The Samsung Galaxy S21 series was announced recently. The new Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, and Galaxy S21 Ultra trio bring an all-new design to the table. These smartphones have a flagship processor, improved cameras, and battery capacities likely to last a day. But let’s focus on the camera improvements. The Samsung Galaxy S21 cameras have received a slew of new features. Here’s a deep dive into what’s new.
Samsung Galaxy S21 cameras: Specifications
| Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21 | Galaxy S21 Ultra |
| 12MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, OIS, Dual Pixel AF | 12MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 1/1.76″, 1.8µm, OIS, Dual Pixel AF | 108 MP, wide-angle lens, f/1.8, 79°, 24mm, 1/1.33″, 0.8µm (pre-nona-binning), OIS, PDAF, Laser AF |
| 12MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120° FoV, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Fixed Focus | 12MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120° FoV, 1/2.55″, 1.4µm, Fixed Focus | 12 MP, ultra-wide-angle lens, f/2.2, 120° FoV, 13mm, 1/2.55″, 1.4 µm, Dual Pixel AF |
| 64MP, telephoto lens, f/2.0, 1/1.76″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS | 64MP, telephoto lens, f/2.0, 1/1.76″, 0.8µm, PDAF, OIS | 10 MP, telephoto lens, f/2.4, 35°, 72mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 3x optical zoom, Dual Pixel AF |
| 10 MP, telephoto lens, f/4.9, 10°, 240mm, 1/3.24″, 1.22µm, OIS, 10x optical zoom, Dual Pixel AF | ||
| Front: 10MP, f/2.2, 1.22µm, 80° FoV, Dual Pixel AF | Front: 10MP, f/2.2, 1.22µm, 80° FoV, Dual Pixel AF | Front: 40MP, f/2.2, 0.7µm, 80° FoV, PDAF |
Enhanced Portrait Mode
Since the Portrait Mode feature was introduced on smartphones, it has been receiving refinements yearly. This year, Samsung is using AI to emulate a professional camera. It uses AI for three-dimensional depth, which senses to achieve a more natural-looking background blur. Further, the Samsung Galaxy S21 smartphones receive several face-lighting effects in portrait mode, similar to the iPhone’s stage lighting effects.
New 108MP sensor
With the Galaxy S21 Ultra, Samsung has announced its latest ISOCELL HM3 sensor. It is 1/1.33″ in size with pixels measuring 0.8μm. The numbers are similar to their predecessors. The sensor captures 12MP images by default as it uses 9-in-1 pixel binning. The company has improved color and exposure perception in the new Galaxy S21 Ultra camera. It allows you to capture 12-bit colors and widens the range for HDR photography with Smart ISO Pro.
Better 100X Space Zoom
Samsung introduced 100X Space Zoom with its Galaxy S20 series last year. However, it removed the feature from its Note flagship later in the year. The part is now being reintroduced with refinements. The Galaxy S21 Ultra sports a more advanced 10x periscope camera. It can shoot better long-range images making it one of the best telephoto cameras on the market. Moreover, with the Ultra model, Samsung uses two telephoto cameras to set your shoot based on the zoom or focal range level.
Single Take 2.0
Samsung introduced its Single Take feature last year. It allowed users to record a short video clip of up to 10 seconds instead of just one photo and pick what they like. It captured a mini-video, a black-and-white image, and multiple other captures in a Single Take. With the Galaxy S21 cameras, Samsung is improving the already-existing feature. Single Take 2.0 can capture more frames each second. It can directly record the section as a slow-motion video clip.
12-bit RAW photography
Samsung allows users to capture photos with HDR and RAW shots in 12-bit with the Galaxy S21 Ultra. As for the numbers, the images capture 68 million colors, which is 64 times the colors in a 10-bit image; this, in turn, allows a more pleasing transition between one color to another on a photograph by eliminating color noise to a great degree.
Zoom Lock
The long focal range generally hampers users’ ability to pan and focus. To counter this, the Galaxy S21 Ultra cameras come with AI-backed stabilization to improve OIS, called Zoom Lock. As per the official claims, Zoom Lock provides “tripod-like stabilization.” the feature uses AI to slightly delay while moving the smartphone to ensure the panning is smooth and non-jittery.
4K at 60FPS – both front and back
Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra can record hyper-smooth 60fps videos at 4K resolution on all the cameras, including front and back. It enhances the video recording capabilities of a mobile phone.
No cut-off timer for videos
At its Galaxy Unpacked event, Samsung announced it would no longer limit its videos. The company has revoked the automatic cut-off timer on the Galaxy S21 cameras, so you can keep recording videos as long as you desire.
Director’s View
Director’s View ups video capabilities on the Galaxy S21 Ultra cameras. The feature lets users record a video using multiple cameras and from different viewpoints. You can use any of the cameras while also having the liberty to switch between them mid-roll without stopping or pausing the video.
Multi-mic recording
Samsung introduced the Video Pro mode late last year with the launch of its Note flagship. It allowed users to switch among different microphone modes while recording a video. With the Galaxy S21 series, Samsung improves the feature by letting the phone owners use multiple microphones simultaneously. It will allow you to record audio with the microphones on the smartphone and the Buds Pro simultaneously.
Vlogger View
Vlogging is the talk of the town, and Samsung knows it. The Vlogger View allows users to use the front camera alongside the rear camera. It will enable bloggers to capture their reactions while recording something from the rear camera.
Conclusion
Samsung Galaxy S21 series sports one of the best cameras in the segment. And the Ultra variant is taking zoom capabilities to the next level. If you are considering buying one, you might want to check out the best Galaxy S21 Ultra cases for your new smartphone to protect that beautiful camera layout and gorgeous design.
