Galaxy S26 Ultra brings improved nightography camera

While Samsung has not introduced major hardware upgrades to the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s cameras compared to its predecessor, the new flagship smartphone still manages to capture better images and videos.

A combination of hardware and software enhancements delivers an improved Nightography experience. So, what is Nightography, and how has Samsung refined it further with the Galaxy S26 Ultra? Let’s take a closer look.

Nightography is a term Samsung introduced in 2022 to promote Galaxy phones’ ability to capture relatively superior images and videos in low-light conditions. The company has improved this feature each year through hardware and/or software upgrades, and that trend continues with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.

The phone features a wider aperture for both its 200MP primary camera and 50MP telephoto camera. The primary camera now has an F1.4 aperture, compared to F1.7 on the Galaxy S25 Ultra, allowing it to capture 47% more light.

The 50MP telephoto camera uses an F2.9 aperture, wider than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s F3.4 aperture, enabling it to capture 37% more light. Increased light intake helps produce brighter images and videos with lower noise levels.

In addition, the AI-enhanced image signal processor inside the phone's Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset can better analyze scenes in images and videos. It processes individual elements, such as people and their faces, backgrounds, and other objects, separately to optimize colors and textures while reducing noise. The result is brighter, cleaner, and sharper images and videos with improved dynamic range.

A combination of more light intake and more powerful image processing allows the Galaxy S26 Ultra to capture better-looking memories in low-light conditions, especially compared to its predecessor.