- The APV codec offers near lossless visual quality and greater storage efficiency than HEVC and similar formats.
- The Galaxy S26 Ultra and Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 integrate hardware support for APV, allowing recording up to 8K with professional workflows.
- APV is an open, royalty-free standard and is already supported by Android 16 and major players such as Adobe, Blackmagic, and YouTube.
- Samsung positions APV as a serious alternative to Apple ProRes for creators who edit, color correct, and produce high-level content from their mobile devices.
Mobile video has taken a huge leap in just a few years, but with the APV (Advanced Professional Video) codec Samsung and Qualcomm have decided to go a step further: it's not just about recording pretty clips for social media, but about bringing a truly professional video workflow to smartphones, from capture with professional camera applications through advanced editing and final export.
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first phone to commercially debut this standard, supported by the processor Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy And backed by giants like Google, Adobe, Blackmagic Design, and YouTube. The goal is clear: to allow creators to go out with just their mobile phone, record in a robust format, edit professionally, and deliver high-quality work without always relying on dedicated cameras.
What is the APV codec and why is it so relevant?
APV, acronym for Advanced Professional VideoIt is a new video codec designed specifically for advanced video creation and editing on mobile devices and for improve the quality of your videos through internal adjustments and specialized apps. Unlike formats designed for quick consumption and sharing, their priority is to maintain as much information as possible in each frame, so that the material can withstand color corrections, effects, and multiple exports without "breaking."
This codec has been formally standardized by the IETF (Internet Engineering Task Force), which puts it in a different league than simple proprietary formats. Furthermore, it has been released as a royalty-free codec, facilitating its adoption by manufacturers, editing app developers, and video platforms without the typical licensing costs that have hampered other standards.
The philosophy behind APV is to offer a virtually lossless visual quality (visual lossless). In practice, this means that fine details—such as water droplets in a fountain, hair blowing in the wind, fog, delicate textures, or smooth transitions in shadows—remain clear and defined even after several rounds of compression and editing, something that is usually degraded with codecs like HEVC.
Differences between APV and traditional codecs like HEVC
To understand the leap that APV represents, it is necessary to compare its approach with that of widely used codecs such as HEVC (H.265)Traditional codecs are optimized to minimize file size, sacrificing some visual information, especially very small details considered "unimportant" to the human eye; this logic doesn't favor tools designed for Improve your recordings in post-production.
When an HEVC video is recompressed multiple times—for example, when edit and export it, re-import it and so on—, the cumulative loss of detail This becomes evident: textures that blur, artifacts in areas with fast movement, strange noise in shadows, and jagged gradients in skies and soft lighting. In contrast, APV prioritizes preserving these micro-details, even if it results in slightly larger file sizes.
According to data from Samsung and internal comparisons against other high-quality formats, APV is capable of reduce file size by around 10% compared to codecs of similar quality (including Apple ProRes itself in some measurements), and up to 20% compared to HEVC, maintaining the same perception of image quality or even better in complex scenes.
While the focus of HEVC and more consumer-oriented formats is to facilitate the quick share In the realm of networks and messaging with lightweight files, APV was born with a different intention: to make video a highly flexible working tool. In other words, less designed to be watched and forgotten, and more to be explored in depth in the editing room.
A codec designed for creators and professional workflows
We are living in a time when, literally, Anyone can be a creatorYouTubers, streamers, TikTokers, documentary filmmakers, independent filmmakers… many of them already use their mobile phones as their main or secondary camera, and resort to apps like VSCO to give style to their material. But until now, the weak link used to be the recording format: either too compressed, or inefficient and difficult to handle on a mobile phone.
APV arrives just in time to fill that gap. Its design is optimized for editingwith compression designed to minimize visual degradation between file generation. This results in fewer artifacts when correcting exposure, lifting shadows, lowering highlights, adjusting white balance, or applying cinematic LUTs; and facilitates mobile workflows—for example, turn your tablet into an editor for quick adjustments—.
Another key point is its YUV-based color reproduction 4:2:2This results in greater color fidelity and more useful information for color correction than typical 4:2:0 mobile formats. Furthermore, the APV standard supports advanced color sampling configurations—from 4:0:0 to 4:4:4:4—and bit depths from 10 to 16 bits, making it perfectly compatible with HDR streams and smooth, banding-free gradations.
In practical terms, this means that when mounting a part that has been run in APV you will have more room to push the image before blockages, strange noise, or posterization appear. The file "holds up" to editing abuse much better than a typical HEVC clip.
How APV works at a technical level and what it offers
APV is a codec of type intra-frame or intracuadro In its more editing-oriented profiles, this means that each frame is compressed relatively independently. While this impacts file size, it has two key advantages: editing is smoother because it doesn't rely as heavily on previous and subsequent frames, and the quality remains more stable upon recompression.
