Samsung proves the S24 Ultra camera is out of this world

(Image credit: Future / Mike Lowe)

published 5 March 2024

QUICK SUMMARY

Samsung sent not one but four Galaxy S24 Ultra phones into the stratosphere. Why? To test the camera of course.

Call it a marketing stunt or whatever else, but there's no denying that tying your phone to some serious balloons and sending it to the stratosphere is pretty cool. That's exactly what Samsung has done with its latest flagship. "Why?" you ask, well they're not just trying to put the 'Galaxy' in Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra.

In fact, Samsung did this to show off the camera on its latest flagship and it's definitely worth shouting about. The 200 MP main camera is something to behold and it features more AI and camera processing tricks than a robot magician. It's undoubtedly one of the best phones out there.

First reported by PetaPixel we know that Samsung managed to send not one but four phones into the stratosphere using four 'stratospheric balloons' and a carbon fibre cage, where they then snapped plenty of shots of the US from above. At a height of just over 22 miles, the phones snapped over 150 pictures using the 1x, 3x and 5x cameras and the results are spectacular.

These Epic Photos From Space Were Shot With a Smartphone 🤯Samsung sent four Galaxy S24 Ultra smartphones into space on stratospheric balloons in order to capture literal out-of-this-world photos of the western United States.Four identical versions of a lightweight, carbon… pic.twitter.com/rsZzcchA6MMarch 2, 2024

According to insider Fahim Al Mahmud Ashik, Samsung was then amazingly able to recover the phones after deflating the balloons and using parachutes to steady their descent. We officially live in the future. Technically the stratosphere isn't space, but if you are high enough to see the curvature of Earth, that's space to me.

So what makes these snaps so incredible? Well, the hardware is some of the best out there. The S24 Ultra has a supreme optical image stabilisation system for one but the zoom performance is also night and day. 2024 saw Samsung's flagship drop the 10x optical zoom with a 10 MP sensor and replace it with a 5x one but with a 50 MP sensor, that's a massive leap in terms of image quality.

On a more basic level, it's reassuring to know that if we ever get up that high, our phones will be ready to get us some killer Instagram shots.

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Andy was T3's Tech Staff Writer, covering all things technology, including his biggest passions such as gaming. If he had to save one possession from a fire it would be his PlayStation 5. He previously worked for Tom’s Guide – where he got paid to play with ChatGPT everyday. When it comes to streaming, Andy will have his headphones glued in whilst watching something that will make him laugh. He studied Creative Writing at university, but also enjoys supporting his favourite football team (Liverpool), watching F1, teaching himself guitar, and spending time with his dog.