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| Samsung is finally expected to give the Galaxy S26 family a useful camera feature from Apple's current iPhones. |
For years, the smartphone camera race has been defined by a simple, escalating number: megapixels. While Android manufacturers have raced to 108MP, 200MP, and beyond, Apple has quietly marched to its own beat. In 2023, with the iPhone 15, Apple made a decisive move: it shifted its standard photo resolution from 12MP to 24MP. This wasn't just about more pixels; it was a smarter balance—offering significantly more detail and dynamic range without the massive storage burden or processing lag of full-sensor shots. Yet, in a curious standoff, no major Android brand has followed suit... until now.
A new leak suggests the stalemate may be ending, and from a familiar player in the high-megapixel game: Samsung.
The Apple Benchmark: Why 24MP Hit a Sweet Spot
When Apple introduced the 24MP default, it highlighted a key industry insight. Doubling the resolution from the long-standing 12MP standard provides a tangible leap in clarity and cropping flexibility. Crucially, Apple's computational photography stack is built to handle this resolution efficiently. The result? Photos that are richer in detail without the frustrating shutter lag or the daunting file sizes of a native 200MP capture, which can eat through storage and cloud backups.
The question has lingered for over a year: why aren't Android makers, with their technically capable high-resolution sensors, offering this sensible middle ground?
Android's 24MP Hesitation and Oppo's Middle Ground
The Android landscape has been fragmented. Some brands, like Oppo with its Find X9 Pro, implemented an automatic mode that switches between 50MP and 200MP bins. Samsung itself has possessed the capability—its flagship Galaxy S series phones have offered a 24MP option, but only within the separate Expert RAW app, a tool favored by enthusiasts but overlooked by the average user snapping a quick photo.
This has created a disconnect. The mainstream camera app remained anchored at 12MP, while the powerful sensors sat underutilized for everyday shots.
The Leak: Galaxy S26 Ultra to Integrate 24MP into Main Camera App
According to a new report from the reliable tipster Ice Universe, Samsung is poised to bridge this gap with its upcoming Galaxy S26 series. The leak, based on hands-on testing with an S26 Ultra prototype, indicates that a 24MP shooting mode will be integrated directly into the regular camera app for the first time.
However, there's a catch. Unlike Apple's seamless implementation, this 24MP mode won't be the new default. Instead, users will reportedly need to unlock the feature within Samsung's Camera Assistant app—a hub for advanced camera settings—before it appears as an additional option alongside the standard 12MP mode.
Embedded Source: The leaker shared insights from his testing on social media. You can see Ice Universe's initial report on the Galaxy S26 Ultra's camera behavior here.
EXCLUSIVE:
— Ice Universe (@UniverseIce) January 10, 2026
Let me share what I know about the 24MP mode in the default camera of the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra.
First, here’s an important detail: this brand-new 24MP mode does NOT appear directly in the default camera interface. To enable it, you need to open Camera Assistant,… pic.twitter.com/AcJ0zrVSC5
Potential and Limitations: A Step Forward, But Not a Leap
The leak reveals both promise and current limitations. On the positive side, Ice Universe states the 24MP mode delivers "significantly better" quality than the standard 12MP shots. It also appears to improve upon the existing 24MP mode in Expert RAW, reportedly avoiding common issues like excessive oversharpening and color fringing. The mode is said to be available for both standard and portrait photography, suggesting broad utility.
The potential downside? A reported processing delay of about 3 seconds after hitting the shutter button on current test models. This lag, if it persists to final software, could be a dealbreaker for spontaneous shooting, though it may be reduced with further optimization.
Perhaps the most controversial aspect is availability. The leaker suggests this 24MP mode will be exclusively reserved for the Galaxy S26 generation. This is a familiar tactic in the industry—Apple similarly did not backport the 24MP default to the iPhone 14 Pro. It serves as a "next-gen" incentive, even though the underlying sensor hardware in older models is often fully capable.
What This Means for Smartphone Photography
If the leak holds true, Samsung's move is a significant, if cautious, validation of Apple's 24MP approach. It signals a potential industry pivot away from the "more megapixels is always better" marketing message and towards a more nuanced focus on usable, high-quality output.
For consumers, the hope is that this sparks a trend. A readily available 24MP option strikes an excellent balance for most photographers, offering a meaningful upgrade from 12MP without the drawbacks of ultra-high-resolution modes. The challenge for Samsung will be to streamline the experience—making the feature easily accessible and minimizing any processing lag—to convince users it should become their new default.
The megapixel war isn't over, but the next battle might not be about who has the most pixels, but who uses them most wisely.