Back in 2021, tipster Ice Universe (@UniverseIce, via TechRadar) said that new features added to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra would improve on the night photography offered by the phone. Fast forward to today, the first day of 2023, and once again the reliable Twitter tipster has something to say about night photography and the upcoming top-of-the-line Galaxy S Ultra device, this time the Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Reliable tipster says that Night Mode on the Galaxy S23 Ultra is like having night vision
The Iceman wrote, “I need to emphasize again that the S23 Ultra’s night camera is really “night vision.” While we don’t know for certain what the camera array will include on the Galaxy S23 Ultra, Chinese regulator TENAA popped the rumor bubble calling for a 200MP camera on the back of the handset. The primary camera on the back of this year’s Galaxy S Ultra model will be 108MP according to TENAA, compared to the 108MP primary camera on last year’s Galaxy S22 Ultra.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be able to take great shots in the dark without flash according to a reliable tipster
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will also feature a pair of 12MP cameras and a 2MP sensor. A 12MP image sensor will also be used for the front-facing camera. It isn’t clear where the improvement to night photography will come from. We’ve already passed along one rumor about the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s photography system which says that the device will record 8K video at 30 frames per second (FPS). That compares to the 24 frames per second that the Galaxy S22 series records video at. This should lead to smoother videos from the phone.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, like the two other phones in the series, will reportedly be introduced at the next Samsung Unpacked event on February 1st. That could lead to a release date of February 10th or February 17th.
The Galaxy S23 Ultra will be powered by an overclocked Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 SoC. Unlike the regular variant of the component, which is manufactured by TSMC, the overclocked chip is produced by Samsung Foundry and features a high-performance X-3 core running at a clock speed of 3.32GHz. That compares to the 3.20GHz clock speed that the X-3 core on the TSMC version of the chip runs at.
Samsung is improving “Nightography”
According to TENAA, the Galaxy S23 Ultra will feature a 6.8-inch AMOLED display with a resolution of 1440 x 3088. The basic configuration of the phone will carry 8GB of RAM with 128GB and 256GB of storage. The unit with 512GB of storage will come with 12GB of RAM.
Samsung says that its current Night Mode feature “…enables you to take vivid, highly optimized photos, even in the dark. Meaning you can avoid taking washed-out, blurry night images. Pictures look sharp due to the innovative AI multi-frame processing which combines 30 images into just one epic shot, optimizing color and detail in every pixel. It’s all part of what the company calls Nightography.
So how does someone with a compatible Galaxy device use Nightography? According to the manufacturer, “Samsung’s Night camera mode takes the hassle out of capturing epic Nightography. All you need to do is swipe to Night mode on your Galaxy smartphone and get snapping. Plus, there’s no need to edit your images because this camera mode does the hard work for you. Ready to take your nightography to the next level? Check out our tips below for creating insta-worthy low light shots and remember to #withgalaxy to share your awesome images on socials.”
If Ice Universe is correct, the Galaxy S23 Ultra is going to take night photography to a new level which Samsung no doubt will promote the hell out of. Being able to take viable pictures in low-light environments has been a goal of phone manufacturers going back to the days of Windows Phone.
