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some phone Updates are incremental, e.g Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultrawhile others are making great strides and putting distance between their old models. This is the case with iPhone 17 Pro Maxwhich surprised me this year with features and redesigns that show Samsung has some catching up to do.
Apple’s new aluminum design for this year’s Pro is coupled with improvements to video capture, improvements so significant that the iPhone 17 Pro has even been used to stream some video. MLB games on Apple TV Plus. In addition, in CNET Lab TestThe iPhone 17 Pro Max has the longest battery life of any phone tested, including the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Although the Galaxy S25 Ultra has the best screen of any phone I’ve tested, thanks to it Anti-reflective displaySamsung needs to up its game for its next flagship phone, which will likely be called… Galaxy S26 UltraI hope the company looks to Apple for some ideas. I’ve been using the iPhone 17 Pro Max since its launch, and here are some of its features that I’d like to see in the next Samsung phone.
Add a square sensor to the S26 Ultra’s selfie camera
The square sensor on the iPhone 17 series offers plenty of options for the selfie camera.
While I will choose Samsung Galaxy artificial intelligence more Apple intelligence For its comprehensive AI feature set, the iPhone 17 series It has one AI function that is a huge improvement to the quality of life.
Apple introduced the new 18-megapixel central cameraWhich has a square sensor. It allows you to hold the phone vertically and take a horizontal selfie. It can also use AI to automatically expand the frame in selfies when there are multiple people in the shot. This may seem like a minor upgrade, but it’s one of the rare AI features that worked well for me. This new sensor also helps stabilize the image when recording videos or making a FaceTime call.
It’s just CNET’s Abrar Al-Hiti and Patrick Holland snapping a casual selfie with the new Center Stage camera. The 17 Pro automatically zooms out to include both editors.
The ability to take landscape group selfies without fiddling with the phone’s orientation or switching on the screen is a godsend because the moment is lost when you turn the phone to take a photo. The iPhone 17’s auto-zoom and auto-rotate features are intuitive and turn on nine times out of 10 without any issues, in my experience.
Samsung has a similar AI-powered auto zoom feature for Galaxy Z Flip 7 and Z Flip 6which uses the main cameras located on the cover screen. So it doesn’t work on video calls. I hope it expands to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s selfie shooter next year.
Samsung has debuted a new auto zoom feature for group selfies on the Galaxy Z Flip 6.
The ability of the square camera sensor to stabilize videos was particularly useful to me. As someone whose hands constantly shake due to a neurological disorder, I love that my personal videos no longer feel jittery — a stark contrast to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
I hope Samsung adds a square sensor to the front camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, because it will make everything more convenient and accessible (if done right).
Give your Galaxy S26 Ultra a telephoto camera upgrade
The iPhone 17 Pro and Galaxy S25 Ultra both have telephoto cameras.
For a long time, Samsung was the king of zoom, but that progress has waned over the past few years. While Chinese manufacturers like Xiaomiin vivo and OPPO The South Korean company is in a league of its own, and has also lagged behind in the US market.
Google uses AI to handle zoom levels of 30x or more, while Apple has switched to 4x optical zoom that provides exceptional video stabilization, even at 8x. By contrast, the Galaxy S25 Ultra has two dedicated telephoto cameras (a 3x telephoto camera and a 5x telephoto camera), but only one of them rivals the competition.
Samsung replaced its unique 10x optical zoom with a 5x periscope camera two generations ago. While it got a resolution boost (50 megapixels vs 10 megapixels on Galaxy S23 Ultra), the 3x optical zoom sensor hasn’t received any upgrades in a few years. Personally, I take a lot of photos at 3x speed — whether it’s of people or taking photos on trips — and the noisy results in anything without bright sunlight aren’t at major level — let alone something I’d expect from a $1,300 phone.
A 5x sensor is great, but Samsung has been moving away from its unique capabilities in recent years. The two cameras dedicated to optical zoom should be an even bigger advantage than they are now. For the Galaxy S26 Ultra, I hope Samsung upgrades the 3x telephoto camera and gives us a pair of cameras with optical zoom capability that match or beat each other in terms of image quality.
Make your Galaxy Ultra easier to hold
The Galaxy S25 Ultra may be more difficult to hold compared to the iPhone 17 Pro Max.
Apple gave the iPhone 17 Pro Max a new unibody design and a larger battery, which resulted in it being heavier than its predecessor; However, it remains comfortable. It weighs 231 grams compared to the model iPhone 16 Pro Max227 grams. On the other hand, Samsung made the Galaxy S25 Ultra lighter (218 grams) than the Galaxy S24 Ultra (232 grams), but it became uncomfortable. Just one of these two New phones It feels comfortable to hold, and it’s not an Android device.
Samsung made the Galaxy S25 Ultra flatter on the sides, resulting in sharper edges on the back. Despite the rounded corners, it digs into the palm during daily use. The new Ultra may be lighter than its predecessor, but its sharp, flat edges make it less comfortable to use, especially for long periods. I can feel discomfort when navigating or scrolling on social media.
The curved sides and corners of the iPhone 17 Pro Max make it easier to hold
By contrast, the iPhone 17 Pro Max is easier to use, thanks to its rounded corners and slightly curved back. It’s still heavy for me, and you can feel the weight, but the ease of use is better than the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
I hope Samsung borrows this design element while keeping the weight under 220 grams in the Galaxy S26 Ultra. This could make it one of the most comfortable large phones out there.
Don’t remove any other features, Samsung
The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s new features were superior to those Samsung removed.
I travel alone frequently, and in the last two generations of Ultra phones, Samsung has removed some features that appeal to me as a traveler.
Firstly, the 2024 departure from the dedicated 10x optical zoom camera was disappointing because it helped me take some amazing shots when I visited Costa Brava A year ago. Capturing images of the coastline, waves crashing against the rocks, and much more is only possible thanks to the 10MP telephoto camera capable of 10x optical capture.
Bluetooth functionality was then removed from the S Pen in 2025. This means I can’t use the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s S Pen as a remote shutter button, which was one of the two use cases for the stylus. I could place the phone on a bench or lean it against a pole and start shooting with the S Pen, but that’s no longer possible.
I hope Samsung stops this trend of removing features from its flagship phones. After all, Ultra used to mean all the extras and then a little more, but not anymore. The Galaxy S25 Ultra already has the best display on a phone, a lightweight design, an intuitive interface, and more. However, it is very similar to the Galaxy S24 Ultra and its predecessor.
I don’t want a big redesign, as Galaxy phones have created an identity for themselves. However, Samsung needs to give the Galaxy Z Fold 7 an overhaul with the Galaxy S26 Ultra, in terms of annual updates: the company’s big phone could use some polishing to make it easier to use. If Samsung can upgrade the 3x telephoto camera and borrow the iPhone 17 Pro’s square front camera sensor, it could end up being one of the best updates to the Galaxy S series in recent times.
Editors’ note: Samsung covered the author’s travel costs related to the launch of the Galaxy S25 Ultra. CNET’s judgments and opinions are our own.