Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Periscope Lens Might Disappoint Customers

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could ship with an inferior periscope lens than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Until now, the company relied on two optical zoom lenses for high-end smartphones: the 10MP (f4.9, 230mm) periscope lens for 10x optical zoom and the 10MP (f/2.4, 70mm) lens for 3x optical zoom. However, that might change in 2024 as the company is planning to introduce a new zoom lens to the Galaxy S24 Ultra.

Galaxy S24 Ultra Could Feature Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s Periscope Lens

According to known leakster Ice Universe, Samsung might disappoint fans and enthusiasts who are waiting to see camera improvements on the Galaxy S24 Ultra. In a post on X (formerly known as Twitter), @UniverseIce claims that the upcoming Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 5x camera has the same specifications as the Xiaomi 13 ULtra’s 5x camera. Both are 50MP, 1/2.52-inch sensors with a pixel size of 0.7 micrometers.

Given that both phones have the same camera specifications and the Xiaomi 13 Ultra is available, the tipster compares some sample shots, comparing the smartphone to the S23 Ultra to see any improvements. For those catching up, the comparison is based on the premise that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will ditch the 10x periscope lens we’ve seen on the Galaxy S23 Ultra in favor of a new 50MP 5x periscope lens with a 5x optical zoom range.

Galaxy S24 Ultra with Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 SoC

While that means that users will get a more detailed image at 5x optical zoom, it also means that the camera system will rely on algorithms and processing to generate images in the zoom range of 10x to 100x. Through some samples, Ice Universe demonstrates how the Galaxy S24 Ultra, with a 50MP 5x periscope lens, would click soft images at higher zoom levels.

Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x Zoom Lens Clicks Better Images

At 10x, the images clicked by the Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s 50MP 5x periscope lens (the one that could also ship with the Galaxy S24 Ultra) and the 10MP 10x periscope lens of the Galaxy S23 Ultra look similar. However, from 20x to 100x, the Galaxy S23 Ultra clicks noticeably sharper images with legible text. In conclusion, the tipster says that even with advanced algorithms, the 5x 50MP sensor can’t compete with the 10x 10MP sensor.

Xiaomi 13 Ultra’s 5x 50MP camera (on the left) vs. Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 10x 10MP camera (on the right) via Ice Universe

Hence, if the Galaxy S24 Ultra does come out with the aforementioned sensor, it will click inferior images than the Galaxy S23 Ultra. This could be disappointing for several users who expect the company to improve the already excellent camera system on the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

In the past, reports have claimed that the upcoming Ultra series smartphone will stick with the same 200MP on the S23 Ultra, albiet with a few optimizations that should provide slightly better results. However, the other two sensors, including the 12MP (f/2.2, 13mm) ultra-wide shooter and the 10MP (f/2.4, 70mm) telephoto sensor for 3x optical zoom, should remain the same. Although we’re still months away from the official launch of the Galaxy S24 series, Ice Universe has a good track record regarding leaks.

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