The Samsung Galaxy S26 series has been the subject of numerous rumors for months. While many details about the upcoming smartphones are already known, a new leak reveals their potential video recording capabilities.
Galaxy S26 Expected to Feature APV Video Codec
According to SammyGuru, Samsung is likely to enhance the Galaxy S26’s video recording with Advanced Professional Video (APV) Codec support. If true, the S26 series would be the first smartphones to implement this codec, which was officially introduced at the 2023 Samsung Developer Conference.
The APV codec promises to be highly efficient and powerful, potentially outperforming Apple’s ProRes. It will allow users to capture lossless-quality footage that takes up 20% less storage than ProRes, while still supporting LOG and HDR video formats.
The APV codec will also allow video recording at a high bitrate of several Gbps, supporting 2K, 4K, and 8K resolutions. Samsung reportedly took four years to introduce this codec to the S series, as only now does Android 16 provide platform-level support.
Unlike the standard HEVC codec, which offers 10-bit color depth, APV supports 12-bit color depth, helping the Galaxy S26 series eliminate banding issues in videos by preserving more color information. The codec also supports HDR10 and HDR10+, while low-light performance is enhanced through 4:4:4 chroma subsampling.
The publication also claims that the Galaxy S26 series will support LUTs (Look-Up Tables) directly in the gallery app, a feature first seen on Nothing Phone (3a) series. This will allow users to preview videos with cinematic color grading before exporting.
In addition, the APV codec is rumored to introduce a Horizon Lock feature similar to iPhone’s Action Mode, along with multi-page document scanning and Motion Photo customization. These enhancements, combined with professional-grade codec support, are expected to elevate the photography and videography experience on the Galaxy S26 lineup.
Galaxy S26 Series: Expected Specifications
The upcoming Galaxy S26 lineup is rumored to include the S26 Pro, S26 Edge, and S26 Ultra, with Samsung reportedly discontinuing the compact and Plus models.
The devices are expected to be powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy and could feature batteries of up to 5,000mAh. The S26 Ultra may support faster 60W charging. In terms of cameras, a recent leak suggests that the telephoto sensor will remain the same as the Galaxy S24 Ultra, featuring a 50 MP 1/2.52-inch 0.7μm sensor.
The Galaxy S26 series is expected to launch in January 2026 during the Galaxy Unpacked event. More details are likely to emerge in the coming months, so stay tuned to Beebom Gadgets for the latest updates.
