Samsung is currently testing a 2x zoom option for the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s portrait mode. The new portrait mode is currently still being developed internally by Samsung. It was discovered by tipster Ice Universe in a test firmware for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra. It fills a gap in the previous camera modes for portraits in Samsung’s current flagship.
In 2x portrait mode, Samsung uses a 50-megapixel crop of the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s 200-megapixel main camera. The section is then calculated down to 12 megapixels using 4-in-1 binning. The new mode combines the 1x and 3x options. The first mode uses the main sensor and the second uses the native 3x zoom camera. The respective focal lengths are around 23 mm and 70 mm. The classic portrait area is right in between at around 50 mm and is also supported with the new firmware.
The update for the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra is said to be surprisingly large at around 1.5 GB and will be rolled out sometime at the end of May or beginning of June. In addition to the portrait mode, general improvements for the four main cameras and the selfie camera are also on board. With the size, however, other updates or bug fixes are also likely. It is not yet known if Samsung plans to add the 2x portrait mode for other Galaxy smartphones as well.
