Much of the tech world is currently looking ahead to the next generation of flagship devices. In the coming weeks, we’ll see the official launch of the Galaxy S26 series —presumably in February, pending official confirmation. Meanwhile, the company is working on One UI 8.5 as its next major update for Galaxy devices. Although the main focus is on the S26 devices, the company hasn’t forgotten its previous flagships. Recent discoveries within the One UI 8.5 beta suggest that the Samsung Galaxy S25 Ultra is about to get a significant boost in its video recording capabilities, pushing its digital zoom limits to 25x.
For a long time, Samsung capped the video zoom on its Ultra models at 20x magnification. This phone is famous for its 100x “Space Zoom” in photo mode. Meanwhile, video has always been more restricted to maintain stability and image quality. However, thanks to the upcoming One UI 8.5 update, that ceiling is finally moving up.
Samsung increases Galaxy S25 Ultra video zoom limits to 25x in One UI 8.5
The news first surfaced via a prominent industry insider, Ice Universe , on X/Twitter. He shared evidence of the new zoom interface in One UI 8.5’s refreshed Camera app . The new camera interface has a separate 25x toggle in addition to the regular 0.5x, 1x, 2x, 3x, and 5x focal lengths.
Of course, when you push digital zoom further, you often get worried about grainy video. To fix this, Samsung probably uses advanced AI processing to make the image stable and bring out details at these higher levels of magnification. This lets users get even closer to things that are far away without having to buy a whole new camera sensor.
When will users get the update?
If you own a Galaxy S25 Ultra, you might have to practice a little patience. While the features are already being tested in beta, the stable rollout of One UI 8.5 isn’t expected to hit most devices until March or April. Historically, Samsung debuts its latest software versions on its newest hardware—in this case, the upcoming Galaxy S26 series—before bringing those perks to previous models.
It remains to be seen if this 25x video zoom will also make its way to the Galaxy S24 Ultra. Since both phones share similar telephoto capabilities, it is technically possible. Samsung often prioritizes its most recent flagship to keep the user experience feeling fresh, though.
