- Samsung has just announced a brand new camera system
- It is definitely part of the expected Galaxy S26 series
- The camera system update should more seamlessly integrate all these Galaxy AI imaging tools
What was once separate could become one, and what was once confusion could finally bring clarity: that’s the potential promise of Samsung’s next big camera system for its upcoming, expected lineup of Galaxy S26 smartphones.
After announcing last week that it will hold its big Winter Unpacked event in New York on February 25, where it’s expected to unveil new Galaxy S26 smartphones (along with possibly Galaxy Buds and a Galaxy Watch update), Samsung is now teasing some details about the big launch.
In a brief release backed by a handful of revealing video demos, Samsung said it plans to “unveil a new Galaxy camera experience designed to unify photo and video capture, editing and sharing in one intuitive system.”
Among the promised features are:
- Flip a picture from day to night
- Restore missing parts of objects
- Take detailed photos in low light
- Merge multiple images into a single image
It sounds like a mix of old and new features. We could already sketch on images to create new elements, like the spaceship above the cow show in this GIF.
But the quick swapping of a bite of a cupcake to make it whole again is a leveling off of AI capabilities.
What’s more interesting here is the potential to have Galaxy AI’s image editing and enhancement tools more deeply integrated with the base camera system. Right now, for example, the AI editing features live under a Galaxy AI button, and even there the image sketch and Generative Edit are separate elements of the tool.
Could all these disparate pieces be fused into one coherent camera system? Could they appear as tools under image capture?
Here’s how Samsung describes it: “The latest Galaxy AI experiences bring advanced creative tools to one place, eliminating the need to switch between apps and navigate complex editing software.”
Like its partner Google, Samsung has leaned into generative image manipulation in a way that Apple and its iPhone have not. There is the “Clean Up” tool in iOS. 26’s Photos app, but that element removal tool is about as far as Apple is currently willing to go in the AI space. For years, we’ve been able to sketch a rudimentary dog on any Galaxy image and let Galaxy AI generate a lifelike dog that looks like it’s always been part of the image.
The integration of these powerful AI tools is not unexpected, but it signals that Samsung is willing to let the AI experience become more seamless until they are no longer seen as these separate and perhaps esoteric things: it’s all just part of the Galaxy S26 phone’s capabilities.
I’m curious if this new camera system also means closer integration of all the tools currently hidden under the Galaxy Camera app’s “More” menu. This includes the “Pro” tools, “Proi Video”, “Single Take”, “Panorama” and more.
Similarly, I wonder how deeply Samsung plans to integrate video recording and editing. While it mentions video, Samsung didn’t offer any details on what changes we can expect in the handling of live images.
Whatever these changes bring, one thing is clear: the Samsung Galaxy S26 line will combine its hardware camera updates (no one expects major lens changes) with an entirely new camera platform, one that could be quality components optically and AI.
The Samsung Galaxy Unpacked is sure to be a fascinating reveal. Stick with TechRadar, who will be on the ground in San Francisco on February 25 at 10am PT / 1pm ET / 6pm BST (5am AEDT on the 26th).
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