Final 12 months, Samsung launched a 200MP sensor that did not fairly meet expectations. It wasn’t dangerous, however it proved to be inconsistent most of the time. This 12 months, Samsung moved on to a brand new era 200MP sensor, swapped out the outdated 10MP telephoto digital camera with a 50MP one, and tweaked its picture processing for the higher.
The result’s one of the best digital camera Samsung has ever made, even when it nonetheless struggles with some age-old Samsung issues. Telephoto high quality is healthier than ever — as long as you retain it below 20x, that’s — and low-light efficiency is downright unimaginable from all obtainable cameras. Even video seize is healthier than ever, and Galaxy AI options like Immediate Sluggish-Mo really feel like pure magic.
Usually, the Galaxy S24 Extremely beats the Google Pixel 8 Professional regardless of being the earlier champion for smartphone photograph seize. Google will not be making a gift of the movement seize crown any time quickly, although, that means it is nonetheless a greater digital camera alternative for fogeys.
However, if that one specific area of interest is not one thing that bothers you, there is not any higher Android telephone digital camera within the U.S. proper now. This is why it is best to take into account upgrading to Samsung this 12 months.
Software program and Galaxy AI
Galaxy AI is likely one of the finest causes to improve to a Galaxy S24 Extremely from an older Galaxy telephone, and it opens up a collection of enjoyable new prospects for photograph and video seize. Of all the brand new options, Immediate Sluggish-Mo is, by far, my favourite one. To activate it, all you should do is long-press any video whereas viewing it within the Samsung Gallery app.
This can be utilized on a video captured by any digital camera, not simply the Galaxy S24 Extremely. All processing is completed on-device, as effectively, and this absolutely works in airplane mode. Lengthy-pressing will use Galaxy AI to robotically generate frames to create a 1/2 or 1/4-speed slow-motion video, and you’ll even save these slow-motion creations by modifying your video of alternative.
That is precisely the form of factor I need to see generative AI used for, proving how effectively the sort of know-how can work when applied effectively.
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Samsung’s object eraser is healthier than ever this time round and remains to be the one sequence of telephones that gives each shadow and reflection erasing with a single button press. Reflection eraser tones down specular highlights created from reflective glass or different comparable supplies, whereas shadow eraser brightens up darkened shadowed areas in an try to “erase” them.
Each work extremely effectively and will be very important in enhancing a photograph below the best situations.
The largest draw back to each of those modes is that they are a bit hidden. You will have to open the photograph within the Samsung Gallery app, edit it, hit the “extra” grid button, faucet object eraser, and then choose both erase shadows or erase reflections.
Samsung affords context-sensitive modifying solutions much like what you may discover in Google Pictures, however you may have to faucet the “i” icon first. It is bizarrely clunky and retains essential options hidden. I might like to see Samsung erase the additional step right here and simply put the solutions on the row of buttons on the backside.
Rounding out the instruments is Generative Edit, a brand new cloud-only modifying mode that is discovered proper in Samsung Gallery. This one makes use of Google Bard to permit object choice, resizing, rotating, and even generative body straightening.
As is the case with all comparable generative AI photograph modifying instruments, some apparent artifacts come from AI era of real-world surroundings. I would not say that most of these edits are usually very convincing, however they make for a enjoyable new method to edit images that is as easy as you’ll be able to think about.
As with Google’s Magic Editor on the Pixel 8, you’ll be able to faucet or circle to spotlight an object, then long-press to maneuver the thing across the body. You too can resize or rotate utilizing the body define across the object within the editor.
Movement
I’ve lengthy highlighted movement seize as one of many weakest factors of any Samsung smartphone digital camera, and the issue is worse than ever with the Galaxy S24 Extremely. I am unsure why Samsung struggles with this specific class a lot however the movement seize efficiency of all the cameras on this telephone — ultrawide, most important, and each telephoto cameras — is downright horrible.
The photograph above is one in every of many I took in the course of the evaluation interval and helps spotlight the issue. Every little thing within the photograph seems to be crisp and clear aside from the hen’s head. This was captured in broad daylight whereas it was sunny, so there is not any good excuse for this sort of failed movement seize.
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The quick gallery above exhibits a seize taken on the similar time from the Pixel 8 Professional and the Galaxy S24 Extremely. I held one telephone in every hand and tapped the shutter button on the similar time.
As anticipated, the Pixel 8 Professional does an admirable job of capturing my son leaping off the sofa. The Galaxy S24 Extremely, not a lot. The primary set of images (inexperienced shirt) makes use of out-of-the-box auto mode, whereas the second set (crimson shirt) makes use of Samsung’s “minimal processing” possibility. This feature is meant to assist in movement seize, however as you’ll be able to see, it does comparatively nothing to assist.
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The above is perhaps my favourite instance of how funky issues can get when any movement is launched. This photograph was taken at 13:55 on a sunny day. Once more, I am unsure why Samsung’s algorithm cannot determine that it should not be combining two HDR bracketed images that do not match up, however alas, it definitely struggled.
The second picture was of one in every of my pet rabbits getting her ears petted. I took a number of images, and all of them turned out simply as poorly concerning movement seize. Her left ear is totally blurry in each single photograph.
