Galaxy S26 Ultra vs S25 Ultra for Night Photography and Videography: Which is Better?
High volatility is likely to continue until the end of May.
Nightography has long been a key feature of the Galaxy S Ultra series. In the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Samsung delivers significant improvements over the S25 Ultra, particularly in camera hardware and AI imaging capabilities.
This article discusses what has changed and how significant the differences are in real-world conditions.
The f/1.4 aperture on the Galaxy S26 Ultra allows the lens to capture approximately 47% more light compared to the f/1.7 on the S25 Ultra.
In normal lighting conditions, the difference may not be too noticeable, but in low-light conditions – dimly lit restaurants, night streets, concert venues – the results are noticeably different: the S26 Ultra’s photos appear brighter naturally without having to aggressively increase the ISO, which means less noise.
The wider aperture also produces a shallower depth of field, meaning the background blur (bokeh) produced by the S26 Ultra looks more natural and deeper compared to the S25 Ultra, especially in night portrait photos.
In the S25 Ultra, Nightography Video was already quite capable. In the S26 Ultra, Samsung improves the AI ISP capabilities, which now work in real-time during recording, not just during post-processing.
The result is night videos that are sharper, brighter, and with more controlled noise, even when the object is moving. This improvement also includes the front camera, which now receives active AI ISP processing for video selfies and video calls in low-light conditions.
One of the challenges of recording night videos is that hands are more shaky because the dark conditions reduce visibility. The S26 Ultra addresses this with Horizontal Lock, which is not available on the S25 Ultra, ensuring that night footage remains stable without the need for additional gimbals.
When used to record a concert at night with dynamic lighting, the Galaxy S26 Ultra is able to maintain more consistent detail of the stage lights and colors compared to the S25 Ultra.