The Galaxy S26 series launched with a handful of software camera upgrades, and one of them might not stay exclusive for long. A Samsung executive has hinted that Virtual Aperture could eventually make its way to the Galaxy S25 series.
Virtual Aperture is a software-based feature that lets users control the intensity of background blur in portrait shots. Since smartphone lenses have fixed apertures unlike DSLR cameras, Samsung simulates the effect through software. The system uses object recognition to analyze different parts of a subject, like hair, skin, eyes, and facial contours, to produce a more natural-looking blur. It’s already available on the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra, but only for the primary camera through the Expert RAW app.
That’s where things get interesting. A user asked a Samsung executive, who is part of the company’s camera development team, whether Samsung plans to bring Virtual Aperture support to the telephoto cameras on the S25 series, specifically the 3x and 5x zoom lenses. According to the executive’s response, Samsung is currently considering it. No timeline was given, and there’s no confirmation this will actually happen, but the fact that someone on the camera team acknowledged it is a decent sign.
It’s a fairly reasonable ask. If the feature works well on the primary camera, extending it to telephoto lenses shouldn’t be a stretch, and portrait shots taken with a zoom lens are common. A software update through Expert RAW would be the likely delivery method if Samsung follows through.
Also read: Samsung begins One UI 9 development as Android 17 beta goes live
There’s also a longer-term development worth keeping in mind. Samsung is reportedly looking at introducing true variable aperture with the Galaxy S27 series next year, which would be a hardware-level change rather than a software simulation. For now, though, Virtual Aperture is the closest thing Galaxy users have to adjustable blur control.
