Samsung’s flagship camera phones have always been regarded as some of the best in the business, but when compared to the likes of Google’s Pixels, Samsung relies on unnatural processing that results in overly vivid images and videos (something selected users prefer). The company is rumored to alter the image processing on its devices starting with the Galaxy S24 Ultra for a more natural look.
Major ‘software’ changes to Samsung’s Galaxy S24 Ultra camera
According to frequent tipster Sondesix, Samsung is revamping the software algorithm on its cameras on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Together with the new ISP (Image Signal Processor) of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chip, the iteration would produce more “realistic” shots compared to the Galaxy S23 Ultra and older Galaxy shooters. The South Koreans might end up following Google’s preference of having more natural images captured by the Pixel 8 (review) devices.
Samsung is also known to over-sharpen shots taken by its camera phones, especially those that take advantage of the zoom optics. In the Galaxy S24 Ultra, it was mentioned that the sharpening section will be improved “more properly”.
In a separate leak, user Ahmed Qwaider alleged that Samsung will change the default resolution on the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s primary sensor to 24 MP or double it from the 12 MP in the Galaxy S23 Ultra. This choice should most likely add more details without consuming much storage compared to shooting at higher resolutions.
According to a more reliable source, Ice Universe, the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s quad camera configuration will comprise an updated 200 MP main camera, a new 50 MP with 5x zoom that replaces the periscope camera, a familiar 12 MP ultra-wide camera, and a 3x telephoto sensor.
A better titanium finish on the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
The leaker shared early feedback on the new titanium build of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, citing how the handset’s titanium frame in a gray colorway is comparably better than the natural titanium variant on the iPhone 15 Pro (review). This might provide clues to what the final finish will be like. Furthermore, the ergonomics and handling of the Galaxy S24 Ultra is said to be better despite the boxier form, flatter sides, and panels.
At the same time, the leaker doubled down on the major AI features that are set to debut with the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S24. Based on the previous rumor, some new software capabilities are powered by Galaxy AI and include generative and multimodal AI tools to create images and texts, among others.
Reliable sources suggest the Galaxy S24 Ultra and Galaxy S24 (Plus) will be announced on January 17 at the Unpacked event in San Jose in the USA. It also added that pre-orders will follow right after the event, while actual shipments of the units will commence on January 26.
With these features and specifications, do you think the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra appears to be a serious camera phone upgrade? Tell us in the comments.
