Galaxy S26 Ultra: Samsung expected to solve subtle yet annoying image quality issue

As the launch of Samsung's next flagship phone looms larger, further camera-related leaks are emerging. This time it's not about the S26 Ultra's camera hardware, but rather its expected image quality. A post on X by serial tipster Ice Universe claims that images shot on the S26 Ultra will exhibit less banding in areas of subtle gradients than have been visible in similar shots taken on the S25 Ultra. This issue was first observed shortly after the S25 Ultra's launch, and it seems Samsung has never quite eliminated it. Despite the S26 Ultra reportedly using the same image sensor for its primary camera, it seems Samsung may now have tweaked the new phone's image processing to reduce banding visibility.

In another Ice Universe leak we're told that one of the S26 Ultra's colors will be called 'Very White'. The tipster describes this as "pure white and very charming" - itself a charming description!

We've already reported that Samsung might equip the S26 Ultra with a new type of display that can be configured to restrict viewing angles when private content is displayed. The new Flex Magic Pixel OLED display is said to be the culmination of over five years of development and let's you control the level of privacy protection you want, including whether to shield specific screen elements such as notification pop-ups.

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Sadly, it's likely the S26 Ultra will cost more than the S25 Ultra did at its launch. Late last year it was forecasted that phone prices were expected to increase, primarily due to the soaring cost of DRAM memory, brought about by much-increased demand from companies running AI datacenters. These tech powerhouses have huge bulk buying power and are happy to pay top dollar to fuel their AI monster machines with all the RAM they can devour. Hence to compete for the limited supply of DRAM and NAND flash, phone manufacturers like Samsung will have to pay more for it, and that means passing this extra cost on to consumers.

As for when the Galaxy S26 Ultra may break cover, it's rumoured that it'll be revealed at Samsung's next Galaxy Unpacked event in San Francisco on February 25th, with retail availability possibly set for March 11th.