New leak suggests Galaxy S27 Ultra’s 200MP main camera might not be boring after all

Source: Android Authority

Zac Kew-Denniss / Android Authority

TL;DR

• A leaker has claimed that Samsung is testing a 200 MP main camera with a variable‑aperture lens.
• This would enable more granular control over depth‑of‑field effects and light capture.
• A variable‑aperture 200 MP main camera could also excel at macro photography.

Samsung debuted a 200 MP main camera on its smartphones back in 2023, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra maintains the same fundamental 200 MP primary camera. However, it now sounds like the Galaxy S27 Ultra could get a major upgrade to its 200 MP shooter.

Weibo leaker Smart Pikachu asserts that Samsung (and HUAWEI) are both testing 200 MP main cameras with variable apertures. Check out the machine‑translated screenshot below.

We’ve seen phones with 12 MP to 50 MP variable‑aperture cameras, but we’re not aware of a 200 MP camera with this tech. Nevertheless, this upgrade could bring a few benefits.

Do you care about variable‑aperture main cameras?

A variable aperture lets you tweak the size of the lens opening, giving greater control over the amount of light hitting the sensor. You can open the aperture at night for maximum light capture and close it during the day when there’s plenty of sunlight.

A variable aperture also lets you change the camera’s depth of field. Opening the aperture yields a shallow depth of field—subject in focus, background blurred (portrait mode). Reducing the aperture size brings both subject and background into focus.

Another advantage is that a narrower aperture lets you get much closer to your subject, which is handy for macro photography. In fact, a 200 MP variable‑aperture main camera would theoretically allow a lossless‑resolution crop for an even closer macro shot.

This news comes amid persistent rumors that the iPhone 18 series will get a variable‑aperture main camera. Samsung was the first major brand to offer a variable‑aperture primary shooter, starting with 2018’s Galaxy S9 series. The feature has since been adopted by phones from OPPO, Xiaomi, HONOR, and HUAWEI. It’s possible Samsung is reviving the variable‑aperture camera in response to Apple’s rumored adoption.

This might not be the only upgrade coming to the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s main camera. A previous leak suggests that the phone’s 200 MP camera could be upgraded to a sensor with LOFIC technology for dramatically improved dynamic range.