Even with standalone cameras and equipment; if you lack the knowledge to capture those nighttime skylines, cities and sceneries, the results will often be blurry and grainy with bad lighting. While most smartphones today make nighttime photography easier, it’s still a big challenge for many to achieve the perfect shot.
That’s why the cameras on Samsung Galaxy S25 series are a big deal. Among many camera enthusiasts, Samsung is known as one of the pioneers of the Nightography—Night Mode— concept. Their Galaxy S series makes it ridiculously easy to snap stunning low-light photos without fumbling through complicated settings.
Why Night Photography is Tricky on Smartphones
Nighttime photography has always been a pain point for smartphones. The core issue is simple: light. Camera sensors need light to create images, and at night, there is not enough of it.
When you try to take a photo in low light, the phone will compensate often by slowing down the shutter speed in order to allow the camera to open up longer and receive light (which is why you get blur from hand shake or moving subjects). Or, it will crank up the ISO sensitivity (which introduces that ugly digital noise and grain).
Smartphone cameras face an even bigger challenge than traditional cameras because their sensors are tiny, so there’s only so much light they can physically capture. Add in the fact that most people want to quickly snap a photo without using a tripod or fiddling with manual settings, and you've got a recipe for disappointing results. Blurry, dark, grainy photos have been the norm for smartphone night photography until AI and computational photography started changing the game.
So, How’s Samsung’s Nightography Different?
Think of Nightography as your phone's ability to shoot better in the dark than typical standard settings. Night Mode generally uses AI multi-frame processing to combine 30 images into one epic shot, optimizing color and detail in every pixel. Instead of getting grainy, washed-out images you'd normally expect from low-light shots, the mode will be able to produce brighter and sharper images that actually look like what you saw with your own eyes.
The tech leverages both hardware and AI to pull in as much light as possible while keeping everything crisp. Nightography uses advanced AI and sensor technology to enhance low-light performance, helping make photos more bright, sharp, and full of detail in dark environments.
What Does Samsung Have Up Their Sleeves?
The Galaxy S25 series packs some seriously impressive camera specs that make all this possible. Here's what you're working with:
Galaxy S25 and S25+: The rear camera system includes a 12MP Ultra Wide (F2.2), 50MP Wide (F1.8) with Adaptive Pixel and Optical Quality 2x zoom, and a 10MP Telephoto (F2.4) with 3x optical zoom.
Galaxy S25 Ultra: Galaxy S25 Ultra features a 50MP ultra-wide lens, a 200MP wide camera (F1.7) with Adaptive Pixel, a 50MP telephoto lens (F3.4) with 5x optical zoom and 10x optical quality zoom, plus a 10MP telephoto (F2) with 3x optical zoom.
For the Galaxy S25 Ultra, that 200MP main sensor is especially important for low-light shooting because it can capture an insane amount of detail and light information. The wider apertures (like F1.7 and F1.8) also mean more light hits the sensor, which is crucial when you're shooting in dim conditions.
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AI That Actually Makes a Difference
Hardware is not the only factor at play here. The Galaxy S25 series is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite Mobile Platform for Galaxy, which is custom-designed for Galaxy smartphones. This chip is specifically optimized for faster performance, quicker and more acute image processing and AI tasks.
This enhanced processor brings several key improvements to night shooting:
Advanced Noise Reduction: The advanced processor delivers more precise noise removal, so you won't have to worry about grainy night footage again. No more of that ugly digital grain ruining your shots.
Object-Aware Engine: This is one of the more fun features to play with. The Object-Aware Engine recognizes various kinds of subjects, optimizing exposure, colour, and resolution in low light for both front and rear cameras. It detects light in the environment and precisely recognizes subjects, capturing skin tones and textures exactly as your eyes see them.
Scene Optimizer: Scene Optimizer uses Galaxy AI to detect what the photo could use to look its best, identifying whether you're snapping a landscape, food, or a portrait, then adjusting settings like exposure and contrast accordingly. It's like having a professional photographer making micro-adjustments for you in real-time.
Features That Complement Night Shooting
Beyond the core Nightography tech, Samsung has packed in several features that make shooting at night even better:
10-bit HDR Video: You can now shoot in improved 10-bit HDR for a stunning videography experience. This means way better dynamic range and colour depth in your night videos—perfect for capturing busy light scenes such as cityscapes and concert footage.
ProVisual Engine: The advanced ProVisual Engine maintains clarity at fast shutter speeds, banishing blur for fast action shots. Even in low light, you can capture moving subjects without that annoying motion blur.
Audio Eraser: While not directly related to image quality, this feature is brilliant for night shooting. Recording a video at a night market or concert? Audio Eraser will clear out unwanted noise in seconds, filtering background sounds to improve audio clarity.
Generative Edit: Sometimes you nail the shot but the background just looks too messy, be it rubbish on the ground or a random person looking into your camera. Samsung's AI-powered editing tools let you remove or adjust such elements after you’ve taken the shot, without needing another app or software.
The Bottom Line
What makes Samsung Galaxy smartphones—like the S25 series—special isn't just one thing—it's how everything works together. The large sensors pull in more light, the AI intelligently processes each frame, the powerful chip handles complex computations in milliseconds, and intuitive software features make it all accessible without needing very expensive photography equipment.
Whether you're shooting a dimly lit restaurant dinner, capturing the energy of a night concert, or just trying to get a clear photo of your friends at an evening hangout, the Galaxy S25 series is flexible enough. Night mode kicks in automatically when needed, the Object-Aware Engine ensures people look natural, and advanced noise reduction keeps everything clean.
The best part? You don't have to think about any of this technical stuff. Just point, shoot, and let the phone do its thing.
To check Samsung Galaxy S25 series and other photography options, head to Samsung Malaysia website.
[This post was made in collaboration with Samsung Malaysia.]
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