Update (March 11): The Camera Manager at Samsung Community South Korea has officially confirmed one more camera feature for the Galaxy S25 series, or at least Galaxy S25 Ultra. The official camera moderator says Samsung will bring Virtual Aperture for the telephoto lens in the Expert RAW app. Unfortunately, it will not launch for Galaxy S24 Ultra or Galaxy Z Fold 6 smartphones, though there is a chance for Galaxy Z Fold 7.
Samsung has officially confirmed that several Galaxy S26 Ultra camera features will be expanded to older Galaxy models through the upcoming One UI 8.5 update. This move could bring major photography upgrades to devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra and S24 Ultra. An official in charge of the camera division at Samsung Community South Korea stated that the company will soon announce the supported Galaxy devices in an official post.
He also noted that not all models will receive the new features, and some will remain exclusive to the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
Which Phones will Receive Camera Features?
With the launch of the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the company introduced several exclusive camera tools, and some of these features are expected to come to supported devices like the Galaxy S25 Ultra, S24 Ultra, Fold 7, Flip 7, and more.
Last year, Samsung did the same by bringing limited Galaxy S25 series camera functions to the Galaxy S23 & Galaxy S24 series. If these tools come to older devices, then it will give them an enhanced camera experience without upgrading.
New Camera features for Galaxy S26
Some notable features include support for 200-megapixel HDR, AI ISP for better selfies, Motion Photo, Document Scanning, a redesigned Mode Layout, APV codec, 8K mirroring, enhanced Nightography Video, Super Steady Horizontal Lock, and more.
Availability for Older Models
It is still unclear which features will arrive on previous smartphones, as most of them are currently available only on the S26 Ultra. Even if some functions come to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, S25 Ultra, and Fold 7, there is no guarantee they will be available on the regular and Plus models.
Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera Exclusive Features
This year, Samsung has reserved most of the exclusive camera tools for its Ultra-only variant. These include 200-megapixel HDR, the APV codec, Nightography video enhancements, Cinematic Portrait video, and 8K mirroring. All of these are currently available only for new devices, so we will need to wait for the official announcement regarding older devices.
One UI 8.5 stable version is expected to roll out starting in March, though Samsung has not officially confirmed the exact schedule.
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