- Galaxy S26 series comes with a new 24MP photo mode, but it’s hidden by default.
- The 24MP mode is a balance between 12MP’s fast processing and 50MP’s high quality.
- To activate the feature, you need to download Samsung’s Camera Assistant app.
Despite bragging about high megapixel count on their phone cameras, manufacturers almost always set the default shooting mode to a much lower resolution. This is done by “binning” or combining pixels into super-pixels, which allows for sharper and better-lit images. Phones can also process smaller images faster, reducing the chance of the photo being blurred when it’s taken without a tripod. The Galaxy S25 Ultra’s 200MP and 50MP cameras, for instance, actually shoot 12MP images by default, though you can switch them to 50MP or 200MP with a selection menu in the Camera app. The same also applies to the newly launched Galaxy S26, but Samsung is opening up another option between 12MP and 50MP for those who want both high resolution and faster processing.
Along with the standard 12MP and 50MP modes, the Galaxy S26 is also getting the option to take pictures at 24MP. In a recent post detailing Galaxy S26’s new features, a Samsung Community moderator explains that the 24MP mode offers 50MP-like details, thanks to an “AI Fusion” technique. This is combined with 12MP’s multi-frame processing, where multiple images at different exposure levels are stacked together to create a single, detailed, and well-illuminated image. The 24MP shooting mode is available for all Galaxy S26 phones, but there’s a caveat if you want to use it.