TL; DR
- New sketches of the Galaxy S27 Ultra and S27 Pro show a large rectangular camera plateau that looks very similar to the iPhone 17 Pro’s camera island.
- Earlier rumors about a horizontal, Pixel-style camera bar came from fan-made renders based on earlier reports.
- The S27 Ultra is expected to switch to a triple-camera setup, dropping one of its telephoto cameras.
- The S27 Pro could essentially be a smaller version of the Ultra.
Samsung’s Galaxy S27 series is still months away, but we may already have our first look at what the phones will look like. New sketches show the Galaxy S27 Ultra and S27 Pro with a large rectangular camera plateau on the back. And yes, the iPhone 17 Pro comparison is going to be hard to avoid.
The design looks very similar to Apple’s current camera layout. Interestingly, Samsung was working on almost the same design for the (now-cancelled) Galaxy S26 Edge before that phone was shelved. The company could now be bringing that design back for the Galaxy S27 series.
The S10-style camera bar may have been a red herring
For a while, rumors suggested that Samsung was considering a horizontal camera bar for the Galaxy S27 series. The design was expected to resemble the old Galaxy S10 camera strip or Google’s Pixel camera bar.
That idea gained traction after reports claimed Samsung was working on a horizontal camera module. Some renders then appeared online showing what the S27 series could look like with the new design.
There’s a catch. Those renders were fan-made concepts based on the earlier reports. They weren’t leaked Samsung design files.
The newly surfaced sketches show something quite different. They depict a large rectangular camera plateau that covers the rear camera area, giving the S27 Ultra and S27 Pro a look that’s much closer to the iPhone 17 Pro.
The S27 Pro could be a smaller Ultra
Ice suggests Samsung is working on the Pro as a smaller alternative to the Ultra. The phone is expected to share the same rectangular camera plateau, with a more compact body, at around 6.4 inches.
That could make the S27 Pro some sort of a mini Ultra, giving people who prefer smaller phones a device that follows the Ultra’s design and potentially shares some of its camera hardware.
Samsung hasn’t offered a model quite like this in the current lineup, so the Pro could end up being one of the more interesting additions to the S27 family, similar to the Z Fold8 (review) in the recently released fold lineup.
The regular Galaxy S27 could keep the current design
There’s another design (also shared by Ice Universe) doing the rounds alongside the Ultra and Pro sketches. This one looks much closer to Samsung’s current Galaxy S camera layout.
The design is believed to belong to the standard Galaxy S27. If that’s accurate, Samsung could be keeping the base model’s familiar look while giving the higher-end S27 Ultra and S27 Pro the new camera plateau.
Reactions have been quite negative so far
The early reaction to the leaked design has been pretty harsh, especially because of how closely the camera plateau resembles the iPhone 17 Pro. Samsung has also spent several generations building a recognizable Ultra design around individual camera rings. Replacing those rings with a large rectangular housing would be a major change to that identity.
There’s also the history behind the design. If the same camera layout was considered for the Galaxy S26 Edge and later shelved, seeing it return on the S27 series is bound to raise some eyebrows.
The Galaxy S27 lineup is expected to arrive in early 2027, so Samsung might still have time to test different prototypes and make changes before production (although Ice Universe suggests otherwise). What are your thoughts on the Galaxy S27 Ultra’s leaked design? Let us know in the comments section below.
You can follow Smartprix on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Google News. Visit smartprix.com for the latest tech and auto news, reviews, and guides.
