Galaxy S27 Ultra vs Galaxy S26 Ultra: What the Early Leaks Claim

Samsung typically unveils its next Galaxy S flagship around late January or February, but the company has made no official statement about the Galaxy S27 series as of this writing. The information below comes from leaks and supply-chain reports published by tech outlets, not from Samsung, so figures should be treated as unconfirmed until an official announcement.

A four-model lineup instead of three

According to a leak reported by Android Headlines, Samsung is preparing a four-tier S27 lineup: Galaxy S27, S27 Plus, S27 Pro, and S27 Ultra. The leak describes a display split in which the S27 and S27 Plus use an 'M14+' OLED panel, while the S27 Pro and S27 Ultra move to a newer 'M16' OLED panel, a split the outlet says positions the Pro and Ultra as Samsung's true flagship tier.

The same report lists leaked US prices of $899 for the S27, $1,099 for the S27 Plus, $1,299 for the S27 Pro, and $1,399 for the S27 Ultra. Android Headlines cautions that these figures are likely to shift before launch, noting that memory chip prices have reportedly risen more than 400% during 2026, which could push final pricing higher.

Chipset: two different names, same manufacturing node

Leaks disagree on the exact name of the next chipset. SamMobile reports that the chip destined for the S27 Pro and Ultra has leaked under the model number SM8975 and the name 'Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6,' describing it as having a faster CPU and a more powerful GPU with additional cache and graphics memory. GizChina, citing separate leaks, refers to the same successor chip simply as the 'Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6.' Both reports agree the chip is expected to be built on a 2-nanometer process at TSMC, succeeding the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 used in the current Galaxy S26 Ultra.

Camera: first major sensor change since 2023

GizChina reports the Galaxy S27 Ultra's main camera is expected to use Samsung's ISOCELL HP6, a 200-megapixel sensor with LOFIC (lateral overflow integration capacitor) technology. LOFIC is designed to capture a wider dynamic range in a single exposure, reducing lost highlight detail in high-contrast scenes. The outlet notes that Samsung has used closely related 200MP sensor hardware since the Galaxy S23 Ultra in 2023, making this the first notable main-sensor upgrade in four Ultra generations if the leak holds.

Battery: a larger silicon-carbon cell

The same GizChina report describes a leaked 5,500mAh silicon-carbon battery for the Galaxy S27 Ultra, which it calculates as roughly a 10% increase over the 5,000mAh battery confirmed for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Silicon-carbon cells pack more energy into a similar physical volume than conventional lithium-ion batteries, which the report frames as Samsung's response to longstanding criticism that its flagships trail some Chinese rivals on battery capacity.

What is still unverified

None of the figures above come from Samsung. RAM, storage tiers, exact screen size, charging wattage, and the final name of the chipset for the Galaxy S27 Ultra were not specified in the leaks reviewed for this piece. Pricing in particular carries a stated caveat from Android Headlines about rising memory costs, meaning the leaked $1,399 figure could move before an official unveiling.