Hadlee Simons / Android Authority
TL;DR
- The Samsung Galaxy S26 series debuted with few camera hardware upgrades, but a couple of impressive software features.
- One of those features, Virtual Aperture for the telephoto cameras, is set to make its way to the Galaxy S25 series.
- A second camera tool, AI-powered document scanning, is expected to come to the Galaxy S25 lineup as well.
Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series with a Virtual Aperture feature available not only for the primary rear camera sensor, but also for the telephoto cameras. While the Samsung Galaxy S25 series does support Virtual Aperture for the main shooter, it currently lacks the telephoto support introduced on the Galaxy S26. This utility is available in Samsung’s Expert RAW app, which is a separate camera app that unlocks professional-grade shooting and recording tools for photography power users. If you’re a Galaxy S25 user hoping to get Virtual Aperture support for the telephoto camera, it looks like you’re in luck.
A user on the Samsung Community forums said they wished the Galaxy S25 Ultra supported Virtual Aperture in Expert RAW for the telephoto cameras (via SamMobile). A Samsung executive responsible for camera development actually responded, confirming that support will be added for certain older models. “Yes, we will support up to [Galaxy] S25,” the executive wrote, translated to English.
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Virtual Aperture works by making it possible for users to dynamically adjust the amount of background blur applied to portrait shots in software. Professionals know that DSLR and mirrorless camera systems have variable apertures that can be physically adjusted to change the amount of background blur, otherwise known as “bokeh.” Smartphones mimic this method by using software, like the Virtual Aperture feature.
This might not be the only Galaxy S26 camera software feature to make its way to older models. Another user asked about the scanning feature, which adds AI-powered document scanning to the camera app. “We’re maximizing NPU resources by significantly improving performance in the S26,” the same executive wrote, translated to English. “We’ll provide further information regarding expansion of previous models in the future, but we currently anticipate it will be available up to the S25.”
With relatively small hardware updates, new phone models like the Samsung Galaxy S26 stand out with exclusive software perks. It sounds like some of these new features will make their way to older models, starting with the Galaxy S25 lineup, at least. That’s good news for Galaxy S25 owners, though we don’t know exactly when these features will be added.
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