Android Central Labs
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Android Central Labs is a weekly column dedicated to deep dives, experiments, and a targeted look into the tech you employ. It covers telephones, tablets, and all the things in between.
Going into this overview, I used to be ready to be disenchanted. From the onset, Samsung seems to have made no main modifications to the digicam system on the Galaxy S26 Extremely. It is obtained the identical main numbers because the Galaxy S25 Extremely, which appeared regarding at first, particularly when different corporations are making a giant deal about main digicam {hardware} upgrades.
It is proof that spec sheets have gotten much less and fewer related, a place Samsung has publicly taken this yr. As I famous in my Galaxy S26 Extremely overview, this cellphone is greater than meets the attention, and that every one begins with the digicam system.
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Observe: To view high-quality pictures, increase the photograph utilizing the icon on the backside proper of the picture, then faucet “View Authentic.”
Right now’s finest Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely offers
Shock upgrades await
Over the previous few weeks, I have been carrying across the Samsung Galaxy S26 Extremely alongside the Galaxy S25 Extremely, OnePlus 15, Honor Magic 8 Professional, iPhone 17 Professional Max, and Google Pixel 10 Professional XL. I usually take two telephones with me wherever I am going to check cameras in varied conditions, which has meant I have been in a position to seize tons of of pictures with the Galaxy S26 Extremely in a short while.
One of many Galaxy S26 Extremely’s largest strengths is its consistency. Pictures are virtually all the time completely balanced, with pure colours, correct lighting, and peppered with high quality element. That 200MP major digicam is the star of the present each day and night time.
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In comparison with the competitors’s outcomes, the Honor Magic 8 Professional typically produces punchier pictures with deeper, extra vibrant colours and extra element. Some could choose this look, as Samsung telephones was once comparable. Nonetheless, Honor’s default digicam settings typically produce unrealistic representations of no matter you are attempting to {photograph}.
The Google Pixel 10 Professional XL and iPhone 17 Professional Max, however, typically match the colour accuracy and optimum publicity of the Galaxy S26 Extremely, however are inclined to lack the high quality element that Samsung’s digicam produces.
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The ultrawide digicam would not maintain up as nicely, although. It typically produces extra saturated photos and has much less dynamic vary than the competitors. The instance above offers you a good suggestion of what to anticipate.
Samsung’s portrait mode has been industry-leading for years, and the Galaxy S26 Extremely’s is best than ever in some eventualities. When taking footage of pets or folks, the Galaxy S26 Extremely’s portrait mode is the cream of the crop. This yr, Samsung appears to have additional improved movement seize, capturing cleaner footage even when pets or children will not maintain nonetheless.
What to learn subsequent
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However certainly one of my favourite methods to make use of portrait mode on trendy telephones would not work nicely on the Galaxy S26 Extremely. I typically use portrait mode to create a shallow depth of area, mimicking the look of an expert digicam. The S26 Extremely typically struggles to grasp what I need in these conditions, whereas telephones just like the Honor Magic 8 Professional and Google Pixel 10 Professional XL get it proper virtually each time.
I have been extremely happy with the consistency of the Galaxy S26 Extremely’s digicam. It may not all the time be one of the best in anybody particular space, however general, its photos are sometimes thought of one of the best median end result.
The ultrawide digicam is used together with the principle digicam to ship ultra-smooth, ultra-stable video seize. Samsung’s earlier Regular Shot system is on the market alongside a brand new Horizon Lock choice, which does precisely what it says on the tin. Within the video instance above, I rotate the cellphone facet to facet utilizing all three stability settings to showcase the effectiveness of every choice.
Horizon Lock is not essentially “higher” than the prevailing Regular Shot system. Nonetheless, it is a formidable choice that makes use of digital cropping and a number of sensors to ship probably the most secure video you may discover anyplace, even when Motorola was the primary to supply it.
House Zoom comes again to Earth
Whereas the telephoto high quality on this cellphone is great general, it would not all the time match the greatness produced by Samsung’s largest opponents. No, I am not speaking about Apple or Google, two corporations that produce comparable telephoto high quality to Samsung’s; reasonably, I am referring to competitors from Chinese language OEMs which have been pushing telephoto digicam specs just lately.
Let’s start with the nice, although. Samsung has improved zoom readability past 5x by utilizing a brand new All Lenses on Prism (ALoP) idea for the 5x telephoto zoom digicam. This reduces distortion in comparison with conventional lenses, such because the one on the Galaxy S25 Extremely.
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In terms of telephoto high quality, there’s merely no changing physics. AI can do rather a lot to boost a photograph and create particulars that ought to be there, however it nonetheless cannot change the feel and appear of a photograph taken with higher {hardware}.
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Telephones with bigger sensors or lenses that bodily zoom in additional will ship higher outcomes than the Galaxy S26 Extremely, however it may not matter a lot in the long run. The Honor Magic 8 Professional typically performs higher in zoom high quality, however Samsung’s outcomes aren’t dangerous by any means and are one of the best the corporate has produced to this point.
Not “Extremely,” however very shut
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The Galaxy S26 Extremely is not “one of the best” in any particular space, however it’s so constant in its outcomes that this does not actually matter. Samsung’s Galaxy S26 Extremely typically delivers lifelike outcomes, even when they are not the very best high quality doable from a smartphone to this point.
I anticipated barely higher efficiency from this cellphone’s telephoto sensors, on condition that it is “extremely” branded, however the efficiency from 3 of the 5 sensors is top-notch, and the 2 telephoto sensors are sometimes wonderful, and that is what actually issues on the finish of the day.
Samsung’s finest flagship but comes with a formidable new show sort and cameras which can be higher than ever. See what you’ve got been lacking with epic zoom element and a digicam that is extra constant than the competitors.
