📸Bad news for macro photography fans: the Galaxy S26 Ultra did lose the telemacro feature. Here's what happened.
The S25 Ultra could focus incredibly close with its telephoto lens—perfect for detailed shots of insects, flowers, or small objects. The S26 Ultra can't do that anymore. The minimum focus distance jumped to about 80cm (roughly 2.6 feet), which eliminates the telemacro capability.
Why did Samsung do this? They redesigned the periscope telephoto lens with a wider f/2.9 aperture (previously f/3.4). This means 37% better low-light performance, which is legitimately useful. But the trade-off was losing that close-focus capability.
What are your options now? You've got the ultrawide camera's macro mode, which works reasonably well. You can also shoot with the 200MP main sensor and crop in—not ideal, but it gets the job done. There are also clip-on macro lenses if you're serious about close-up photography.
The reality is most people weren't using telemacro regularly. If you were one of the folks who loved it, this is genuinely annoying. But Samsung made a call that low-light improvements would benefit more users overall.
If macro photography is important to you, the S25 Ultra remains better in this specific area. For everyone else, the S26 Ultra's camera upgrades more than compensate.
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