How to enable 2x Zoom feature on Samsung Galaxy S23

With the Galaxy S23 Ultra, you get amazing zoom performance that very few phones on the market can match. Now, Samsung has improved the zoom performance of the Galaxy S23 even better by using a high-resolution main camera to provide 2x In-Sensor Zoom capabilities.

So what is In-Sensor Zoom? What makes it special compared to regular zoom? And how do you use the feature on Galaxy S23? Let's find the answer through the following article!

What is the optical quality of In-Sensor Zoom 2x of Samsung Galaxy S23?

The Galaxy S23 series offers many camera options. Samsung uses a high-resolution 50MP sensor on the regular S23 and S23+, while the Galaxy S23 Ultra has a 200MP main camera. The entire S23 series has a 10MP 3x optical zoom camera, and the Ultra also has a 10x periscope camera.

The 2x digital zoom option was also available on the Galaxy S23 series, and now Samsung has made it even better with the August 2023 update using the new In-Sensor Zoom system.

So what is In-Sensor Zoom? Previously, when you took a 2x zoom photo on the S23, the camera would take a 12MP photo with pixel binning, crop the photo to apply the zoom effect, then enhance and resize the output using AI. This means that the original frame never had 12 million pixels of data, so its quality will be significantly affected.

With In-Sensor Zoom, the camera takes photos at a higher 50MP resolution and then applies 2x zoom by cropping to the center of the photo. The frames are then processed before the final image is displayed. This is a lossless zoom mode, because the captured image has 12 million pixels of data, so it will be of much better quality than an image captured with 2x digital zoom.

The dedicated telephoto camera will still take better photos at 2x zoom. However, the In-Sensor Zoom feature offers an excellent compromise, with the result that images will be better than those with digital zoom. In-Sensor Zoom proves that the Galaxy S23 Ultra's 200MP camera is not a gimmick.

How to enable 2x Zoom feature on Samsung Galaxy S23 Picture 1 How to enable 2x Zoom feature on Samsung Galaxy S23 Picture 2

Because this feature requires a high-resolution camera sensor, it is only available on certain phones. Besides the Galaxy S23, the Google Pixel 7 is another notable flagship phone in the Android ecosystem that offers this functionality.

There is one downside to the In-Sensor Zoom. Because the photo was taken at high resolution, it may not have the same dynamic range and noise as a photo taken with a dedicated 2x telephoto lens or prime lens.

How to turn on the In-Sensor Zoom 2x feature of Samsung Galaxy S23

Before following the steps below, make sure your Galaxy is running on August 2023 firmware or newer. Alternatively, download the latest Camera Assistant build from the Galaxy Store. This app offers several advanced options that allow you to take better photos from your Galaxy phone.

1. Open the Camera Assistant application on Galaxy S23.
2. Turn on Optical quality crop zoom .
3. Launch the Samsung Camera app on your phone. You will now see a 2x option in the zoom bar on the viewfinder.
4. As with Photo mode, a 2x zoom option will appear in the viewfinder when recording video up to 4K, at 30 frames per second. A 2x zoom option is also available in Super Steady mode.

How to enable 2x Zoom feature on Samsung Galaxy S23 Picture 3

Surprisingly, Samsung requires the use of Camera Assistant to enable optical quality zoom on the Galaxy S23 series. However, this addition will allow you to take even better photos, especially since the 2x zoom is great for taking portraits and close-ups of subjects.

You should also check out the Galaxy S23 Ultra's top camera settings to change to get the most out of its various photography features.

Isabella Humphrey

Update 11 October 2023