[DigitalToday reporter Jinju Hong (홍진주)] Samsung Electronics’ next flagship smartphone, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, is significantly strengthening high-resolution shooting and professional video features, boosting its mobile camera competitiveness. It is evolving beyond a simple megapixel race to support a professional-grade shooting experience for both photos and video, an assessment says.

On May 7 (local time), IT-focused outlet PhoneArena summarised key features and practical settings of the Galaxy S26 Ultra camera app, and said it is configured to target a wide range of needs from general users to professional shooting demand.

The default photo mode offers 12 megapixels (12MP) as the default setting, while also supporting 50MP and 200MP shooting options. The 12MP mode focuses on shooting speed and storage efficiency, while the high-resolution modes are structured for securing fine detail.

The filter function also goes beyond simple colour correction. It includes a feature that lets users create customised filters based on the mood of existing photos, strengthening personalisation. The camera app also supports remembering the last shooting state, allowing it to keep the previously used mode and resolution, filters and exposure values as they were.

Portrait features have also been expanded. The Galaxy S26 Ultra offers various portrait zoom levels from 1x to 5x. PhoneArena explained that the 3x and 5x lenses, in particular, can deliver more natural facial proportions and a background compression effect. It also supports various portrait effects, including Studio, Low-key Mono, High-key Mono and Colour Point.

Pro mode aimed at professional shooting demand has also been strengthened. Users can manually adjust ISO, shutter speed, white balance, focus and exposure compensation, and can also shoot in RAW. A histogram, zebra pattern and false colour display have also been added, enabling more precise checks of exposure status.

Video features have also been significantly strengthened. In general video mode, it supports 8K at 30 frames per second and 4K at 60 frames per second, and includes a dual recording function that uses front and rear cameras simultaneously. An auto-framing function automatically zooms in and out to keep a moving subject centred in the frame.

In particular, the newly added “horizon lock” function this year focuses on keeping video level stable even in environments with heavy shaking. It is assessed as a stabilisation option strengthened beyond the existing Super Steady function.

In Pro Video mode, more professional video shooting functions are provided. It supports 8K at 24 frames per second and 4K at 120 frames per second, and allows fine adjustment down to zoom speed. HDR and LOG video shooting is also possible, but the feature is supported only in the HEVC format, a high-efficiency video codec.

Samsung Electronics’ newly introduced APV codec is also drawing attention. APV is a professional video format designed to minimise quality loss in the editing process, and supports saving HDR and LOG video. However, file sizes are very large. HQ mode takes up about 1.5 GB per minute, while LQ mode uses about 750 MB per minute.

To support that, it also supports connecting external storage devices. It also includes a “safe save” feature that splits and saves video into multiple MP4 files in preparation for errors during saving or situations where an external drive is disconnected.

Audio features have also been refined. In addition to basic omnidirectional recording, users can choose only the front or rear microphone, and can also adjust individual microphone gain. It also supports connecting external microphones via USB and Bluetooth, as well as mixed recording that combines external microphones and the device’s microphones.

Industry sources see the Galaxy S26 Ultra as evolving beyond a simple high-megapixel camera competition into a comprehensive content creation device that considers everything from shooting to editing. LOG video, the APV codec and external storage support, in particular, are being assessed as functions that also target demand for professional video production.