Mistake? Samsung is to remove the 10x zoom camera from the Galaxy S24 Ultra, replacing it with a 5x shooter similar to that of the new iPhones and Pixels.
As per reliable tipster Ice Universe, the zoom system on the Galaxy S24 Ultra will be changing for the first time in three years. However, this time, the changes will divide plenty of opinions.
The is now expected to feature a 10MP camera with 3x zoom and a new, 50MP camera with 5x zoom. Of course, the unexpected twist here is the alleged removal of the (kinda iconic) 10x optical snapper Samsung has been using for three years in a row now.
I crunched the numbers so you don’t have to, and it turns out… Five is less than ten. But is it actually that simple? Is Samsung downgrading the camera system of its most expensive phone for 2024? Or can a 5x zoom camera turn out to be the smarter choice? The varying answers might surprise you.
With only 3x optical zoom, the folding OnePlus Open can take better zoom photos than the Galaxy S23 Ultra at 3x,5x,6x, and even 10x zoom thanks to OnePlus’ image processing and higher-res 50MP camera.
Before I explain why the might be switching to a 5x zoom camera, and why this could turn out to be (mostly) a good thing, take a look at the these photos comparing 10x zoom with the and the brand new / Oppo Find N3 (in China).
Your brain isn’t playing tricks on you. Most of the 10x zoom photos taken by the look better than those taken with the S23 Ultra. But how is this possible, considering OnePlus’ folding phone has a 3x optical camera? Honestly… I’m not sure, and I’m just as puzzled as you probably are.
That being said, having seen enough photo samples over the years, taken by countless phones, my guess is that OnePlus is using sensor-cropping (which results in a 6x lossless zoom) + extra data from the 50MP 3x camera + some sort of upscaling/sharpening.
