscope zoom in any marketing materials.

We’ve reached out to Samsung for clarification on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 5x optical zoom camera: whether it uses the conventional folded-zoom design or the newer ALoP design, and whether it is still classified as a periscope zoom camera. We’ll keep you updated when we hear back from the company.