# Can the Galaxy S26 Ultra record 8K video and what is APV format?

> Expert answer about Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra

*Published: 2026-02-27 | Updated: 2026-02-27 | Source: https://shopsavvy.com/answers/can-the-galaxy-s26-ultra-record-8k-video-and-what-is-apv-format*

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## Product: Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra
**Brand:** Samsung

Yes, the Galaxy S26 Ultra can record 8K video at 30fps. But the bigger story is APV format, which is a first for any smartphone.

**What's APV and why should you care?**

APV stands for Advanced Professional Video. Samsung developed it, and the S26 Ultra is the first phone to support it. The key benefit: your video quality stays almost perfect even after you edit and re-export it multiple times. With regular video formats, quality degrades with each export. APV prevents that.

APV is about 20% more efficient than Apple's ProRes, so you get similar professional quality in smaller file sizes. The codec supports 12-bit color depth and 4:4:4 chroma subsampling, meaning colors look amazing and professional colorists have lots of information to work with.

**Two ways to record:**

HDR mode gives you footage ready to share with vibrant colors and balanced highlights. Log mode looks flat out of the camera but gives colorists maximum flexibility in post-production.

**The catch: storage**

8K APV footage eats storage fast. Expect 1 to 1.5 GB per minute for high-quality recording. For serious work, you need external storage with at least 400 MB/s write speeds.

**Do you actually need this?**

Professional videographers and content creators who edit footage multiple times will benefit from APV. For everyone else, regular 4K recording is plenty good and much easier on storage.

[Compare Galaxy S26 Ultra prices](https://shopsavvy.com/products/samsung-samsung-galaxy-s26-ultra-galaxy-s26-ultra-97x94afl) across retailers.

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*Where this comes from: This answer is based on ShopSavvy's product database, real-time pricing from thousands of retailers, and analysis of user reviews to give you a well-rounded picture.*