What you need to know
- A sample image supposedly taken with the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200MP camera has appeared in a new leak.
- The photo apparently represents a 12 times magnification of the actual scene.
- Based on the camera sample, the phone's main sensor will have an impressive zoom quality with no intrusive digital artifacts.
The upcoming Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is shaping up to be a camera powerhouse thanks to the potential inclusion of a 200MP camera, and a leaked camera sample comparison late last year gave us an idea of how it would translate into an actual photo. A new leak from the same source has surfaced, offering more details about the camera's zoom performance, but not in the way you might expect.
According to Ice Universe, the top-tier model in Samsung's upcoming Galaxy S23 series will be capable of shooting zoomed photos with a more natural look (via Android Authority). The leaker shared via Twitter what appears to be a cropped image, supposedly taken with the 200MP camera of the S23 Ultra. It is said to represent a 12-times magnification of the main camera equipped with Samsung’s ISOCELL HP2 sensor.
What kind of photo do you think this is?5x zoom? 10x zoom? No, it's a Galaxy S23 Ultra 200MP HP2 photo enlarged by 12x! Use one word to describe your feelings! pic.twitter.com/m5rS0kZrQGJanuary 19, 2023
The camera sample speaks volumes about its impressive image quality despite zooming in. Ice Universe notes that the S23 Ultra's shot exhibits minimal sharpening, resulting in a "delicate and natural" look with few digital artifacts.
Typically, cropping photos tends to produce a hideous amount of pixelation and a heavily processed image, unless you use a telephoto lens to magnify your shot. This leads us to the question: What's the sense of even including a 3x telephoto shooter in the phone's camera module, as the rumors say?
The source claims that shooting an image using the new 200MP Samsung sensor is worlds apart from the ISOCELL HP1, HP3, HM1, and HM3. And it sounds plausible, if the supposed sample shot is anything to go by.
That said, it's hard to say with certainty until Samsung finally ships the device to consumers. Only when that happens will we be able to tell whether the S23 Ultra deserves the top spot on our list of the best Android camera phones.
