iPhones, watch out: The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first phone with this video upgrade

Samsung phones have long been among the best Android phones for video recording. The company has just launched the Galaxy S26 series, and the Galaxy S26 Ultra brings a major video quality upgrade.

The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first Android phone to support Samsung’s Advanced Professional Video (APV) codec. This royalty-free codec was unveiled back in 2023, so what makes it stand out from others?

The current HEVC and AV1 codecs focus on reduced storage while maintaining video quality, but the APV codec is meant for professional/enthusiast video capture and workflows. Samsung says APV offers “visually lossless video quality that stays true even after repeated editing.”

In saying so, the Galaxy maker previously promised that APV videos consume 20% less storage than HEVC videos. So you can still expect significant storage savings compared to the current popular video codec. For what it’s worth, AV1 videos are up to 30% smaller than HEVC. In other words, AV1 capture is still the way to go if you want the smallest video files possible. It’s just a pity that Pixel 10 phones are the only smartphones to support this codec.

Samsung noted in a media briefing that the Galaxy S26 Ultra supports the APV codec at up to 8K/30fps capture. However, we were also able to confirm via a Galaxy S26 Ultra unit that APV can be used for HDR and Log video. The new codec also lets you switch between two quality profiles, namely APV 422 HQ (high quality) and APV 422 LQ (low quality). Recording 1080p/30fps video capture with the HQ profile consumes roughly 1.5GB per minute. Meanwhile, 1080p/30fps video capture via the LQ profile consumes roughly 750MB per minute. Thankfully, you can record APV footage directly to external storage if you’re worried about filling up your phone’s internal storage.

Of course, there’s more to video quality than the codec itself. Other factors, such as the bit rate, stabilization, and lens transitions, all contribute to overall video quality. Nevertheless, APV should still help in a big way.