Samsung might buff the Galaxy S24 Ultra telephoto camera

 Taking a photo with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra
Taking a photo with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

What you need to know

  • A rumor suggests Samsung could feature a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom on the S24 Ultra.

  • This could against a past rumor which stated the company could drop the 3x zooming telephoto sensor for a continuous zoom lens, instead.

  • Another rumor floats the possibility of the zoom going from 3x to 5x on the S24 Ultra next year.

New rumors are swirling about the potential telephoto strength and capability of the Galaxy S24 Ultra. The new leak, provided by Ice Universe on X, states Samsung's next Ultra model will allegedly feature a 50MP telephoto lens with 3x zoom.

The latest rumors go back on what the tipster previously stated, which suggested Samsung could be interested in dropping the 3x zoom telephoto sensor to pop in a continuous zoom lens. Similar to the Xperia 1 IV, a continuous zoom lens could give Samsung's upcoming flagship a zooming range of roughly 3.5x to 5.2x without the need for a separate sensor.

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Additionally, the current speculation is turning us in a different direction after a leak from the beginning of June suggested a zoom upgrade could be all consumers receive. It was previously stated the 3x zoom telephoto lens on the S23 Ultra would turn into 5x zoom once next year's phone arrives.

However, these telephoto assumptions stretch back into December 2022 when word gained traction that Samsung might look to the LG Innotek sensor with zooming capabilities of 4x up to 9x (with OIS, as well). Apparently, if the company were to do this, it would arrive on the Galaxy S24 Ultra with an improved mechanism to support its newfound abilities.

We're still early days, and Samsung isn't going to officially tease its Galaxy S24 series anytime soon. The rumors have us spinning, and it's best to take everything with a grain of salt.

A recent leak detailed the possible continuation of a 5,000mAh battery on the S24 Ultra, while the S24 Plus could rise to 4,900mAh over its predecessor. This was also around the time that an alleged S24 Plus was spotted on Geekbench sporting Qualcomm's soon-to-be-released Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 chipset and Android 14.

The S24 Plus and its base model might also be in line to receive an LTPO display upgrade, bringing it closer to the appeal of the Ultra.