Samsung May Scrap Galaxy S27 Ultra "Horizontal Camera Layout" Redesign

Rumors about Samsung changing the rear design of the Galaxy S27 Ultra appear incorrect. A new report from South Korea claims the manufacturer is considering multiple design options, but none of them feature a simple horizontal camera layout.

Earlier leaks from April suggested Samsung wanted to replace its vertical camera rings with a horizontal bar. That rumored design resembled the Google Pixel series and Samsung's older Galaxy S10.

According to Korean source Lanzuk, Samsung has not finalized the look of its next high-end phone. Lanzuk wrote on a Korean platform regarding the leaked renders:

"This source says all of the rumored designs are wrong. The company is apparently considering multiple options, but none of them feature a simple horizontal layout like this."

The manufacturer is evaluating different configurations, but the final choice may leave the existing vertical layout unchanged.

Samsung faces rising component costs and memory price hikes in the tech industry. These economic pressures are driving Samsung to consider minor design tweaks to lower production costs rather than investing in a major design overhaul.

The cost-saving measures could lead to a physical change on the back of the phone. Reports suggest Samsung may drop one of the rear camera lenses entirely.

The Galaxy S27 Ultra may ship with three rear cameras instead of four. Samsung plans to remove the dedicated 3x telephoto camera, which has been a staple of the Ultra line since the Galaxy S21 Ultra.

Leaker Ice Universe shared details about this potential change on social media:

"Early Samsung Galaxy S27 Ultra rumors are in: that often mocked 3x telephoto, famous for being tiny and underwhelming, has finally changed. It didn't get stronger. It didn't get weaker. It's simply gone."

Without the 3x lens, the phone will rely on its 200-megapixel main sensor to handle close-up shots. The camera will use sensor cropping to capture 3x zoom images.

The new triple camera system will include a 200-megapixel main camera, a 50-megapixel ultra-wide camera, and a 50-megapixel 5x periscope telephoto lens.

Eliminating the fourth camera lens creates more room inside the phone. Samsung wants to use this extra space to install a larger battery.

The company is testing silicon carbon battery technology to pack more capacity into the same frame. This could push the battery capacity beyond the 5,000 mAh limit that Samsung has used for several generations.

Early engineering leaks also indicate that Samsung is testing Qi2 magnetic wireless charging. The previous horizontal design concept aimed to prevent magnetic interference with the internal charging coils.

If Samsung keeps the vertical layout, engineers must find a different way to place the magnets without affecting the camera sensors.