The Galaxy S25 Ultra could bring two key camera upgrades

Robert Triggs / Android Authority

Galaxy S24 Ultra

We’ve already seen several Galaxy S25 series leaks in the last few months, even though the phones are only expected to launch in January 2025. We most recently heard rumors about the S25 Ultra camera setup, and now another tipster has dished out details.

Leaker Ice Universe claimed on Weibo that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will still feature a quad rear camera system. This comes after two other leakers asserted that Samsung could switch to a triple-camera system — a claim that was refuted by Ice Universe at the time.

In any event, the tipster says the Galaxy S25 Ultra will retain a 200MP main camera and a 50MP 5x camera. However, it looks like upgrades are coming to the ultrawide sensor and 3x camera. More specifically, Ice Universe alleges that the phone will pack a 50MP ultrawide camera and a 50MP 3x shooter.

The upgraded 3x camera would be a long-overdue move, as Samsung has stuck with a small, 10MP 3x sensor since 2021’s Galaxy S21 Ultra. A high-resolution telephoto camera would allow Samsung to use pixel-binning on this tele lens, potentially improving 3x and portrait snaps in low light. The increased megapixel count would also be helpful for hybrid zoom, improving image quality between 3x and 5x. We’ve also seen some phones use the tele lens for macro shots, so a high-resolution 3x shooter with macro support could deliver detailed close-up snaps.

Meanwhile, a 50MP ultrawide camera would also bring Samsung’s Ultra phone in line with the best camera phones. Devices like the Google Pixel 8 Pro and Xiaomi 14 series offer high-resolution ultrawide cameras too, using pixel-binning for better low-light snaps. This could also theoretically enable 8K ultrawide recording.

This latest leak might disappoint some people who were hoping for a more ambitious camera zoom upgrade, though. Two leakers claimed earlier this month that the S25 Ultra would get a 50MP variable telephoto camera, capable of shooting at ~4x or ~7x.

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