The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best phones you can buy in 2026, and if you already own one, I have some positive news for you: Your phone can take better photos than it does right now. Samsung added a larger aperture (on two sensors) and upgraded its camera processing to fare better against Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro this year. However, if you haven’t played around with the settings, you aren’t making the most of Samsung’s new upgrades. The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a versatile camera system, but the default settings might not work for everyone. They didn’t for me. So I took a deep dive into the buried menus and found ways to improve the shutter speed, reduce compression and trigger the 24-megapixel processing pipeline, among other things. If you aren’t satisfied with the image quality on your Samsung phone right now, I recommend taking a look at these options in the Samsung Camera Assistant. Locate the Camera Assistant settings Change these Camera Assistant settings to get the most out of your Galaxy S26 Ultra cameras. Prakhar Khanna/CNET The Camera Assistant on Galaxy smartphones is a Good Lock module (essentially like a plugin). It adds additional settings to the default Camera app. For the longest time, Samsung didn’t preload these settings on its flagship phones, but things have changed with One UI 8.5 on the latest Samsung flagships. You can now find the Camera Assistant settings within the Camera app. To find these additional settings: Open the Camera app. Tap on the four-dot icon to get the menu. Tap on Settings. Scroll to the Camera Assistant . Tap on it. It’ll take you to the Samsung Galaxy Store with a pop-up for Camera Assistant. Tap on Install . However, if it is not present here, you’ll need to install the Good Lock app through the Galaxy Store. Search for Camera Assistant and download the module from there. Once located, you’re now ready to take control over the processing and camera performance. Several of these options aren’t objectively better than the other, but here’s what I recommend changing and which setting could fit in what scenario. Use all those megapixels Changing to 24-megapixel mode will give you better photos in all scenarios. Prakhar Khanna/CNET The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200-megapixel main camera, but it defaults to 12-megapixel photos out of the box. While these photos are small in size, you won’t get the same amount of detail and clarity as higher-resolution modes. I don’t recommend capturing everything in 200-megapixel mode, either – it is slow and will eat up your storage quicker than anything else. I’ve found the 24-megapixel mode to be the best of both worlds. It can take quick snaps and get sharp results simultaneously without having a large file size. The best part is that Samsung upgraded its processing to capture 24-megapixel resolution photos even in digital zoom. Enlarge Image 24-megapixel image in 9.2x zoom (213mm). Prakhar Khanna/CNET As a result, you get 24-megapixel shots on three camera sensors, including these zoom ranges: 0.6x to 0.9x for ultrawide, 1x to 1.9x for the main and 5x to 9.9x for the periscope telephoto camera. The 10-megapixel 3x tele sensor misses out on this feature due to its lower resolution and the main camera defaults everything from 2x to 2.9x in 12 megapixels, despite using a higher resolution mode. Enlarge Image The 24-megapixel vs 50-megapixel shot: The 50-megapixel mode photo (right) is about 900 KB larger, but it doesn’t give you objectively more detail or clarity. Prakhar Khanna/CNET I suggest you change the default resolution to 24-megapixel mode because it is enough for almost all scenarios. The only time I’ve noticed a difference was while capturing neon lights in each mode. The former artificially brightens the whole frame, whereas the 50-megapixel mode in 9.2x zoom exposes for the signboards, which results in more natural-looking photos like the example below. Enlarge Image The 24-megapixel vs. 50-megapixel shots at 9.2x zoom: In both photos,
Sumber: CNET