Samsung Galaxy Ultra Cameras Ranked: S21 to S26 Ultra

From the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra in 2021 to the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra in 2026, there have been six Galaxy S Ultra phones. The seventh, the Galaxy S27 Ultra, is rumoured for early 2027.

The Samsung Galaxy S Ultra phones have a lot more in common than you might think based on their model numbers, especially when it comes to cameras. They also have different amounts of software support left, ranging from years to nothing at all.

These are all of the Samsung Galaxy S Ultra phones, ranked according to four criteria I've outlined below in order of weight. That said, you're free to re-rank them based on your own preferences.

How the phones were ranked

• Image quality (as reviewed by GSMArena and DXOMARK at time of release; relative to previous model where applicable)
• Camera hardware (per GSMArena's specs)
• Remaining software support (as per Samsung's security updates page; last checked 4 November 2026)
• Other features (such as Expert RAW, Samsung Log video recording, 200MP main camera sensor, Galaxy AI image editing features)

Note: In previous iterations of this page we assigned each phone a star rating out of five, but since this wasn't based on our own testing we've since removed these ratings.

For more details about how we arrived at this ranking, please see the individual phone pages (linked below), where we provide links to the sources, such as GSMArena and/or DXOMARK, where applicable.

The ranking

Lens specs for all six

Otherwise similar, the S26 Ultra uses a 1/3.94-inch sensor for its 3x camera, smaller than the 1/3.52-inch sensors used by the S22 and S23 Ultra for both of their telephotos (3x and 10x) and by the S24 and S25 Ultra for their 3x cameras, which were in turn smaller than the 1/3.24-inch sensors found on both of the S21 Ultra’s telephotos. And while the S24 and S25 Ultra’s 5x cameras used periscope designs, the S26 Ultra’s 5x camera uses a prism camera design instead. Our S26 Ultra vs S23 Ultra comparison puts the old 10x periscope and the newer 5x setup side by side.

Features by generation

Why each phone sits where it does

S26 Ultra over the S25 Ultra

DXOMARK said that the S26 Ultra's f/1.4 main camera lens, in addition to better processing, helped improve its low-light photo capabilities. On top of that, the S26 Ultra also comes with Samsung's latest seven-year update policy. GSMArena found the S26 Ultra's daytime images and automatic night pictures to be on par with those of the S25 Ultra. However, if you're after close-ups, you may want to stick with the S25 Ultra, as its main and telephoto cameras support closer focusing distances than those on the S26 Ultra. See our S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra comparison for full details and US pricing information.

S25 Ultra over the S24 Ultra

This is the narrowest gap in the list. The main and telephoto cameras are exactly the same. DXOMARK rates the S25 Ultra’s camera performance as only a “modest” improvement over the S24 Ultra’s. That being said, the S25 Ultra does shoot better images in low light with its 50MP ultrawide camera. The S25 Ultra also supports 10-bit HDR video recording and 200MP RAW image capture, two features missing from the S24 Ultra. And it’ll get an extra year of software and security updates. The S24 Ultra’s S Pen can be used as a remote camera shutter. The S25 Ultra’s S Pen can’t. The S25 Ultra vs S24 Ultra comparison covers all the cases.

S24 Ultra over the S23 Ultra

The S23 Ultra edges out the S24 Ultra for our top pick for 10x zoom by a hair, as its 10x zoom shots in daytime were just a tad better. But otherwise, GSMArena found the S24 Ultra’s 5x zoom lens produced much better photos than digitally cropping in on the S23 Ultra’s 3x zoom camera (and its telephoto cameras performed better at night, too), and it shoots Samsung Log footage and is supported until 2031. Refer to our S23 Ultra vs S24 Ultra comparison.

S23 Ultra over the S22 Ultra

Even though the S22 Ultra has the same telephoto camera as the S23 Ultra, GSMArena noticed that the latter’s 3x portraits are much sharper. Daylight photos are also cleaner and sharper all the way to the frame edges on the S23 Ultra, according to GSMArena.

The 200MP shooter is also still receiving monthly security updates from Samsung, while the S22 Ultra got demoted to quarterly updates in February 2026. The S23 Ultra will receive One UI 9 as its last big update.

S22 Ultra over the S21 Ultra

Zoom and video quality improved quite a bit on the S22 Ultra, so much so that DXOMARK rated it as an improvement over the S21 Ultra. It’s also got Galaxy AI editing features and will continue to get security updates, which the S21 Ultra won’t (Samsung confirmed in early 2026 that it’s no longer getting updates). That said, if you do pick up an S21 Ultra, I’d keep it logged out of your important accounts.

Which Ultra suits what you shoot

Expert RAW mode will work with all six choices. The best Samsung phone for photography guide also has information about the other (non-Ultra) models if you want to compare them.