The Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra covers a lot of bases in the camera department. Although the Galaxy S26 Ultra is set to replace it next month, some of its software features are expected to trickle down to the early 2025 Samsung flagship. We’re now getting an early indication of one of these features, specifically pertaining to the video recording experience.
According to renowned leaker Ice Universe, the One UI 8.5 beta officially enables 25x zoom for video recording. It’s not clear if this was part of previous One UI 8.5 betas or was only recently made available to devices. In any case, this revelation is the strongest indication that Samsung will bring the upgrade to its early 2025 flagship.
In a follow-up post on X, Ice Universe shared a video demo of the 25x zoom in action on the Galaxy S25 Ultra running One UI 8.5 beta. The video above shows the zoom moving from 5x to 25x, per the leaker.
Galaxy S25 Ultra users may have to wait, though
Since Samsung is expected to debut One UI 8.5 on the Galaxy S26 series, you will have to wait a few weeks before you can try the new software on your pre-2026 Galaxy flagship. This means Galaxy S25 Ultra owners may have to wait until March or even April to get this feature as part of the stable One UI 8.5 update.
It’s unclear if Samsung will bring this feature to the Galaxy S24 Ultra, which also offers 20x video zoom like the Galaxy S25 Ultra. As in the past, Samsung will likely prioritize the rollout of the One UI 8.5 update for its most recent flagships. This means the Galaxy S25, Galaxy Z Fold 7, and Z Flip 7 could be among the first to get the update, followed by the Galaxy S24, Galaxy S23, Galaxy S22, and the company’s midrange offerings.
For now, all the focus will be on the Galaxy S26 Ultra as it debuts next month. Reports suggest moderate improvements to the camera hardware and not a complete overhaul. With that in mind, some of these upgrades, including the 25x digital zoom for videos, may be mentioned extensively during the Unpacked event on February 25.
