I’ve finally come to the realization that Samsung’s unlikely to bring back the 10x optical zoom camera for the Galaxy S25 Ultra. And you know what? I’m perfectly fine with that.
Last year’s big controversy around the Galaxy S24 Ultra ditching the 10x optical zoom lens for a 5x one was met with lukewarm reactions from those who’ve enjoyed the longstanding feature. However, I’ve seen how Galaxy AI helped to offset this ‘shortcoming.’
Actually, I only need to look at a recent flagship Android launch to convince me that Samsung doesn’t need the 10x optical zoom. That phone is none other than the OnePlus 13.
AI zooming is legit
For years now, OnePlus phones have trailed the pack when it comes to being one of the best camera phones around. Yet, after shooting 200 photos with the OnePlus 13 vs. iPhone 16 Pro Max, I'm convinced the gap has effectively been shortened.
That’s most true for the OnePlus 13's zooming capabilities. It may have the shorter optical zoom compared to the iPhone 16 Pro Max — 3x vs. 5x — but it delivers sharper and more detailed telephoto images.
This is attributed to the OnePlus 13’s new image processing algorithms and AI enhancements. The process is quite impressive in reality. If you watch the video I captured above, you’ll see exactly what happens during this process of taking photos with the OnePlus 13’s 50MP telephoto camera with 3x optical zoom.
I’m unable to read all of the fine print on the map from across the room, but using the OnePlus 13 exposes all of those details my eyes can’t make out. I can also tell that there’s a lot of processing that is happening behind the scenes to tweak the image because through the phone’s display, those words still appear faint and indistinct — but when I go back to preview the image, they're crystal clear.
In order to get a better idea of the OnePlus 13's telephoto performance, you can look through all the photos I captured above with the OnePlus 13 and iPhone 16 Pro Max at 5x and 25x zoom levels. For having the "inferior" optical zoom, the OnePlus 13 seemingly captures the better telephoto shots.
Next-gen Galaxy AI is key
If the OnePlus 13 has this kind of sorcery, then there’s no reason why the upcoming Galaxy S25 Ultra can't do the same. Last year’s big reveal, Galaxy AI, gave the S24 series a secret weapon to bolster its appeal when the hardware upgrades were lukewarm at best.
I tested a handful of these features on the Galaxy S24 Ultra, like how Instant Slo-Mo uses generative AI to add in additional frames to transform any video recorded by the phone into a slow motion clip. Likewise, I was impressed by how the S24's Generative Edit feature was intelligent enough to fill in areas I’ve deleted.
Naturally, I suspect that the next wave of Galaxy AI features for the S25 series will drive the momentum forward. Since the Galaxy S25 Ultra will most likely share the same Snapdragon 8 Elite chip under the hood as the OnePlus 13, I can see how it could better enhance telephoto zoom photos in the same way as the OnePlus flagship.
With help from Snapdragon 8 Elite
We know for a fact that the Snapdragon 8 Elite is designed with AI in mind. For example, Qualcomm reports that the AI ISP on the Snapdragon 8 Elite allows for AI adjustments and enhancements in real time — something that I see happening on the OnePlus 13 currently. Even before I take a shot, I have this sense that the camera’s analyzing the scene to know exactly what needs to be enhanced. That’s why words are more clearly defined in the OnePlus 13’s telephoto shots over the iPhone 16 Pro Max.
Samsung could further refine this imaging process, but regardless of what the company does, I would be perfectly fine if Samsung sticks to a 5x optical zoom camera with the Galaxy S25 Ultra. Historically speaking, Samsung’s flagships have been a cut above OnePlus’ — which spells good news for the S25 Ultra. I wouldn’t be surprised if it ends up supplanting the iPhone 16 Pro Max as the best camera phone.
