Samsung is making an unexpected change to the camera setup of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The phone will lack a 10x optical zoom camera, with the company replacing it with a 5x solution. It may seem like a massive downgrade on paper, but there are some benefits of this change. Most notably, it could allow for seamless switching of lenses when recording 4K videos at a higher frame rate.
The Galaxy S24 Ultra may offer a better video recording experience
Samsung’s current Ultra flagships don’t let you switch between the ultrawide, wide (main camera), and zoom cameras when recording 4K videos at 60fps (frames per second). This is only possible with 4K video recording at 30fps. That’s despite the phones featuring the most powerful processors and ISPs (Image Signal Processors) of the generation. Perhaps the cameras themselves were a holdup, as the Galaxy S24 Ultra is reportedly capable of doing that.
According to tipster Ice Universe, the Galaxy S24 Ultra can switch back and forth between all four rear cameras (ultrawide, wide, 3x telephoto, and 5x telephoto) when recording 4K videos at 60fps, likely with HDR on (a few other phones do that without HDR). The way the tipster announced this information, this may not have been possible if Samsung kept a 10x optical zoom camera on the phone. The switch to the 5x solution did the trick.
Of course, improvements brought by the next-gen processors and ISPs are also key. However, the change to a new telephoto lens with lesser optical zoom capabilities may have made the task easier for Samsung. Apple introduced a similar feature (seamless 4K 60fps video recording) to the A17 Pro-powered iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 15 Pro Max last month. It will be interesting to see who does a better job at it.
The new Ultra shouldn’t see a huge drop in long-distance zoom quality
The 5X zoom camera of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is expected to feature a wider aperture and bigger pixels than the Galaxy S23 Ultra‘s 10x lens. Moreover, rumors say it will be a 50MP sensor, which is a massive resolution upgrade from a 10MP sensor Samsung has used for the past few years.
These hardware changes, coupled with improved software processing, should help the new Ultra deliver long-distance zoom quality comparable to the current model. Seamless 4K 60fps video recording and improved low-light photos and videos should ensure that no one misses a 10x zoom camera.