The standard also supports more advanced configurations, such as multi-view video For multi-camera setups, it supports multi-channel audio and full HDR support with profiles such as HDR10 and HDR10+. In terms of resolution, it allows recording up to 8K is 30 fpsAnd according to leaks and preliminary technical specifications, it will also have high frame rates at lower resolutions, reaching up to 100 fps in FHD and 4K in certain modes. For tips on how working with multichannel audio On mobile, there are practical guides that complement these workflows.
Storage efficiency is another of its strengths: all other things being equal, APV achieves file size reductions of around 10-20% compared to similar codecs. This means that, for example, in 8K or UHD you can record more minutes without filling up storage as quickly, which is critical when we're talking about footage that can reach 6 GB per minute in UHD at 30 fps.
To be hardware accelerated On the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5, both APV encoding and decoding are performed with low power consumption and without excessively straining the main CPU. This allows for long recording sessions and smooth playback directly on the phone without the device becoming overheated after just a few minutes.
Galaxy S26 Ultra: the first smartphone with native APV support
The Galaxy S26 Ultra is the first Samsung phone to hit the market with full support for APV, relying on the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for GalaxyThis processor has been designed from the ground up to handle real-time encoding and decoding of this codec at demanding resolutions such as 8K.
To make this viable in such a compact device, Samsung has had to work extensively on thermal management and system optimizationProcessing UHD and 8K video in real time generates a brutal load, so the data paths, memory subsystem and heat dissipation mechanisms have been fine-tuned to ensure a stable and sustained experience over time.
One of the challenges was ensuring the data storage stability when the phone records at such high rates. To resolve this, Samsung collaborated with its own Memory division, validating the latest portable SSDs across all recording resolutions supported by the S26 Ultra, subjecting them to more than nine intensive testing cycles to ensure that data transfer remains stable even under heavy load.
The S26 Ultra is not limited to the codec: it also incorporates four integrated cinematic LUTs These features allow you to apply cinematic looks directly from the camera. This way, anyone wanting a more stylized result has creative tools ready from the start, without needing to use an external editor if they don't want to.
APV modes and profiles on the Galaxy S26 Ultra
On the Galaxy S26 Ultra, APV is not a single generic option, but a set of compression modes and levels Designed for different types of projects. From the Camera app itself, you can adjust how you want the codec to behave based on your priorities of quality or space.
Within the capture modes, the user can choose between APV HDR y APV LogThe first is designed for those who want a high dynamic range result ready to view on HDR10/HDR10+ compatible displays, with a powerful look straight from the camera. The Log mode, on the other hand, offers a more washed-out image but with plenty of detail in shadows and highlights, ideal for cinematic color correction workflows.
Regarding compression, the S26 Ultra offers at least two clear profiles: APV 4:2:2 HQ (high quality) and APV 4:2:2 LQ (Optimized for space saving). The first prioritizes preserving maximum detail and color, making it the logical choice for critical projects or demanding professional work. The second slightly reduces file size, minimally sacrificing quality but maintaining the essence of APV, for long recordings where storage is a key factor.
Another particularly useful feature for long productions is the ability to Record directly to external USB storageFrom the Camera settings, you can specify that APV content is saved to a compatible portable SSD connected to your phone. This opens the door to extended shoots, lengthy interviews, or documentary projects without constantly battling for internal storage space.
How to enable APV on the Galaxy S26 Ultra camera
Activating the APV codec on the Galaxy S26 Ultra is done through the camera app itself, within the video format settings. The process is simple and accessible for any user who wants to take advantage of this feature.
To configure recording in this format, simply go to the application Camera and access SettingsEnter the video format section and select APV as the primary codec. From there, you can choose whether you want to work in APV HDR or APV Log mode, depending on the output you need for your workflow, and decide whether you prefer the APV 4:2:2 HQ or APV 4:2:2 LQ compression profile.
Once configured, it is possible enable or disable APV mode directly from the camera preview, without having to navigate through all the menus again. If you'd also like to store the footage on an external drive, you'll find the "Save to external storage" option in Camera Settings, where you can select a USB device connected to the phone's port.
For those who want to explore the Galaxy experience without owning the device, Samsung offers the app Try Galaxy, which allows you to simulate some of the latest functions from your current mobile phone, including the camera and video parts to give you an idea of the usage flow.
APV Development: Collaboration between Samsung, Qualcomm and the ecosystem
The birth of APV was not an isolated experiment, but the result of years of working together between several teams and companies. On one hand, Samsung Electronics—through its Mobile eXperience (MX) division and the Visual Solution team—driven the development of the codec, while Samsung Research led the standardization process within the IETF.
