Last night, Samsung demonstrated the full features and exciting tech behind its latest Galaxy S24 range of flagship smartphones at its Samsung Unpacked event, and I couldn't be more excited to get my hands on the stunning Galaxy S24 Ultra model (I've already pre-ordered it).
As a photographer, there's a host of Galaxy S24 Ultra features that have me psyched. But top of my list is not the AI Camera Assistant, the low-light nightography zoom upgrades, the 100X Space Zoom with super-resolution technology HDR, or even the Generative Edit tools.
Nope, what's got me hooked is Samsung's partnership with Instagram. This means social media apps like Snapchat and Instagram can now utilise the device's native camera – so your Instagram stories are about to get a lot sharper.
The S24 Ultra has upgraded optical zoom (Optical Zoom 3x and 5x, Optical Quality Zoom 2x and 10x, Digital Zoom up to 100x) and a Quad Telephoto camera unit (Image credit: Samsung)
So what does this mean in practice? Well, typically your smartphone would use a camera-like viewfinder when shooting through the app, and the result is more of a low-res screenshot of what your smartphone camera is seeing, with a loss of image quality. But the new partnership means the S24 series will be the first HDR-enabled devices for sharing photos on Instagram.
The reason I'm ecstatic about this announcement is that I have struggled with the Instagram app on my current Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra for YEARS. I've had glitches, crashes, and the worst possible image quality after uploading – which puts me off ever posting on my photography account as it simply does not reflect my work and the uploading process of saving multiple drafts causes me immense stress.
Any content creator will tell you that having a presence and portfolio on social media, especially a platform like Instagram, can be a make-or-break way to network and reach potential new clients interested in your portfolio. And this development will improve the experience for the whole sector of creators.
The S24 Ultra has upgraded optical zoom (Optical Zoom 3x and 5x, Optical Quality Zoom 2x and 10x, Digital Zoom up to 100x) and a Quad Telephoto camera unit (Image credit: Samsung)
Samsung's S24 integration with Instagram also offers an upgraded end-to-end editing and uploading process, with an improved visual experience too, displaying content in Super HDR exclusive to the Galaxy S24 series.
It's a shame that Apple didn't take this on board with the launch of the iPhone 15 series, and I truly think that Samsung's AI advancements could leave the iPhone in the dust when it comes to content creation and lens-based media.
Whether or not you plan to use AI in your smartphone photography, I really respect Samsung's efforts to combat the misleading nature and stigma around AI, by stating that it will embed an AI watermark into the metadata of any images that have been enhanced or manipulated in-device using the Galaxy Generative Edit features, for the sake of transparency.
Take a look at the best pre-order deals and prices on the new Samsung Galaxy S24 series in your region below, using our clever deals widgets. Or see the latest prices for the S23 Ultra here.
Thank you for reading 5 articles this month* Join now for unlimited access
Beth is Creative Bloq’s Ecommerce Writer. An avid music photographer and previous staff writer for Digital Camera World, Beth has a keen eye for content and knows just how to create it. Her background working as a tester for CeX has provided extensive knowledge surrounding the latest tech and gaming trends, and she studied Music Journalism too, so you'll probably find her at a gig. Basically, she's a total nerd with a Snorlax tattoo and a Master's degree in Photography, forever wishing she was Peter Parker.
