Galaxy S24 Ultra To Continue Supporting 100x Digital Zoom, Despite Getting A Telephoto Lens Downgrade To 5x

Samsung is rumored to downgrade the 10x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra to a 5x one, and while this decision can mean that the flagship reportedly launching early next year will miss out on some features belonging to the Galaxy S23 Ultra, there are other benefits. Fortunately, the Korean giant’s 2024 premium offering is not said to lose out on 100x digital zoom, according to one tipster, though this feature may not be as useful as one might assume.

Entire rear camera specifications of the Galaxy S24 Ultra have been shared, to feature four sensors at the back

In addition to a 10MP unit that will support 3x optical zoom, RGcloudS has commented on X that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will also come with a 48MP GMU shooter with a 5x lossless zoom. The primary sensor is a 200MP HP2SX with a 1/1.3-inch size, followed by an ultrawide angle unit with a maximum resolution of 12MP. If you noticed, there is no mention of a 10x zoom, and that is because no such upgrade exists. Samsung may be downgrading from a 10x zoom to a 5x one on the Galaxy S24 Ultra because of the advantages that the iPhone 15 Pro Max possesses.

In an interview, Jon McCormack, Apple’s Vice President of camera software engineering, said that the company refrained from using a 10x optical zoom upgrade as the 5x limit is vastly superior when it comes to image stabilization, whether it is capturing stills or recording video. With the 10x telephoto now omitted from the entire configuration, the Galaxy S24 Ultra could deliver better image stabilization, giving versatility in the optics department. However, some skeptics continue to ask the tipster how the upcoming flagship will retain its 100x digital zoom functionality when downgrading from 10x to 5x optical zoom.

Good news

Despite having 5x optical
Galaxy S24U still support 100x zoom

200 • 12 • 10 • 48

Main 200mp
HP2SX 1/1.3" 0.6μm

UW 12mp
IMX564 1/2.55" 1.4μm

3x Telephoto 10mp
IMX754+ 1/3.52" 1.12μm

5x Telephoto 48mp
GMU 1/2.25" 0.8μm

Final 5x aperture "might" be F/3.2 pic.twitter.com/yCfBywHTrj

— RGcloudS (@RGcloudS) October 14, 2023

RGcloudS responds that even the Galaxy S20 Ultra’s 4x optical supported the feature, and so does Huawei’s P60 Pro despite only maxing out at 3.5x. These differences suggest that the maximum supported digital zoom limit depends on the software implementations by the company rather than the camera hardware itself. Hopefully, the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3’s Image Signal Processor also brings substantial improvements to the camera, but these changes can only be viewed and compared when the Galaxy S24 Ultra officially launches next year.