This specific photograph comes from the automatically-activated macro digital camera since I used to be taking the picture intently. It additionally showcases how poor the general picture high quality will be from this digital camera when the lighting is not ideally suited.
Telephoto cameras
Samsung made a controversial change this 12 months, swapping out the 10MP 10X optical digital camera with a brand new 50MP 5X optical digital camera. That 50MP sensor is 60% bodily bigger than the outdated 10MP one, although, that means its efficiency needs to be lots higher at native zoom ranges.
True to expectation, I can declare that Samsung supplies one of the best telephoto expertise of any telephone obtainable within the U.S. right now. Zooming between 2x and 10x supplies a shocking stage of element that is a large improve from the Galaxy S23 Extremely, holding true to Samsung’s claims of “optical high quality as much as 10x zoom.”
We see the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s telephoto benefit begin to peter out round 20x, and past that, the S23 Extremely usually wins. It is unlikely you may be pleased with any picture taken past 30x from both telephone, although. They typically aren’t very helpful for making a handsome image.
20x and above zoom
At 20x, you can begin to see the constraints of the decreased optical lens on the S24 Extremely. In each examples — a snowy, cloudy morning within the first shot and broad daylight within the second — the S24 Extremely sports activities much less element and a few apparent digital zoom artifacts.
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Nevertheless, the brand new sensor does a greater job with colour stability in each conditions. Within the first shot, the S23 Extremely is much too heat. It is a snowy, cloudy day. It is chilly trying, and the cooler tones of the S24 Extremely are extra correct. Likewise, the S23 Extremely’s second photograph is a bit too inexperienced.
The final shot is taken at 50x and exhibits precisely what it is best to anticipate in most conditions. The S23 Extremely’s distinction ratio and superb particulars are higher, however blacks get crushed, and the photograph does not look all that nice, anyway. It is nonetheless much better than another sequence of telephones would produce, however it’s clear that zoom distance past 30-40x is little greater than a advertising gimmick.
The Galaxy S23 Extremely’s actual power is between 20-30x, however I doubt that most individuals will usually use and even get pleasure from images taken from these zoom ranges fairly often.
With that mentioned, 100x zoom can have its makes use of at instances. Whereas scripting this, as an example, I seen an unfamiliar hen land within the treetops on a neighbor’s property. The 100x zoom from the Galaxy S24 Extremely revealed it was some form of falcon, although it is unattainable to inform what sort from this shot.
Nonetheless, that is much better than my eyes can see, although I’ve glorious distance imaginative and prescient.
10x zoom
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My first response upon seeing the 10x zoom outcomes was “WOW.” It is a substantial enchancment in each attainable space, from element to white stability and colour accuracy. Each photograph I took regarded higher on the S24 Extremely between 6-10x with out exception.
The Galaxy S23 Extremely had fairly poor zoom efficiency between 5-9.9x, which works to point out that Samsung made a superb choice when it swapped out the 10x digital camera for a 5x one.
3-5x zoom
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In low mild, the Galaxy S24 Extremely handily beats the S23 Extremely and slays the Google Pixel 8 Professional between 3-5x zoom. That is a bit shocking for a lot of causes, and it is fascinating to see Samsung make such an enchancment at 3x regardless of each Galaxy telephones sporting the identical 10MP 3x telephoto digital camera.
The one exception is the second 5x picture of the drum equipment, the place the S24 Extremely’s shot has much less element than the opposite two telephones, significantly in shadowed areas.
It is most certainly that Samsung is making a hybrid picture composed from a number of of the telephone’s cameras on the S24 Extremely, particularly within the low mild pattern of the image body. The outcome is a photograph that is considerably cleaner, clearer, and higher lit. Issues like this are one of many causes it is essential to think about a processor improve as extra than simply higher efficiency in video games.
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Nevertheless, issues get rather less apparent in the course of the day, and the outcome is perhaps all the way down to desire. The Galaxy S23 Extremely showcases extra superb element at 3x and 5x than the Galaxy S24 Extremely however it achieves this by over sharpening the picture.Â
This results in fringing and different nasty artifacts across the edges of objects on the S23 Extremely’s photograph, particularly the place excessive distinction naturally exists. Have a look at the sides of the Orchid petals to see what I imply.
Principal digital camera
As we noticed within the 3-5x daytime examples, images taken from the Galaxy S24 Extremely’s most important sensor supply much less superb element however look extra pure, as in the event that they had been taken from a DSLR fairly than a telephone sensor. I desire this look over the oversharpened, extremely digital look of the Galaxy S23 Extremely’s images.
However I can perceive how this may very well be seen as a destructive, particularly for superb element hounds. Samsung additionally appears to have toned down its HDR algorithm to make images look extra pure. Which means shadow element is “misplaced,” however the captured scene additionally seems to be extra much like how our eyes understand it.
As earlier than, I desire this look over the ridiculously sturdy HDR algorithms we have seen from corporations like Samsung prior to now, because it tones down noise in shadowed areas and makes a photograph look extra like a photograph and fewer like a pc’s approximation of a captured scene.
