Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Space Zoom Images of the Moon Aren’t Fake, Says Company: Report

Claims that it all boils down to artificial intelligence

Written by Sheldon Pinto, Edited by Siddharth Suvarna | Updated: 16 March 2023 13:45 IST

Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra’s Space Zoom Images of the Moon Aren’t Fake, Says Company: Report

Samsung’s Galaxy S23 Ultra recently went on sale in India and packs an arsenal of rear-facing cameras.

Highlights

Samsung claims that the images captured by the Galaxy S23 Ultra are real
The space zoom feature heavily relies on artificial intelligence
The artificial intelligence-driven bits can be switched off

Samsung's Galaxy S23 Ultra has received fairly positive reviews despite its higher than usual price in India this year. The smartphone packs interesting hardware, which includes a 200-megapixel primary camera and a customised Qualcomm Snapdragon processor. However, the phone has been caught in controversy with its space zoom feature, which lets users zoom in and capture photos of the moon. Recently, a Redditor took to the platform attempting to explain how Samsung's space zoom feature is fake and that it applies details that aren't really visible to its cameras. After a brief silence, Samsung has finally responded to these allegations.

Samsung responded to Tom's Guide, stating that the images of the moon captured by its Galaxy S23 Ultra aren't fake. Samsung claims that its space zoom mode relies on its camera's artificial intelligence capabilities, stating that when a user attempts to snap a picture of the Moon, the AI-based scene optimisation technology takes over. The camera first recognises the Moon as the main object in the scene. Next, it takes multiple photos for multi-frame composition. Post this, the AI enhances the details of the image in terms of quality and colours.

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The company claims that the above process is very different from applying an image overlay to a photo. Moreover, Samsung states that users can deactivate the AI camera feature that enables all of this. Samsung claims that its Scene Optimiser feature when switched off will disable the automated detail enhancements and leave the user with the original image.

Our review of the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra also explains how Samsung's Scene Optimiser interferes with output of its rear cameras. The AI-based feature that recognises objects or subjects in a scene and then applies the necessary enhancements automatically, can lead to some saturated photos that are not a representation of the actual scene. For example, blue skies on a sunny afternoon get enhanced to levels that appear abnormally oversaturated when compared to the actual scene.

Samsung S23 Ultra vs iPhone 14 Pro Camera Shootout

In our camera shootout versus the Apple iPhone 14 Pro, we decided to keep the feature switched off in daylight and turn it on only post sunset, because Scene Optimiser does have its advantages in low light. Just like Apple's auto night mode, which is enabled automatically depending on the available light in the scene (when it auto mode), Samsung's Scene Optimiser will also automatically switch to Night mode when detecting a shooting scenario that requires it, reducing the need to manually switch between modes when shooting.

The Xiaomi 13 Pro has a hefty price tag compared to the company's 2022 flagship model. How does it fare against other high-end phones launched in 2023? We discuss this on Orbital, the Gadgets 360 podcast. Orbital is available on Spotify, Gaana, JioSaavn, Google Podcasts, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music and wherever you get your podcasts.

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Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Unique design
Bright and accurate display
Good gaming performance
Excellent cameras, quality video recording
Solid battery life

Bad
Expensive
Still too large for most hands
Loaded with bloatware
Relatively slow charging

Read detailed Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra review

Display 6.80-inch

Processor Snapdragon 8 Gen 2

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 200-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 10-megapixel

RAM 8GB, 12GB

Storage 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

Battery Capacity 5000mAh

OS Android 13

More Samsung mobiles Samsung mobiles price in India

iPhone 14 Pro

REVIEW
KEY SPECS
NEWS

Design
Display
Software
Performance
Battery Life
Camera
Value for Money

Good
Superb display with always-on mode
Excellent overall performance
Good battery life
All cameras take high-quality stills and video
Regular iOS updates for many years

Bad
Extremely expensive
Relatively slow charging and transfer speed
Gets warm under heavy workloads
Limited customisation for Dynamic Island

Read detailed Apple iPhone 14 Pro review

Display 6.10-inch

Processor Apple A16 Bionic

Front Camera 12-megapixel

Rear Camera 48-megapixel + 12-megapixel + 12-megapixel

RAM 6GB

Storage 128GB, 256GB, 512GB, 1TB

OS iOS 16

Resolution 1179x2556 pixels

More Apple mobiles Apple mobiles price in India

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Further reading: Samsung, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra Cameras, Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra 100X Zoom

Sheldon Pinto

Email Sheldon Pinto

Sheldon Pinto is based in Mumbai, and has several years of experience in reviewing smartphones and gadgets. As a Senior Reviewer at Gadgets 360, you will always find him deeply immersed in his reviews, switching from one phone to another. When the battery dies out, Sheldon is always browsing the web for a good sci-fi movie or reading up on cars and bikes. He also loves creating lists of interesting places to eat and travel. Sheldon is available on Twitter at @shellshocd, and you can mail him at ...More