It’s been a while since the launch of the Galaxy S24 series, and leaks about the Galaxy S25 series have already started to appear on the internet. According to previous rumors, the S25 series may not have the multi-layer battery claimed for higher energy density. Instead, the series will use artificial intelligence to save power and potentially offer better battery life.

A variable zoom camera has been reduced

The latest rumor from tipster @ISAQUES81 details three new aspects of the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s camera system. Samsung is reportedly testing an early prototype of its upcoming Ultra flagship.

According to him, the S25 Ultra prototype has only three cameras on the back instead of the four cameras offered in previous models. Three cameras: prime, ultrawide and a periscope telephoto. Samsung is reportedly abandoning the “weak” 3x telephoto module and trying to compensate for this with digital zoom.

The company has been experimenting with zoom cameras at least since the previous model, when it ditched the “weak” 10MP 10x telephoto and opted for a 50MP 5x camera. And the phone really does a great job at long-range zooming, thanks to its 5x high-resolution camera and AI capabilities. It is theoretically absolutely impossible to implement something like this in the 3x range.

The main camera retains the same sensor size and resolution. But the sensor will likely capture more light with a wider aperture. More light for the sensor is generally good for the provider and therefore provides a better result.

The periscope telephoto uses a larger sensor than the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which can improve details in zoomed-in shots. But the most notable change is the addition of variable zoom, which is important for image quality in zoomed-in shots. Variable zoom means using certain mechanisms, similar to specialized cameras, that create a larger image on the sensor. No cropping means less or no detail is lost in the scaling process.

However, unlike the Xperia 1 V (which has 3.5x to 5.2x continuous optical zoom), the S25 Ultra will offer two fixed focal lengths; The first will be between 4x and 5x, and the second will be between 6x and 7x. This is like combining two different zoom cameras (like the current one) into a single module. The phone will again use digital zoom for values ​​between two focal lengths. However, the two fixed focal lengths are close enough together that the loss will not be noticeable.