The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could have a far better camera than expected

Of the many rumors surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, one of the most ominous-sounding was a claim that it would replace its predecessor’s 10x optical zoom camera with a 5x one. But the latest leak suggests it’s actually the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 3x telephoto camera that will be replaced.

According to a report on South Korean site The Elec (via @Tech_Reve), the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will launch with a 200MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide one, a 10MP telephoto camera with 10x optical zoom, and a 50MP one with 5x optical zoom, as well as a 12MP front-facing camera.

Those specs are all the same as the Galaxy S23 Ultra, except for the 50MP 5x zoom camera, which would be in place of a 10MP 3x zoom.

Or it might not be. As noted above, several previous leaks have suggested that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a 50MP 5x zoom and a 10MP 3x zoom, with no 10x zoom offered. So we’d take this new claim with a pinch of salt.

This newly rumored setup would arguably be far preferable though, since the Ultra line’s 10x optical zoom is one of its main selling points, and one of the main ways in which it stands out from other top-end phones.

Whether replacing a 3x zoom with a 5x zoom is better than just sticking with 3x is more debatable, since 3x can be a useful focal length for portraits. But the bump up from 10MP to 50MP would definitely be desirable.

The same as before

The same report also mentions the camera specs of the standard Samsung Galaxy S24 and the Samsung Galaxy S24 Plus, but these are as we’ve heard before – and they’re also identical to those of the Samsung Galaxy S23 and the Samsung Galaxy S23 Plus.

Specifically, these two phones reportedly have a 50MP main camera, a 12MP ultra-wide, and a 10MP telephoto (probably offering 3x optical zoom, though that’s not specified here). There’s also no mention of the selfie camera specs for these phones, but that’s probably 12MP based on previous reports – which again would be in line with the current models.

So if this all pans out, there probably won’t be many if any camera hardware upgrades for the standard and Plus model. But we may well see software improvements, and even some AI features, with the Samsung Galaxy S24’s software having leaked, complete with a wealth of AI modes and tools.

The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra though might well see some camera hardware upgrades, or at least changes, and if this latest leak is right then the changes will either be for the better or neutral, rather than it getting the downgrade that’s previously heard reported.

All three of these phones will likely land in January, so we should know their exact specs – and whether they have what it takes to rank among the best camera phones – soon.

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