Seven ways the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra improves photography and video in low-light conditions

Low-light conditions are challenging for any camera, yet some of life’s best moments happen in the dark — be that a beautiful sunset, a dimly-lit concert, or a stunning night-time cityscape. So, it’s important to be able to capture them.

Fortunately, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has numerous tools and upgrades to help with exactly that, allowing you to capture images and footage that looks just like how you remember the scene, even when the lights are low.

TL;DR: From wide apertures to a dedicated night mode, clever editing tools, AI assistance, and an upgraded Nightography Video¹ mode, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has the tools to make low-light photos and videos look their best.

1. Night mode is built for low-light conditions

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s camera has different settings for different conditions, and when night mode kicks in, it will use AI multi-frame processing to combine 30 images into a single photo, ensuring every single pixel has optimised colours and details.

Plus, thanks to advanced stabilisation, you don’t need to worry about blur, even if the camera takes a beat longer to snap a photo in dark settings.

The result is vivid images that look closer to as if you took them in the daylight, while accurately capturing the low-light nature of the scene, be that a night-time fireworks display or a romantic dinner by candlelight.

2. Wider apertures let in more light

Dedicated night modes are all well and good, but they wouldn’t count for much if the hardware wasn’t up to scratch. Thankfully, it is here, with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s 200MP wide camera having a wider aperture than the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra² at f/1.4, and its 50MP telephoto camera also having a wider aperture, which opens to f/2.9.

The end result is that the wide camera lets in 47% more light and the 5x telephoto lets in 37% more light, so photos and videos naturally come out far brighter when the lights are low, meaning that even photos of dimly-lit streets or rooms will be packed full of detail.

3. Nightography Video has been upgraded so it’s better than ever

It’s not just photos that benefit from Night mode on the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, as Nightography Video is also present and better than ever.

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra’s advanced processor will deliver noise reduction on individual noise patterns, so that every frame of footage comes out crisp and clear, with colours and details looking lifelike.

Plus, with Super Steady Horizontal Lock³, the camera will be locked using real-time gyro and accelerometer data, ensuring there’s no handheld vibrations, so your footage is always smooth, shake-free, and professional-looking.

Is the Nightography video good for filming at concerts?

The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is ideal for use filming your favourite musician in a darkened venue, or at an outdoor festival stage at night, because it will adapt to those environments. You will be able to relive memories of those epic solos and vocal runs forever – and actually see what was happening.

4. The front-facing camera can deliver reduced noise and enhanced details

You probably want to look your best in selfies and that can be tricky when the light is poor, but with the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra, the front-facing camera has upgraded AI-Powered Image Signal Processing, which will automatically reduce noise, keep skin tones natural, and deliver enhanced details, like individual hair strands.

So if you’re feeling good about yourself as you walk home from a night out, then you don’t have to let a lack of light hold you back from capturing that feeling in a selfie.

5. Smart editing tools enhance low-light images

Taking great low light photos doesn’t end when you press the shutter button, it also involves smart editing, and this is something else that the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra is more than capable of.

Galaxy AI⁴ can automatically optimise the image, reducing grain, increasing the brightness, and more, and if you’re still not happy, you can make manual tweaks with ease, as the phone’s Photo Assist⁵ editing suite lets you remove unwanted objects, adjust the time of day, and more, all just by telling the software what you want it to do.

And if you’re shooting videos then you’ll have access to tools specifically designed to improve those too, such as Audio Eraser⁶, which lets you tweak the sound and remove unwanted background noise. So, if for example you’re recording someone speaking at a busy concert venue or party, you’ll still be able to hear them clearly.

6. AI scene recognition ensures the settings are always perfect

Yes, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a powerful night mode built in, but you don’t even need to worry about manually activating this, as it also has scene recognition, powered by Galaxy AI.

With this, your phone will automatically detect what kind of scene you’re shooting and optimise the camera settings for you, whether you’re on a beach at sunset or rave late at night, so there’s no need to manually tweak them.

Of course, there’s also a Pro mode, so if you’d rather tweak the settings yourself, that’s still an option.

7. ProZoom ensures even distant details look great

Even taking photos or videos of far-off things isn’t too much for the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra to handle, as it has both 3x and 5x optical zoom, and with its AI-powered ProZoom, the camera can go beyond what the lenses alone would be able to capture, ensuring that distant objects are crisp and detailed.

So, if you’re at the back of a concert filming a musician it can look as if you’re right by them, and the same is true of distant animals or details high up on buildings.

So, if you’re looking for a phone that can take clear and crisp low-light shots, head to the Samsung website to find out more.