Yes, Apple will 'fake' zoomed photos on the iPhone 15 too - but how far will it go?
Macworld|June 2023
Of course, the Galaxy S23 Ultra isn't taking actual clear pictures of the moon.
MICHAEL SIMON
Yes, Apple will 'fake' zoomed photos on the iPhone 15 too - but how far will it go?

You might have seen headlines this week about the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra taking so-called "fake" moon pictures. Ever since the S20 Ultra, Samsung has had a feature called Space Zoom that marries its 10X optical zoom with massive digital zoom to reach a combined 100X zoom. In marketing shots, Samsung has shown its phone taking nearly crystal clear pictures of the moon, and users have done the same on a clear night.

But a Redditor has proven (fave.co/ 3NtOlck) that Samsung's incredible Space Zoom is using a bit of trickery. It turns out that when taking pictures of the moon, Samsung's Al-based Scene Optimizer does a whole lot of heavy lifting to make it look like the moon was photographed with a high-resolution telescope rather than a smartphone. So when someone takes a shot of the moon-in the sky or on a computer screen as in the Reddit postSamsung's computational engine takes over and clears up the craters and contours that the camera missed.

In a follow-up post (fave.co/3NneXvv), they prove beyond much doubt that Samsung is indeed adding "moon" imagery to photos to make the shot clearer. As they explain, "The computer vision module/Al recognizes the moon, you take the picture, and at this point, a neural network trained on countless moon images fills in the details that were not available optically." That's a bit more "fake" than Samsung lets on, but it's still very much to be expected.

This story is from the June 2023 edition of Macworld.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

This story is from the June 2023 edition of Macworld.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

MORE STORIES FROM MACWORLDView All
LOGITECH POP ICON COMBO: COLORFUL KEYBOARD AND MOUSE WITH REALLY SMART FUNCTIONS
Macworld

LOGITECH POP ICON COMBO: COLORFUL KEYBOARD AND MOUSE WITH REALLY SMART FUNCTIONS

Logitech has launched the new POP Icon keyboard with a matching POP mouse. The two devices are available as a combo set or individually.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
The M4 Macs prove that Apple should steal from itself more
Macworld

The M4 Macs prove that Apple should steal from itself more

Steal from the best.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station: Affordable dock for two displays
Macworld

Wavlink Thunderbolt 4 Triple Display Docking Station: Affordable dock for two displays

Affordable and fast but supports two rather than three extended displays for Macs.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2025
16-INCH MACBOOK PRO (M4 PRO) REVIEW: LOCKED IN AND LOADED
Macworld

16-INCH MACBOOK PRO (M4 PRO) REVIEW: LOCKED IN AND LOADED

APPLE'S LAPTOP GETS GREAT UPGRADES TOMAKE IT A BETTER WORKSTATION.

time-read
7 mins  |
February 2025
The Apple Car is dead. Where does that leave Apple's auto ambitions?
Macworld

The Apple Car is dead. Where does that leave Apple's auto ambitions?

What remains of the Apple Car pipe dream? We examine the legacy of Apple's doomed Project Titan.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
iPad mini (A17 Pro): A little faster, a little 'smarter'
Macworld

iPad mini (A17 Pro): A little faster, a little 'smarter'

Update brings new chip brings support for Apple’s AI feature set...and not much else.

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2025
I love my desktop Mac, but I've decided to switch-here's why
Macworld

I love my desktop Mac, but I've decided to switch-here's why

Being a Mac laptop user in the Apple silicon era is better than it was in the Intel years.

time-read
6 mins  |
February 2025
Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great sound at a mid-range price
Macworld

Bowers & Wilkins Pi8: Great sound at a mid-range price

B&W's noise-cancelling earbuds go head-to-head with Apple's AirPods Pro.

time-read
3 mins  |
February 2025
Six ways Apple Intelligence levels up with iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2
Macworld

Six ways Apple Intelligence levels up with iOS 18.2 and macOS 15.2

The latest tranche of AI features is a massive upgrade.

time-read
4 mins  |
February 2025
REVIEW: M4 iMAC THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST iMAC EVER
Macworld

REVIEW: M4 iMAC THIS MIGHT BE THE BEST iMAC EVER

A FASTER CHIP, MORE RAM, A BETTER CAMERA, AND A CHANGE IN PORTS MAKE THE M4 iMAC THE BEST BUY IT'S EVER BEEN.

time-read
10 mins  |
February 2025