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Samsung reportedly abandons plans to give the Galaxy S27 a variable-aperture camera

Another one bites the dust: Early rumors of the Galaxy S27 reviving Samsung’s variable-aperture camera seem to falling short, as the company is already seemingly repeating last year’s cycle.

Samsung first debuted a variable-aperture camera back on the Galaxy S9+ back in 2018, with the hardware able to physically change the amount of light allowed into the camera sensor. While it wasn’t quite as impactful as it is on a mirrorless or DSLR camera, it still resulted in some more flexible shooting.

The feature was said to be in the works for revival on the Galaxy S27 Ultra, but apparently that’s no longer the case.

ETNews reports that Samsung has “decided not to reintroduce ‘variable aperture’ cameras in the Galaxy S27 series.” The company was considering the move in reaction to Apple’s supposed use of variable-aperture hardware on iPhone 18, but “higher manufacturing costs and thicker cameras” led to Samsung moving away from the change.

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Beyond that, the effects of RAMageddon continue behind the scenes, with higher camera costs certainly a tough sell in developing the next generation of smartphones, especially given the likely-limited impact on the final output.

Galaxy S27 is set to launch early next year, with the Ultra potentially losing one of its telephoto cameras.

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Avatar for Ben Schoon Ben Schoon

Ben is a Senior Editor for 9to5Google.

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