Galaxy S25 Ultra reportedly boasts an upgraded ultrawide camera

Samsung will launch the Galaxy S25 series sometime in January or February next year. However, we have already come across several rumors about the Galaxy S25 series, especially the ultra model. According to a previous rumor, the phone will come with an upgraded 50MP telephoto lens with 3x optical zoom.

The Galaxy S25 Ultra is rumored to pack a 50 MP sensor for the ultrawide camera

In the latest news, tipster Ice Universe claims that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will adopt an upgraded 50 MP sensor. He also revealed that the ultrawide sensor measures 1/2.52″, has a native pixel size of 0.7μm, and is paired with a wider f/1.9 aperture.

For context, the current Galaxy S24 Ultra packs a 12MP ultrawide with a sensor size of 1/2.55″ and an aperture of f/2.2.

You may already know that the minimum resolution requirement for 8K recording is around 33.2 MP. So a phone with a 12 MP ultrawide sensor cannot record in 8K with the ultrawide camera. The wider field of view of the ultrawide camera also enables the phone to record a relatively more stable video. With the resolution upgrade, it is now technically possible for the Galaxy S25 Ultra to record in 8K from both the main and ultrawide cameras.

Potential benefits of the resolution upgrade

The higher 50 MP resolution also offers room for EIS stabilization while recording in 8K. However, the field of view will become relatively narrower. As Hadlee Simpson from Android Authority speculates, the combination of an ultrawide lens and digital stabilization could make for smoother 8K output.

Alongside the upgraded 50 MP 3x telephoto and the 50 MP ultrawide, the Galaxy S25 Ultra will inherit the 50 MP 5x periscope telephoto and the 200 MP main camera from the Galaxy S24 Ultra. So, ostensibly, the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra will be able to record in 8K from all four back cameras and may also support switching between the lenses while recording in 8K.

The 50 MP resolution of the ultrawide camera also allows you to crop in after taking a photo without losing much detail. This aligns with what Samsung has demonstrated with its ultra-high resolution main sensors.

While the 50 MP ultrawide has smaller native pixels (0.7μm compared to the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s 12 MP ultrawide with 1.2μm pixels), Samsung is likely to use pixel binning by default, similar to the main camera. This should ensure that the signal-to-noise ratio is not significantly worse, and might even be better.