Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra carries a camera system richer than its default app reveals, and BGR's guide to it shows that much of its strength sits behind free downloads and small hidden menus. The phone's most useful tools, from resolution modes to lighting for portraits and horizon stabilization for video, ask the owner to step outside the ordinary camera and learn a few new habits. Such features reward patience, and the guide's own counsel is that most everyday pictures need none of them. Whether these promises hold up beyond the manufacturer's own showcase remains a question for independent
Five Galaxy S26 Ultra Camera Tricks Power Users Rely On, From Virtual Reflector to Log Video
The best features aren't in the Camera app at all.
Mark
Why does this guide matter if most people just point and shoot?
Mimi
Because the best features aren't where you'd look. Virtual Reflector, 24-megapixel mode and the restored Night mode all depend on two free apps, Camera Assistant and Expert RAW.
Mark
So the phone is more capable than it first appears?
Mimi
Yes, but you have to go find it. Even Virtual Reflector isn't in Portrait mode. It's under the Labs icon in Expert RAW.
Luke
Let me slow us down. The guide says the f/1.4 lens gathers 47 percent more light than the S25 Ultra's. That's a spec comparison, not a test result.
Mimi
Fair. The 37 percent figure for the 5x telephoto is the same kind of claim. It says night zoom should look better, not that it does.
Mark
Is there any outside testing in the piece?
Luke
Some. Tom's Guide found Night mode and automatic shooting virtually identical, and said Astrophotography beat Night mode. Dday.it supplied the HEIF storage comparison. The rest is the guide's own advice.
Mimi
And the trade-offs are real. APV at 4K and 60 fps is about 12 GB a minute, and 200-megapixel files run 25 to 40 MB.
Mark
What's still unclear?
Luke
How well Virtual Reflector works on real, moving subjects. The guide itself says kids may not cooperate, and it offers no results beyond a YouTuber's demo.
Mimi
Horizontal Lock looks the most convincing. The 360-degree demos show almost no trace of the rotation, though those are online demos, not controlled tests.
Le Pouls
- A simple resolution menu hides a choice between 12, 24, 50 and 200 megapixels, and each one trades image detail against storage space.
- Several of the phone's most powerful features stay locked until owners install two free Samsung apps, Camera Assistant and Expert RAW.
- Virtual Reflector promises better faces against bright backgrounds, but it demands fiddling with settings that a restless child will not tolerate.
- Night mode has been folded into Photo mode, and a tester found its results nearly identical to automatic shooting, raising doubts about the change.
- Horizontal Lock steadies video even when the phone spins, yet the claims rest mostly on demos, leaving real-world performance still to be proven.
Samsung's Galaxy S26 Ultra carries a camera system richer than its default app reveals, and BGR's guide to it shows that much of its strength sits behind free downloads and small hidden menus. The phone's most useful tools, from resolution modes to lighting for portraits and horizon stabilization for video, ask the owner to step outside the ordinary camera and learn a few new habits. Such features reward patience, and the guide's own counsel is that most everyday pictures need none of them. Whether these promises hold up beyond the manufacturer's own showcase remains a question for independent testing to answer.
On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the number at the top of the viewfinder is where the story begins. The default photo mode shoots at 12 megapixels, but a tap reveals 50 and 200 megapixel options. BGR's guide to the phone treats that small menu as a doorway, because many of the most useful tools on Samsung's flagship are not in the stock Camera app at all. The phone's four rear lenses are capable, but unlocking their fuller abilities requires downloading two free apps from the Galaxy Store: Camera Assistant, which adds settings to the main camera, and Expert RAW, a separate tool for photographers who edit afterward.
The guide's advice on resolution is practical. A 200-megapixel photo can swallow 25 to 40 MB, compared with 3 to 5 MB at 12 megapixels. For most pictures it recommends a 24-megapixel mode, and it notes that choosing the HEIF format over JPEG keeps files manageable. Portraits bring a different tradeoff. Virtual Reflector can light a face against a bright background, but it lives in Expert RAW rather than Portrait mode, and it asks for patience that small children rarely have. The guide suggests rehearsing with a willing friend first.
Night shooting has been reshaped. Night mode now sits inside Photo mode, and it can be restored as a standalone option through Camera Assistant. The guide cautions that one outlet found little difference between automatic shooting and Night mode, while Expert RAW's Astrophotography mode performed better for stars and still scenes.
Video receives the most attention. Super Steady now includes Horizontal Lock, which keeps the horizon level even when the phone turns through a full circle, so the user can stop worrying about movement at a concert or while chasing a dog. For serious filmmakers, Log recording and cinematic looks are available, along with a demanding APV codec that the guide suggests most people will skip.
