The Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra could come with a big video recording upgrade

The rear cameras on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Image credit: Future | Alex Walker-Todd)

Based on the rumors that we've come across so far, it looks as though the Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra is going to bring with it the most significant upgrades when Samsung launches its next batch of flagship phones – and that apparently covers video recordings too.

Well-known leaker Ice Universe (via Notebookcheck) has hinted that the Ultra model will be able to record footage at a 4K resolution and up to 120 frames per second (fps). That's impressive – but the tipster does note that this feature is still in "testing" and may not ultimately be included.

The Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra launched last year is capable of recording 4K video with its quad-lens rear camera, but only up to 60 fps. The iPhone 15 Pro, the iPhone 15 Pro Max, and the Google Pixel 8 Pro all have the same ceiling in terms of resolution and frame rate.

As our OnePlus 9 Pro review and Sony Xperia 1 V review will tell you, this wouldn't be the first time 4K / 120fps video recording has been seen on a smartphone – but it's something you can't get right now on the top Samsung, Apple, and Google handsets.

Galaxy S24 Ultra 4K 120fps videoDecember 31, 2023

Improved sensor

Samsung has already shown off some new video capture capabilities for its camera sensors that we're expecting to see in the Galaxy S24 Ultra, but this is the first inking we've had of a new high bar in terms of video quality.

While the 200MP megapixel rating of the main camera isn't expected to change between the Galaxy S23 Ultra and the Galaxy 24 Ultra, the actual underlying sensor technology is being tipped for an upgrade, enabling faster processing.

Add in the introduction of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 3 processor from Qualcomm, and you can see where the additional grunt required to reach 4K / 120 fps is coming from. Just make sure you have plenty of internal storage space left for the resulting video files.

We should see the Ultra edition appear alongside two other Samsung Galaxy S24 models later this month, with January 17 likely to be the big launch day. Other upgrades that are apparently in the pipeline include plenty of AI features.

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Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.