If you thought the 100x space zoom on the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra was great, the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra will blow your mind. In fact, it has the "best" zoom of any camera phone to date.

This is according to leaker IceUniverse (via SamMobile), who is usually pretty knowledgeable about all things Samsung. The Samsung Galaxy S22 series isn't likely to arrive until early next year, but by then it will have to compete head-to-head with the iPhone 13 and Apple's camera upgrades.

While we don't know if the zoom level will increase, the Galaxy S22 will apparently offer significantly better zoom images, and according to Ice Universe, this is thanks to a collaboration between Samsung's Electromechanics and Semiconductor departments. The goal is to provide a new continuous zoom system.

Apparently, this new zoom system will utilize a periscope lens unit that can move freely and continuously between 3x and 10x optical zoom.

By comparison, the Galaxy S21 Ultra has a fixed periscope lens and must rely on digital tricks to make it appear physically zoomed. And that inevitably leads to low-quality zoomed images. Similarly, most other cell phones with periscope lenses employ a similar system.

So it's unclear how much additional quality can be gained from the S22 Ultra's new free-moving lens, but it may be enough to boost Samsung in the camera department, as Android rivals like the OnePlus 9 Pro have really stepped up their game.

This is not the first major upgrade to the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. Rumors suggest that the phone could feature a 200MP main lens, and Samsung has gone so far as to tease the prospect on social media. According to another leak, Samsung is partnering with Olympus on the Galaxy S22.

While resolution does not automatically translate to quality, it does suggest that Samsung has grand plans for the photography capabilities of the Samsung Galaxy S22 Ultra. As such, we will no doubt be hearing more in the coming months.