The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is hailed as the best camera phone for several reasons. It has a 10MP telephoto 10x optical zoom camera, which is a step above other phones.

However, there are rumors that the successor to the S23 Ultra, next year's Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra, will instead downgrade to a 5x telephoto zoom. I think that is a big mistake.

Samsung has stuck with 10x optical zoom cameras since the Galaxy S21 Ultra, and that has proven to be a serious advantage for the series. recent flagships like the iPhone 15 Pro Max and Pixel 8 Pro each have 5x optical zoom cameras modestly, but even so, Samsung inevitably has the advantage in the numbers game.

Samsung's continuing claim to telephoto camera fame is its ability to achieve up to 100x zoom, and new rumors claim that it will keep the mainstay feature in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, despite rumored downgrades in optical zoom capability. As for why Samsung would downgrade to a 5x optical zoom camera, that's pretty lame in my opinion. Having used the Galaxy S23 Ultra in professional work, there are several practical situations where I have used its 10x telephoto camera with excellent results.

The first reason Samsung allegedly made this change is actually related to Apple's choice in the iPhone 15 Pro Max. John McCormack, Apple's vice president of camera and software engineering, explained that the company's flagship was limited to 5x optical zoom because it was difficult to try to stabilize a 10x optical zoom camera.

While he understands how difficult it can be to try to capture something far away, he feels that under ideal conditions, such as when it is sunny outside, it is easier to take pictures with the Galaxy S23 Ultra. That's because the camera shoots at a much faster shutter speed than it would in dimmer conditions, reducing the chance of the photo being blurry due to unsteady hands.

However, with a 100x zoom, the story is quite different. The slightest movement will cause the framing to move so much that it will undoubtedly be more difficult to keep the frame still, but I would not want to remember my precious memories with a 100x zoom. Rather, I would probably use it to see details that I cannot see with my own eyes without physically getting closer to the object I am trying to see, as I am doing now.

I am referring to trying to check out the draft beer at the bar from your seat in a restaurant, or the micro-sized print of food descriptions scattered across a small screen while in line at a fast food restaurant.

Also, tripods are being built to hold cell phones in place for those times when you want to take a clear picture with a 100x zoom.

Ask any enthusiast who works with professional camera equipment, and they will tell you that there is no better way to get sharp pictures of distant subjects than with an optical lens. No amount of software magic or post-processing can match the clarity that can be achieved with true optical zoom.

Rumors suggest that the Galaxy S24 Ultra will maintain its 100x zoom capability with a 48MP 5x telephoto camera, which is a default disadvantage against the Galaxy S23 Ultra's current 10MP 10x telephoto camera. Certainly, Samsung could utilize pixel binning technology, such as that used by Apple in the iPhone 15 Pro Max, to achieve 100x zoom. However, I am skeptical that a 0.8-μm sized pixel would be sufficient to capture as much detail as the 1.12-μm sized pixel in the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x telephoto camera.

Finally, Samsung's Galaxy Ultra line has been marketed with top-of-the-line hardware specs. Apple has certainly filled this gap a bit by upgrading to a 5x telephoto camera, but in my many recent camera confrontations, the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 10x telephoto camera remains the best camera phone for capturing distant objects.

The average consumer may actually be confused by the 5x telephoto camera, especially when the 10x telephoto camera looks more attractive on paper. Samsung will not be able to sell a flagship with twice the zoom capability of its main rivals; there is still some time before we see the Galaxy S24 Ultra in the flesh, so we trust that this rumor will not come true.