No one really gives a hoot about them, but they’re there: 24MP stills are a setting that runs in the background on most smartphones. Samsung’s next flagships are allegedly set to bring up this notoriously hidden feature. Longtime tipster Ice Universe claims the Galaxy S26 series will bring a 24MP photo mode that is buried deep inside the main camera app and is activated using Samsung’s very own Camera Assistant utility. The twist here isn’t just resolution — it’s execution, the kind intended to fix past mistakes that have consigned 24MP to “nice idea” status rather than default on many phones.
The leaker says the new mode fixes the over-sharpening and purple fringing that has plagued 24MP output in Samsung’s Expert RAW app, particularly when shooting against bright backlight or for portrait work. The processing reportedly takes about three seconds, though that occurs in the background and there is no shutter lag, with the option for continuous shooting. First reports from the source mention results as “clearly better” than traditional 12MP photos.
Why 24MP Might Finally Make a Difference
On paper, that’s a nice compromise between today’s default 12MP binned photos and the 50MP they could capture at full resolution. You obtain more detail and greater cropping freedom than a 12MP model without the noise, drawn-out shot-to-shot performance or heavier file size standard for a 50MP camera. It’s a “higher-fidelity default,” if you will, that doesn’t disrespect the basics of speed and storage.
The practical benefits are tangible. A 24MP frame can provide approximately 40% more or so in the way of linear detail than does a 12MP image, and that extra resolution is instrumental in ensuring fine textures such as hair, foliage and fabric weave aren’t watered down to mush. At about 6K-by-4K pixels (sensor aspect ratios vary), 24MP also gives you the option to reframe for social posts, print larger without upscaling and crop tighter for portraits, all while maintaining clean edges.
Previous attempts have faltered because it’s highly challenging to get 24MP right. It requires caution in de-sharpening, color fringing control and tone mapping so images don’t appear crunchy or haloed. If Samsung’s method manages to tame these artifacts while keeping detail alive and retaining some micro-contrast, then at 24MP we can finally have a default worth leaving on.
How Samsung Can Pull It Off With Smarter Processing
Samsung hasn’t shared the pipeline, but what’s likely is that it uses multi-frame fusion: capture a mixture of high-exposure and low-noise frames, demosaic using a higher spatial resolution path and then intelligently downsample to 24MP with learned edge-preserving algorithms. That recipe, when coupled with using the latest ISP for denoising and tone mapping, can eliminate fringing and high-frequency noise while preserving fine detail.
The leak also implies that the mode functions in both Photo and Portrait, with some background processing to keep the shutter quick and burst support. We could see it be an exclusive feature to the Galaxy S26 line if the capability is a function of faster next-gen ISP throughput, buffer bandwidth or memory speeds that aren’t found on older Galaxy hardware.
Real-world pace and storage for 24MP photo mode
A 3-second background process is a sensible middle ground — you get better files, without needing to pause before capturing the next image. Meaning that, as 24MP images, it assumes the queue is fast enough to keep up with a quick burst — good for children and animals as well as street photography, though the “best frame” is often one or two taps late.
On disk, 24MP HEIF/JPEG files are typically in the 12–50 MB range, about 1.5× to 2× larger than 12MP files but ~40% to 60% smaller than a scene of that complexity at a base of around 50MP, depending on compression effects. That’s a significant reduction compared with shooting the lot at 50MP, clearing local storage and cloud backups to crop and edit.
Rivals Already Taking Higher Resolution in Stride
Apple helped to set the user-friendly standard by making 24MP the default setting on the iPhone 15 family, combining high-res captures with computational fusion for more detail without ridiculous file sizes. Critics gushed over the balance, which reset the bar for everyday image quality.
On the Android side, brands like OPPO and realme are also working on dynamic capture techniques. Newer devices can switch between full-res and downsampling modes — for example, realme’s GT-series will swap to ~26MP in bright light, 12MP in low light to keep noise in check. But if Samsung gets its 24MP right, how about an adaptive one that auto-selects 12MP or 24MP depending upon the scene and motion?
What to Watch Before Reading Into the Results
There are still questions. Would we see 24MP continuity across the main, ultrawide and telephoto cameras? Is it possible for the camera app to keep the exact same color science and HDR behavior at 24MP as it does at 12? Who will support the mode with third-party apps and how will it affect battery life while you’re out shooting extra-long?
If the Galaxy S26 series continues to maintain Samsung’s high standards without compromise while keeping up its pace, 24MP might succeed 12MP as the standard on a Samsung phone. And right now, everyone’s paying attention to Samsung’s latest tuning — because this time, 24MP isn’t just a nice little feature to have, it needs to be a feature worth having.
