Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra Upgrade Front Cameras to 16MP From 12MP

Q: Will the S27's 2nm chip and UFS 5.0 storage unlock AI capabilities that go far beyond its new selfie camera?

Yes. If the leaks are accurate, the Galaxy S27’s 2nm-class chip and UFS 5.0 storage would matter far more for AI than the new 16MP selfie camera alone. The camera upgrade itself is likely to benefit from stronger on-device AI, especially if Samsung uses a square front sensor for auto-framing features similar to Apple’s Center Stage. But the bigger story is the hardware platform behind it. A 2nm Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 6 Pro on the Pro and Ultra, or an Exynos 2700 on lower models, should deliver better NPU efficiency, lower heat, and more sustained AI performance. That is important for running larger models locally rather than relying as heavily on the cloud. UFS 5.0 is the other key piece. Samsung says the standard can reach roughly 10.8 GB/s read and 9.5 GB/s write speeds with better power efficiency. That reduces one of the main bottlenecks for on-device AI: moving large models and data quickly enough for real-time use. In practice, that could improve live translation, transcription, note summarization, generative photo and video editing, smarter voice assistants, and multitasking with several AI features running at once. The main caveat is model split. Current leaks suggest the most advanced chip, more RAM, and possibly UFS 5.0 may be reserved for the Pro and Ultra, while the base S27 and S27+ could get a less capable setup. So the broadest AI gains are most likely on the higher-end models, not necessarily across the whole lineup.

3 articles · Updated · Android Authority · Jul 2

GalaxyClub reported Samsung’s Galaxy S27 Pro and Ultra will switch to 16MP selfie cameras, ending the 12MP setup used on Ultra models since the S23 generation.
A square sensor is being speculated for the upgrade, which could enable Apple-style auto-framing features similar to Center Stage on the front camera.
Samsung has not yet been linked to the same camera bump for the Galaxy S27 or S27 Plus, leaving the cheaper models’ selfie hardware unclear.
Earlier leaks still point to broader S27 changes, including Privacy Display across all four models and Samsung-made panels instead of cheaper BOE screens.