When Samsung introduced the Galaxy S24 series of phones to the world in January 2024, it was marked by a significant change to a popular feature of its camera system. The 10x optical and 100x hybrid “Space Zoom” feature had been replaced with a 5x zoom, and in 2026, Samsung did not bring back these features. It was a curious change that had been touted as a key feature since the S20’s launch and set it apart from its competitors. One could be forgiven for considering this change a significant downgrade.
Samsung has stuck with the 10x optical zoom feature for four years, found on the S21, S22 and S23. Although it was generally considered a good camera, it caused its fair share of controversy. Users began to notice incredibly detailed photos of the moon produced with 100x hybrid zoom and accused Samsung of superimposing pre-stored reference photos of the moon onto newly taken photos. Samsung eventually addressed the concerns in a 2021 blog post by detailing the process its AI technology used to generate these photos, but it was questionable whether or not that fixed the problem.
Ahead of the S24’s launch, rumors of a change to that camera’s optical zoom began to spread. This was confirmed upon the release of S24, and while there was initial skepticism around the change, it turned out to be less problematic than expected. The camera produced shots that were comparable and, in some cases, even exceeded the quality of its predecessor.
Improved sensor, shorter optical zoom
The change in direction was a strategic decision to save weight and space, thanks to the introduction of a 50MP sensor and improved stabilization. This new matrix allowed the camera to capture the same image quality using a combination of the larger 1.4μm pixel sensor and 5x optical zoom. Samsung’s Galaxy AI feature set marked the S24’s launch, including the ProVisual engine that applied AI-based processing to photos and could improve the quality of images taken at 100x zoom. The S24’s new telephoto lens also featured an f/3.4 aperture lens compared to the f/4.9 of the S23’s camera, improving low-light performance.
Delivering a camera that could compete with 10x zoom in a smaller form factor was only part of the story. The decision to upgrade to 5x optical zoom was based on real-world usage statistics. Speaking to Android Authority during a press conference, Samsung detailed some of the reasons behind the change and how it depended on user data.
“Looking at customer usage and what zooms (sic) were being used the most. We recognized that 3x and 5x were the zooms (sic) being used the most by our customers,” said Blake Gaiser, former head of smartphones at Samsung. “So instead of just having this 5x zoom lens, it has this 50MP sensor in it.”
What’s next for the Galaxy series?
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With the Galaxy S26 launching in 2026 with One UI 8.5, with the same 5x zoom setup as the S24 and S25, the first rumors already surfaced in 2025 that Samsung was taking the lead from Chinese brands like Honor and testing 200 MP periscope camera setups.
The results from these sensors have been largely positive for Chinese brands, providing improved telephoto performance even though most of the zoom comes from the sensor and not the lens. According to Android Headlines, South Korean tech insider “eyes1122” reported that Samsung might also ditch the 3x zoom camera module and redesign the body to accommodate a larger internal battery, while making the phone lighter than before.
Samsung is also reportedly considering adding a “Pro” model to its S27 lineup, which would add a fourth option to the S series for users who want premium processing power and features without the bulk of the Ultra version, much like Apple does with the iPhone Pro and Pro Max.
