(Image credit: @TK_Mk52 / X)

Samsung fans are reeling after cases for the Samsung Galaxy S27 series leak, suggesting an unwelcome change in design for some.

Cases for four phones – the Galaxy S27, Galaxy S27+, Galaxy S27 Pro and Galaxy S27 Ultra – have all leaked. And while the cases shown are basic in nature, the camera cutouts reveal changes to the forthcoming devices.

While the Galaxy S27 and Galaxy S27+ are expected to look much as they do at the moment with a triple vertical camera on the back, the Galaxy S27 Pro and S27 Ultra are expected to adopt a larger island like the iPhone Pro.

The leak comes from a reliable source, UniverseIce on X, and it corroborates with earlier pictures showing the change in the camera layout for Samsung's Ultra phone.

That sees one of the lenses dropped, but the whole camera sitting on an island that stretches the entire width of the phone.

It's a design that's been widely copied from the iPhone Pro, with a number of devices offering a similar layout of cameras. Samsung had previously offered individual lenses on the back of its phones and established something of its own design identity.

That's the accusation from commenters, with one saying: "S27 Ultra looks like Chinese design. It's not Samsung identity."

Another states: "Samsung has lost all its original identity trying to copy Apple."

Caught in the flack is the Galaxy S27 Pro, Samsung's new entry to the line-up that's designed to offer that Ultra experience, but without the S Pen. It's thought that it will have the same camera, but in a slightly more compact form.

The return of a more compact powerhouse should be cause for excitement, but the design change appears to causing some consternation.

What changes should we expect?

The change in camera design is thought to be paired with dropping the 3x zoom camera that Samsung has offered for many years. While that intermediate zoom step might feel like a loss, it's a camera that hasn't really kept up with change elsewhere.

That's likely to see a single 4x optical telephoto using a 1/1.9in sensor, which should be an upgrade to the quality of both the lenses it replaces.

At the same time, a recent report has suggested that Samsung has raised doubts about the latest Snapdragon 8 Elite Extreme Gen 6 chip that it's thought the S27 Ultra and S27 Pro will use. The report suggests Samsung has experienced overheating problems with the new Qualcomm chip, and that Exynos could be used instead.

We've seen this to and fro before, but it's likely that come launch day, Samsung will use a mixture of hardware in different regions.

The launch of the Samsung Galaxy S27 series is not expected until February 2027.