If you’ve ever tried taking a photo and it’s come out sort of, well, flat – you’ll be happy to know that one new feature on the S25 Ultra is going to help you change that. Of course, we also saw the announcement of the Galaxy S25 and S25+ (as well as a teaser of the ‘S25 Edge’).

At Samsung Galaxy Unpacked, it was announced that the Galaxy S25 Ultra will be getting Virtual Aperture – a digital photography tool that can be used to essentially blur or unblur the background. What’s more, is that this isn’t just an ON/OFF style of feature, but something that can be controlled and adjusted to suit whatever it is you’re going for.

Perhaps you want to focus in closely on an object in the foreground and have the background out of focus? Perhaps you’re looking to capture everything in as much details as possible, and want everything in focus? Either way, Virtual Aperture will give you the ability to do so with ease, and importantly, without having to buy a completely separate camera too.

This effect looks visually very appealing, and is highly sought after when it comes to photography. In the past, phones tended to fall down in this regard, and there have already been steps to address it – namely, with the iPhone 16 Pro and Xiaomi 14 Ultra.

Of course, Samsung catching up to Apple is the main point of interest here, with the iPhone 16 Pro releasing on 20th September 2024. The Xiaomi 14 Ultra came in well ahead of both phones back in February 2024 mind you. Better late than never, you could say.

Other new camera features

It wasn’t just virtual aperture that was announced, but a whole host of other features too. Perhaps the most exciting addition is log recording – or Galaxy Log.

In short, Log Video is flat video profile that keeps significant data in the file. What that means is that you’ll have much more nuanced control when it comes to editing – specifically things like color grading. This is a big win for anyone who’s serious about making stunning content.

Whether the S25 will have people (like myself) sending their cameras to the auction rooms is yet to be seen, however, from what I’ve seen from the event, this phone does seem to take a big leap forward when it comes to photography and filming. We’ll have to get hands on ourselves before making any final decisions, but things are certainly looking good for Samsung right now.

About the Author

Ramzi Musa

Ramzi Musa is a Growth Manager and Editor for BGFG. He has experience and expertise in tech, gaming, and hardware.