According to a new leak, the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra's rear sensor array will feature not one but two telephoto cameras.

This is the claim from Sammobile, citing a Korean industry source. According to the anonymous source, the back of the range-topping S21 model will have four sensors, two of which will have zoom capabilities, which is consistent with earlier leaked information.

According to new leaks, one of the telephoto cameras will have a 3x optical sensor, and the other will be capable of zooming at least 5x. This is thanks to the periscope-style arrangement previously seen on phones like the Galaxy S20 Ultra.

This is probably not as redundant as it sounds; having two sensors with two different optical magnifications reduces reliance on digital zoom, which tends to compromise image quality.

In contrast, the iPhone 12 Pro is expected to have only one telephoto camera, presumably the same 2x zoom model as the iPhone 11 Pro, which could be a weakness for close-up and long-distance photography. It will not be equipped with this camera, but it is unlikely to be a competitor to Samsung's Ultra model.

Other cameras on the S21 Ultra will likely be the same 108MP main camera and 12MP ultra-wide camera as on the S20 Ultra. It will also have a similar 40MP selfie camera, but this is said to be embedded under the display rather than in Samsung's current central punch-hole notch.

Note the absence of a time-of-flight sensor. This has long been rumored for the entire S21 lineup, and is a curious decision on Samsung's part. The use of a depth sensor would be very useful for photo effects and AR applications, which Apple is rumored to utilize in the iPhone 12 Pro with LiDAR sensor.

However, Samsung may use a laser depth sensor instead, as seen in the Galaxy Note 20 Ultra. This would not count as a camera, but would provide similar functionality.

Not much else is known about the S21. It is expected to launch next February and will use Qualcomm's latest flagship chipset, probably the Snapdragon 875.

The name is also unknown. Samsung could skip from the Galaxy S10 to the Galaxy S20 and then return to its normal numbering scheme, or it could increase the number by 10 each year.

Apparently, Samsung has also given the device multiple names. The previous codename was reportedly "unbound," but the Sammobile report calls it a "palette." This is not the name we see when the handset is sold, but can be useful for identifying the handset when other leaks appear.

It also suggests an idea similar to previous rumors that the Galaxy Note series will be discontinued and that future Galaxy S phones will have an S Pen stylus to make up for it. Samsung would do this to focus on foldable phones like the Galaxy Z Flip and Galaxy Z Fold 2.