Some of these features are already reaching older Galaxy models, which suggests they are more than a one-time launch gimmick. Still, the guide reminds readers that most people will be satisfied with quick everyday snapshots. Anyone weighing the phone should look for independent testing beyond Samsung's own promotion before deciding how much these tricks really matter.
On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, the default photo mode shoots at 12 megapixels, and the number sits at the top of the viewfinder. Tap it and you can switch to 50 or 200 megapixels. That small menu is where BGR's guide to the phone's camera begins, and it leads to a larger point: several of the most useful tools on Samsung's flagship are not built into the stock Camera app at all.
The Ultra has four rear lenses: a 200-megapixel wide, a 50-megapixel ultrawide, a 50-megapixel telephoto and a 10-megapixel telephoto. Unlocking the more advanced features means downloading two free apps from the Galaxy Store. Camera Assistant adds a menu inside the main Camera app's settings. Expert RAW is a separate camera app, aimed at photographers who edit RAW files afterward.
Resolution is the first example. A 200-megapixel photo takes roughly 25 to 40 MB, against 3 to 5 MB for a 12-megapixel image. With 256 GB to 1 TB of storage, it is tempting to shoot everything at full size, but the guide suggests saving it for good light and still subjects, or for shots you plan to crop heavily. For most pictures it points to a 24-megapixel mode, which appears after you install Camera Assistant and turn on the 24 MP in Photo Mode toggle under the 24 MP Resolution menu. Samsung's own settings warn that resolution can still drop depending on zoom and other settings. Choosing HEIF over JPEG in the Photo Format menu helps with space: according to Dday.it, a 24-megapixel HEIF file takes about as much room as a 12-megapixel JPEG.
Portraits are the second. The wide camera's f/1.4 aperture lets in 47 percent more light than the S25 Ultra's 200-megapixel camera, but that does not guarantee a well-lit face when the background is bright. For that, Samsung offers Virtual Reflector, which is not in the Camera app's Portrait mode. You open Expert RAW, tap the flask (Labs) icon at the lower right and select it. You can pick Silver for neutral light or Gold for warmer light, then set the intensity and direction. The guide notes that it is a poor fit for children who will not wait while you fiddle, and suggests practicing on a willing subject first. YouTuber Steven Divish has posted a demonstration with samples.
Night shooting gets its own section. The 5x telephoto gathers 37 percent more light than the S25 Ultra's, which should help with zoomed shots at concerts or in cities after dark. Since One UI 8.5, Night mode lives inside Photo mode, signaled by a moon icon, with Auto and Max settings, or Off. To bring back a standalone Night mode, go to Camera Assistant, then Additional Modes, then Night, and find it under More in the Camera app. The guide adds a caveat: Tom's Guide found virtually identical results between automatic shooting and Night mode. Expert RAW's Astrophotography mode, which suits stars and other static scenes and may need a tripod, did better in the same outlet's testing.
Video is where the guide spends the most time. Super Steady, which Samsung introduced with the Galaxy S10 series, now includes Horizontal Lock, which keeps the horizon level however the phone moves. Demos show people rotating the phone a full 360 degrees with almost no trace in the footage. The point is not to spin the phone but to stop worrying if you do, whether dancing at a concert or chasing a child or dog. It is enabled in Video mode by tapping the Super Steady icon. A related feature, My FanCam, arrives with Android 17 (One UI 9). It lets Galaxy AI keep a chosen child, artist or athlete centered, but the edit happens in the Gallery app after recording.
For serious video work, the phone supports Log recording with cinematic LUTs and a new APV codec. APV is under Camera, Settings, Video format, and costs about 12 GB per minute at 4K and 60 fps in APV HQ, so most people will skip it. Log is the more accessible option: enable Log and Pro Video under Video format, and you can preview a LUT while recording. The Gallery app offers more looks: Standard, Blockbuster, Coming-of-age, Romance and Thriller. Pro Video, with manual focus, exposure and zoom, works independently of Log and APV.
Some of this reaches older phones. Horizontal Lock is already on the Galaxy S25 lineup after the One UI 9 update, and Virtual Reflector was tested on the S25 Ultra in April 2026 through an Expert RAW update. The guide stresses that most people will take quick everyday shots and do not need all of this. As a next step, readers weighing the phone should look for independent testing of these features beyond Samsung's own promotion.
Citations marquantes
Night mode and automatic shooting produced virtually identical results in night scenes.— Tom's Guide, as cited by BGR
Envie de l'histoire complète ?
Lire l'original sur BGR ↗