The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra might finally upgrade a neglected camera

Samsung’s Ultra line is arguably known for its excellent cameras above anything else, with the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra currently sitting in the top spot of our best camera phone rankings, and if a new camera leak is right, there’s every chance the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could take its place. 

For Samsung to safely keep the top spot with one of its phones, it will need to make some camera upgrades, which is something it can sometimes seem reluctant to do; with the only substantial upgrade since the Galaxy S21 Ultra being to the main snapper. But with the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, another sensor might get a big boost.

This is according to reliable leaker @UniverseIce, who posted on X that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra will have a 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom. That’s in place of a 10MP sensor that the previous three models have used.

So simply in terms of megapixels that sounds like a huge upgrade, though of course there’s plenty more to a camera than its megapixel count. Still, we’d be surprised if this wasn’t a superior sensor to the current one, since otherwise it would be an odd change to make.

This then is great news if it’s true, because we’d wager people get a lot of use out of mid-length zoom lenses like this, so on a premium phone like the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra they should be capable of taking high-quality photos.

We would however take this leak with a pinch of salt. While @UniverseIce is a generally reputable source, they have previously said that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra would stick with the same 3x telephoto sensor as the Galaxy S23 Ultra.

Contradictory camera claims

In fact, camera leaks surrounding the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra have been all over the place, with a wealth of backtracking and contradictory sources, so it’s hard to really get a clear picture of what to expect.

One source, for example, claimed that the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra would have a variable zoom lens, but then later said plans for a variable zoom lens had been canceled, and the 10x zoom on the Galaxy S24 Ultra would only see “minor improvements”, with the other lenses remaining the same as on the S23 Ultra.

Yet another source has said the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra’s main camera will have a huge 1-inch sensor. But no other sources have echoed this, and that claim is at odds with other camera leaks.

All in all, this is an unusual state of affairs, as it’s rare to see this many incorrect or contradictory leaks. But the upshot is that we’d take any Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra camera leaks with a serious side of salt for now.