Low-light photography is one of the areas where smartphones have made the most progress in recent years, and it is also where the differences between phones show up most clearly.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra brings some of the most meaningful Nightography[1] upgrades since Samsung introduced the feature, with the headline improvements coming from brighter lenses on both the main camera and the 50MP telephoto — capturing 47% and 37% more light respectively compared to the Galaxy S25 Ultra.
Here is a look at what has changed and why it matters in practice.
What is Nightography on the Galaxy S26 Ultra?
Nightography is Samsung’s name for the set of camera features designed to help the Galaxy S26 Ultra take better photos and videos in dim conditions. It covers the full camera system — the main camera, the telephoto lenses, video recording, and selfies.
The improvements this year are primarily hardware-driven. Samsung has fitted brighter lenses on both the main camera and the 50MP telephoto lens, which means the sensor captures more detail before any processing takes place.
Cleaner results come from the hardware itself, rather than from software trying to recover what was never captured in the first place.
How do the cameras compare to the Galaxy S25 Ultra?
Here is a quick look at the key differences:
What does the brighter main lens mean in practice?
The f/1.4 aperture on the main camera produces two practical benefits. First, it allows the camera to use faster shutter speeds in the same conditions, which means less blur when photographing people, pets, or anything that moves — a common problem in low light.
Second, it reduces the graininess that appears when a camera has to push its sensitivity too high. The result is cleaner, more natural-looking photos with better shadow detail and more accurate colours in the dark.
What about zoom shots at night?
Zoom shots in dim conditions have traditionally been one of the harder things for smartphone cameras to do well. The upgraded f/2.9 aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 50MP telephoto lens is a meaningful step forward here, bringing in up to 37% more light than the Galaxy S25 Ultra’s equivalent.
Whether you are shooting from the back of a concert crowd, capturing a performer on stage, or photographing something across a dark street, the 50MP telephoto lens maintains sharpness and detail where the Galaxy S25 Ultra would have struggled more.
Zoom shots at night are simply more reliable with the Galaxy S26 Ultra.
What is the 24MP shooting mode and how does it help at night?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra introduces a 24MP shooting mode that sits between the default 12MP and the higher-resolution 50MP and 200MP options.
For low-light photography, it hits a useful middle ground — more detail and cropping flexibility than 12MP, without the overexposure and noise issues that can appear with higher-resolution modes in difficult lighting.
File sizes also stay manageable, making it a practical choice for most everyday shooting.
How has low-light video improved?
The Galaxy S26 Ultra uses advanced processing and the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy to reduce noise in real time during video recording. In practice, this means footage shot in dim environments — night streets, indoor venues, or anywhere the lighting is inconsistent — comes out cleaner and more usable straight from the camera, without needing heavy editing afterwards.
The difference is most noticeable in handheld video, where noise and loss of detail are typically more visible than in still photos. Combined with improved stabilization, the result is video that holds up better across a wider range of real-world conditions.
What about night selfies?
The front camera on the Galaxy S26 Ultra now uses Advanced Selfie (AI ISP), which handles skin tones and textures more accurately under artificial lighting. The practical benefit is selfies that look more natural and consistent under indoor lights or street lamps, with less of the washed-out effect that warm artificial light can cause.
It is a noticeable improvement for anyone who takes a lot of selfies in the evening or indoors.
Is Nightography on the Galaxy S26 Ultra a meaningful upgrade over the Galaxy S25 Ultra?
For anyone who regularly takes photos in the evening, at events, or indoors, the answer is yes. The brighter lenses on both the main camera and the 50MP telephoto make a visible difference across a wide range of everyday situations, not just in ideal conditions. Low-light video and selfies have also seen genuine improvements.
Taken together, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is a more capable camera than the Galaxy S25 Ultra specifically in the conditions where most people find smartphone cameras hardest to use.
[1] Nightography: Results may vary depending on light condition, subject and/or shooting conditions.
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