Samsung used a periscope camera that is capable of 10x optical zoom from the Galaxy S20 Ultra all the way to the Galaxy S23 Ultra (review), but based on a new report, the South Korean company may ditch it in the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Rather, the current sensor is said to be replaced by a bigger sensor albeit with a lower optical zoom level.
Is this a camera downgrade for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra?
According to reliable tipster Ice Universe, the South Koreans are revamping the telephoto camera on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. They are looking at the current 10 MP periscope with 10x zoom and a 1/3.52″ sensor size in particular, where it might be replaced by a standard and bigger sensor that measures 1/2.52” and is equipped with a 50 MP resolution and 5x optical zoom.
If this rumor were to be true, it would place the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s zoom capabilities on par with the newly released Apple iPhone 15 Pro Max. The latter’s camera takes advantage of a tetra-prism lens design to deliver a 5x optical zoom, which is a substantial upgrade from the 3x zoom from its predecessor. Interestingly, another device that uses 3x and 5x zoom is the Xiaomi 13 Ultra.
It is unclear what is the reason behind this move, but it is safe to assume this may enable Samsung to retain the competitive price of the device given most alternatives have seen their prices gone up.
The new claim actually refutes a previous report from the same source where Samsung was touted to replace the 10 MP telephoto with a 3x zoom sensor on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with a new 50 MP camera. It turns out this sensor is planned for the 10x periscope camera instead.
However, the company could still introduce improvements to its regular 3x 10 MP telephoto camera or do the same with its Galaxy S23 Ultra. On the other hand, both the ultrawide and selfie could retain the 12 MP sensor. Who really knows for sure?
Other hardware upgrades in store for the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra
Apart from the zoom cameras, the Galaxy S24 Ultra is rumored to use an updated 200 MP main camera that relies on an HP2SX Isocell sensor. The new sensor could most likely bring optimized performance from the previous 200 MP snapper. The flagship could also be the first from its line to sport a titanium frame, similar to the iPhone 15 Pro, while featuring the brightest AMOLED mobile screen ever produced by Samsung.
If Samsung’s goal is to maintain the price of the Galaxy S24 Ultra, would it be logical for them to downgrade the device’s cameras? We’re interested to hear your thoughts on this.
