THE Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is one of the best phones you’ll be able to buy it in 2026, and if you already own one, I have some positive news for you: your phone can take better photos than it does now.
Samsung added a larger aperture (on two sensors) and improved its camera processing to better compete with Apple’s iPhone 17 Pro This year. However, if you haven’t played around with the settings, you won’t get the most out of Samsung’s new upgrades.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra has a versatile camera system, but the default settings may not work for everyone. They didn’t do it for me. So I dove deep into the buried menus and found ways to improve shutter speed, reduce compression, and trigger the 24-megapixel processing pipeline, among other things. If you are not satisfied with the image quality of your Samsung phone at the moment, I recommend you take a look at these options in Samsung Camera Assistant.
Locate Camera Assistant settings
Change these Camera Assistant settings to get the most out of your Galaxy S26 Ultra cameras.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETThe Camera Assistant on Galaxy smartphones is a Good Lock module (basically like a plugin). It adds additional settings to the default Camera app. For the longest time, Samsung did not preload these settings on its flagship phones, but things have changed with One UI 8.5 on Samsung’s latest flagships. You can now find Camera Assistant settings in the Camera app.
To find these additional settings:
- Open it Camera application.
- Tap the four-dot icon to get the menu.
- Press Settings.
- Scroll to Camera assistant. Tap it.
- This will take you to the Samsung Galaxy Store with a pop-up for Camera Assistant. Press Install.
However, if it is not present here, you will need to install the Good Lock app via the Galaxy Store. Search for Camera Assistant and download the module from there.
Once located, you are now ready to take control of the camera’s processing and performance. Many of these options aren’t objectively better than the others, but here’s what I recommend changing and which setting might fit which scenario.
Use all those megapixels
Switching to 24-megapixel mode will give you better photos in all scenarios.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETThe Galaxy S26 Ultra has a 200-megapixel main camera, but it takes 12-megapixel photos out of the box by default. Although these photos are small, you won’t get the same amount of detail and clarity as higher resolution modes. I also don’t recommend capturing everything in 200-megapixel mode – it’s slow and will eat up your storage faster than anything else.
I found the 24-megapixel mode to be the best of both worlds. It can take fast shots and get sharp results simultaneously without having a large file size.
The best part is that Samsung has improved its processing to capture photos with a resolution of 24 megapixels, even with digital zoom.
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24 megapixel image with 9.2x zoom (213 mm).
Prakhar Khanna/CNETAs a result, you get 24-megapixel shots across three camera sensors, including these zoom ranges: 0.6x to 0.9x for the ultra-wide, 1x to 1.9x for the main, and 5x to 9.9x for the periscope telephoto lens.
The 10-megapixel 3x remote sensor lacks this feature due to its lower resolution and the main camera defaults from 2x to 2.9x in 12-megapixel, despite using a higher resolution mode.
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The 24-megapixel photo versus 50-megapixel: The 50-megapixel mode photo (right) is about 900 KB larger, but it doesn’t objectively give you more detail or clarity.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETI suggest you change the default resolution to 24 megapixel mode as it is enough for almost all scenarios. The only time I noticed a difference was when capturing neon lights in each mode. The former artificially brightens the entire frame, while the 50-megapixel mode with 9.2x zoom exposes the panels, resulting in more natural photos like the example below.
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The 24-megapixel shots versus 50-megapixel shots with 9.2x zoom: In both photos, I pressed the Star Wars sign to focus. The 50-megapixel mode handled it better than the 24-megapixel mode.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETFor most other scenarios, 24-megapixel mode remains the best choice and here’s how to make it the default resolution for your Galaxy S26 Ultra photos:
- Go to Camera Assistant.
- Scroll down to find the Photos settings.
- Tap 24 MP resolution
You’ll see two settings: 24 MP in Photo mode and Maintain 24 MP resolution. Turn them both on.
While you’re at it, here are the settings to change in Camera Assistant settings if:
You want full control over goals
Disabling automatic lens switching will give you more control over the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s cameras.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETYou need to disable automatic lens switching. By default, the Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera system automatically switches between the four rear cameras based on lighting, phone distance from the subject, and zoom range.
Relying on your phone’s intelligence isn’t the wisest decision. For example, when you move the phone closer to the subject for a macro shot, it takes a few seconds to land on a usable lens based on your distance. At that time, the moment could be lost.
Instead, you can decide which lens you want to use, get closer to the subject and take the photo, without automatic lens switching. All you have to do is turn off the Automatic lens change switch under the Lens and zoom option.
You need more accurate skin tones
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Photo softening is turned off (left) while photo softening is set to high (right).
Prakhar Khanna/CNETSamsung phones can exaggerate skin tones, especially in artificial lighting conditions. If you’re not a fan of the processed look, you can opt for softer skin tones by visiting the site Softening photos option in the Photos menu and setting it to AVERAGE Or High.
In the two photos above, you can notice that the image on the left (with photo softening turned off) has a stronger black point and shadows. In comparison, the photo on the right (with Photo Softening facing High) has a more natural feel. My skin and beard still have similar details in both photos, but I prefer the photo on the right, softer and less processed.
What else?
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Adaptive pixel and high-end digital zoom disabled (left) while both settings are enabled (right). Notice the complications on the watch: the one on the left has glitter, which is not visible in the photo on the left.
Prakhar Khanna/CNETBy default, Samsung keeps Distortion correction turned on and Adaptive pixel and high-end digital zoom extinct. But you should experiment with these settings based on your photos. Enabling them might result in a better looking photo. For example, when capturing my watch, the default settings wouldn’t get the sparks for the earth phase complication (on the left with Snoopy). However, once I enabled Adaptive Pixel and Upscale Digital Zoom, it was able to give me more detail on the dial.
On the other hand, distortion correction corrects curvature lines in a photo, which could be caused by lens distortion. So, enabling it results in better-looking photos, especially those involving buildings.
Apart from these two settings, I recommended enabling Fast shutter until last year. However, I didn’t see a noticeable difference in photos with this setting enabled or disabled on my Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung improved the shutter speed of its flagship this year, but moving subjects can still benefit from a halo effect in the default settings. You can improve this slightly by enabling the Focus on speed toggle (located under Focus).
Tinkering with these settings helped me get the most out of the camera in my pocket. I hope they will also improve your photo-taking experience on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. I also suggest exploring the filters present in the viewfinder and I’m trying to create yoursaccording to your taste. It’s fun!
Watch this: Which phone takes better photos? iPhone 17 Pro Max vs. Galaxy S26 Ultra
