The new Samsung Galaxy S24 packs in the video features

While a lot of the coverage about the latest Samsung Galaxy S24 has majored on its new AI features, let’s not forget there’s a powerful new camera system in there too.

New phone launches used to be all about the hardware. But as even a glance at the launch coverage of the Samsung Galaxy S24 will tell you, that’s taking a backseat now as AI muscles up to the front. This looks to be the start of a new era where the focus is firmly on the AI-powered features of new phones and how they can assist you in your daily life rather than the nuts and bolts of old fashioned things such as the memory and the processors.

Some of this, driven by the new Galaxy AI in the Galaxy S24 is undeniably cool, especially the on-device translation, and it most definitely throws the ball back into Apple’s court for the launch of the iPhone 16 later in the year. But let’s settle our attention on the imaging capabilities because there’s some really interesting stuff going on here.

You get five cameras on the Ultra, four on the other two models, and a 50-megapixel 5x  camera replaces last year’s S23 Ultra’s 10-megapixel 10x zoom. Here are the various configurations; first for the Galaxy S24 Ultra:

And below for the mainstream S24 and 24+:

Samsung says that the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s Quad Tele System, with new 5x optical zoom lens, works with the 50MP sensor to enable optical-quality performance at zoom levels from 2x, 3x, 5x to 10x magnification thanks to an Adaptive Pixel Sensor. It also claims that images also show crystal clear results at 100x with enhanced digital zoom, but as usual, that’s probably worth taking with a large pinch of salt.

Obviously, AI is being used a lot here too. The Galaxy S24 series’s ProVisual Engine is billed as a comprehensive suite of AI-powered tools that cover everything from setting up a shot all the way to sharing it on social. They certainly play a hand in the device’s upgraded Nightography capabilities, as does the Galaxy S24 Ultra’s larger pixel size, which is now 1.4 μm and 60% bigger compared to the previous model.

Nightography in action

Blur is reduced on Galaxy S24 Ultra with wider optical image stabilizer (OIS) angles and enhanced hand-shake compensation. When recording videos, both front and rear cameras are equipped with Dedicated ISP Block for noise reduction, and Samsung says that the Galaxy S24 analyzes gyro information to distinguish between the filmer’s movement and the subject’s. This allows more effective noise removal and clear videos in the dark, even from far away.

Galaxy S24 editing tools and more

Galaxy AI-based editing tools enable simple edits like erase, re-compose, and remaster, while Edit Suggestion uses Galaxy AI to suggest perfectly suitable tweaks for each photo. You’d almost be surprised not to see these sorts of things nowadays.

Generative Edit is interesting, though, and potentially takes a desktop software role and puts it on-device. When a picture is crooked, AI will fill in the borders. When an object needs to be slightly moved to be in the perfect position, AI lets users adjust the position of the subject and generates a perfectly blended background in its original spot. And if a video needs to be slowed down, the new Instant Slow-mo can generate additional frames based on movements to smoothly slow the video down.

Anytime Galaxy S24 deploys generative AI to amplify an image, a watermark will appear on the image and in metadata. Which is interesting.

There’s a new feature called Super HDR that reveals what the company says are realistic previews before the shutter is ever pressed, there’s an astrophotography long-exposure mode, and the Digital ND filter, previously supported as a beta in S23, is now officially provided and comes with an additional Auto mode.

There’s also a lens switching function during 4K 60fps recording, offering 5x zoom at 8K 30fps for a versatile video shooting experience. And there’s support for UHD 120fps for Pro Video (exclusive to the S24 Ultra).

Finally, Camera Assistant provides a DOF adapter correction function in Pro/Pro video mode when an external lens is attached. There's also support for anamorphic lens correction in pro video mode for a wider angle of view and some unique flare effects, and an audio monitoring function for real-time audio input monitoring. 

Galaxy S24 pricing and availability

Hefty features and a hefty price to match too. The Galaxy S24 starts at $799, the Galaxy S24+ at $999, while the Galaxy S4 Ultra has added $100 over last year’s model and will now set you back a minimum of $1299, peaking at $1659 for the 1TB model. But the company also says it will be supporting the OS and security updates for a 7-year minimum, so if you want to invest in something that will last you into the 2030s, you can. Chance of it looking like a child’s toy compared to what devices will be capable of then are fairly high too, however…

Pre-orders are open now and shipping will start January 31.