There seems to be two constants in the tech world at the moment: anything requiring NAND flash (memory cards, SSDs, etc.) is getting more expensive, and Samsung seems to be doing its very best not to give us significant camera hardware upgrades in each new Galaxy S-series generation.
There has been precious little camera hardware innovation in recent S Ultra phones. I've recently written a lengthy critique of this, suggesting that it may not be unreasonable to propose that if Samsung's flagship phones continue to stagnate, it could potentially lead to the downfall of high-end Samsung camera phones. Well, now rumors are claiming that the base Galaxy S27, due early next year, may also not get any significant camera upgrades.
In a tip from Lanzuk on Naver Blog, it's claimed that the vanilla S27 is unlikely to receive camera or display upgrades due to there being no notable development activity in the component supply chain. Component cost increases could also be a factor here, as phones also rely on NAND flash, which as we know is now considerably more costly than around a year ago. In order to bring the S27 in at an acceptable price point, it's possible screen and hardware upgrades have been omitted in order to compensate for the increased cost of flash memory.
If we do get the same camera set-up as in the current S26, then expect a 50 MP 1/1.56" primary camera fronted by a 24mm f/1.8 lens, teamed with a 10 MP 1/3.94" telephoto module giving 3x optical zoom, and a 12 MP 1/2.55" 13mm-equivalent ultrawide camera.
Obviously please take this very early speculation with a generous helping of salt. We don't expect to see the Galaxy S27 launch until February or March next year, so there's still plenty of time for Samsung to change course on this, and I for one hope it does, although I won't be betting on it.