The instance under illustrates this fairly properly, because the timber within the S23 Extremely’s shot are unnaturally vibrant, and components of the scene are oversharpened, particularly in case you zoom in. The Pixel 8 Professional’s shot is properly lit as effectively, however it lacks the element of the S24 Extremely’s shot.
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The samples under assist showcase how Samsung nonetheless boosts saturation a bit an excessive amount of, though it will definitely be all the way down to desire. The colour of the purple flowers seems to be beautiful on each Galaxy telephones, although they don’t seem to be truly that vibrant in actual life. The Pixel 8 Professional’s photograph (third within the carousel) exhibits you the way they actually look.
It is fascinating to see the superb element drawback crop up on this shot, although, and it seems to be prefer it’s a aspect impact of the denoise algorithm. The S23 Extremely’s shot is sort of noisy throughout, however it’s additionally very detailed, pulling out all of the little flecks within the pedals. In the meantime, the S24 Extremely’s photograph is extremely clear however, once more, lacks superb element. The Pixel 8 Professional did one of the best total right here.
Likewise, the bamboo forest scene is just oversaturated on the Galaxy S24 Extremely. The S23 Extremely and Pixel 8 Professional get the colours proper, however the S23 Extremely is overexposed, whereas the Pixel 8 Professional’s shot is slightly darkish. I might give the S24 Extremely the win right here.
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Ultrawide
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The ultrawide digital camera hasn’t modified in any respect, with the Galaxy S24 Extremely sporting the identical 12MP digital camera that is on the remainder of the Galaxy S24 and S23 household telephones. The digital camera is ok sufficient, however it tends to wrestle in areas with a lot of distinction.
This greenhouse scene above, as an example, was fairly darkish on a wet day. The result’s a blown-out set of home windows on the S24 Extremely and underexposed greenery on the OnePlus 12. The Pixel 8 Professional did one of the best of the bunch however had some bizarre fringing points on the leaves across the home windows.
Portraits and selfies
For years, Samsung has maintained a number of the finest portrait mode pictures within the enterprise. For no matter cause, Samsung’s software program is extraordinarily good at figuring out objects and creating glorious, crisp definition between them and the background.
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Sadly, Samsung appears to have taken a slight step backward with the S24 Extremely’s portrait mode, which struggles to outline the topic from the background a bit greater than the Galaxy S23 Extremely.
It is nonetheless not as dangerous because the Pixel’s portrait mode — which typically does a horrible job of making a clear define of a topic — however the OnePlus 12 and even Motorola Edge Plus (2023) do a greater job of portrait mode than the Galaxy S24 Extremely.
On the intense aspect, Samsung’s enhancements to white stability and publicity administration are positively higher when in comparison with the Galaxy S23 Extremely, and it does not crush black ranges just like the Pixel generally will.
Video
Samsung has been king of video recording on Android for fairly some time now and that is not altering with the Galaxy S24 Extremely. Samsung’s newest telephone introduces a brand new 4k 120FPS seize functionality discovered solely in Professional Video mode — probably as a result of all stabilization is turned off when capturing, so you may need to use a gimbal or one thing comparable with this mode.
Total video high quality has been improved, with higher distinction, extra life like colours, and a slight enchancment to element in any respect zoom ranges.
The brand new telephoto digital camera {hardware} makes an enormous distinction in superb element when capturing movies, simply because it does with images. Presets for 3x, 5x, and 10x are extraordinarily useful for fast zoom stage changes, though Samsung hasn’t but solved the “popping” problem when the telephone switches between cameras.
Conclusion
Samsung’s telephoto digital camera modifications had me fearful going into the evaluation, however fortunately, the corporate utterly assuaged my fears and has delivered outstanding digital camera zoom element on the Galaxy S24 Extremely. There have been quite a lot of moments the place the outcomes of this evaluation shocked me, as Samsung has clearly leapfrogged Google in most respects.
Each stage of zoom in each photograph and video seize is healthier on the Galaxy 24 Extremely in comparison with the Galaxy S23 Extremely, and Samsung was even capable of iron out a number of the bizarre moments when the S23 Extremely’s digital camera would overexpose a scene. The result’s a digital camera that appears and operates higher on each stage.
As I mentioned within the intro, although, capturing objects in movement — largely youngsters and pets — remains to be fairly dangerous on the Galaxy S24 Extremely and stays one of many solely weak factors of the telephone’s digital camera system. Samsung’s efforts to scale back this by permitting customers to tweak picture processing ranges do not appear to have produced any fruit. I might nonetheless suggest a Google Pixel 8 Professional over this telephone for people who primarily take images of their squirmy youngsters or pets that simply will not maintain nonetheless.
Outdoors of that, although, that is the finest digital camera you may discover on any telephone in North America. The Vivo X100 Professional, as an example, will provide you with a greater digital camera expertise in areas the place it is formally obtainable, however you may be lacking out on Samsung’s glorious One UI expertise. Barring the supply of a scant few different telephones, although, that is going to fulfill even the pickiest of digital camera lovers.
The smartphone world has a brand new digital camera champ! The Samsung Galaxy S24 Extremely will blow your thoughts each time you employ it, significantly when zooming in.