For about three years, both teams worked side by side to make APV compatible with Android as part of the standardIn fact, Google has incorporated support for the codec in Android 16, opening the door for many more devices, not just Galaxy phones, to take advantage of it in the future. This is key to preventing it from remaining exclusive and ensuring it becomes a standard format for mobile video.
Qualcomm, for its part, has integrated hardware support for APV into the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5This makes it the world's first chip capable of natively handling this codec. This move positions both Qualcomm and Samsung at the forefront of professional video capture and processing in smartphones, sending a clear message to the competition.
But the ecosystem goes much further: companies like Adobe, ArcSoft, Blackmagic Design (DaVinci Resolve), Company 3, Dolby and YouTube They have already expressed their support for APV. This means we will see integration into editing tools, advanced players, and distribution platforms, making it easier for content recorded in APV to be edited and played back seamlessly in professional environments.
Why APV is an open codec and what does that mean?
One of the most interesting strategic decisions was to launch APV as Open source and royalty-freeFrom Samsung's perspective, cutting-edge technology is of little use if it isn't adopted on a large scale and ends up relegated to a niche format. Their stated goal is to build a broad ecosystem around APV.
By offering the codec without license fees, the barrier to entry is greatly lowered. device manufacturers, app developers and platformsThis contrasts with other codecs that have faced adoption problems due to legal complications or high royalties. For the end user, the result is potentially greater compatibility, more applications that read and write APV, and more devices capable of working with this standard.
This opening is also, in practice, a response to Apple's dominance with ProRes in the iPhone ecosystemAPV positions itself as an open, efficient, and editing-oriented alternative, designed for the Android world and for manufacturers who do not want to depend on closed formats or complex licenses.
APV integration in Android 16 and future expansion
The incorporation of APV in Android 16 by Google It's a key piece of the puzzle. Not only does it legitimize the codec as an operating system standard, but it also lays the groundwork for many more manufacturers to adopt it without having to create custom integrations from scratch.
Because it is directly supported by the system, developers of camera, editing, and playback applications can work with APV nativelyby accessing optimized APIs and functions. This facilitates the emergence of apps capable of leveraging its full potential, from professional recorders to advanced mobile editors or dedicated streaming solutions.
Samsung plans to use APV across the entire family Galaxy S26not only in the Ultra model, reinforcing its commitment to this standard. Over time, it is very likely that other manufacturers will join in, especially if the codec demonstrates in practice the advantages it promises in terms of balance between quality and file size.
Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5: The engine that makes APV possible
The Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 is not just “a more powerful chip”: it is being built as the foundation of the new generation of mobile videoIts hardware compatibility with APV allows for high-speed encoding and decoding of this codec with low power consumption, which is essential for recording 4K and 8K without stuttering or extreme overheating.
This SoC promises a remarkable leap in multimedia capabilities: improved AI performance for image stabilization and processing, advanced HDR supportMore precise color management and, above all, the ability to handle very large video data streams in real time. Looking ahead to the upcoming Galaxy S26 and other Android flagships, this represents a turning point in how mobile phones are conceived as filming tools.
Furthermore, by integrating APV as a core part of their capabilities, Qualcomm and Samsung are sending a clear message: direct competition with Apple in the ProRes field It's on the table, and the Android universe finally has a solid, standardized answer designed for demanding creators.
Where does APV fit into Samsung's mobile video strategy?
In recent years, Samsung has reinforced its message of premium audiovisual experienceNot only through their mobile devices, but also with televisions, HDR formats, audio solutions, and connected services. APV fits perfectly into this puzzle as the missing piece in the professional capture chain.
If you only use your phone to record short clips and upload them to social media without editing them, the underlying codec probably matters relatively little to you. But if you regularly You edit, correct color, assemble long pieces, or need to maintain maximum quality For future use, having a recording format designed for all of that makes a very real difference.
Samsung wants the Galaxy S26 Ultra and its ecosystem to become a serious option for professional workflowsTo the point that it's not unreasonable to imagine it being used in independent film productions or as a secondary camera on larger shoots. In fact, the company has developed a dedicated professional kit for the S26 Ultra in collaboration with a camera accessory specialist, fine-tuning it against the clock before the Galaxy Unpacked event.
Real benefits and impact for users and creators
For the advanced user, the arrival of APV on mobile means power record with near-dedicated camera quality without always having to carry around large devices. The improved storage management—greater efficiency for the same quality—allows for longer sessions without fear of filling up your phone in a matter of minutes.
At the same time, hardware integration ensures smoother editing and playback on the device itselfas well as improved battery life when working on long projects. The combination of a robust codec, cinematic LUTs, Log and HDR profiles, and external storage options makes the Galaxy S26 Ultra a Swiss Army knife for creators.
In the industry, APV represents a new chapter in the format war In contrast to Apple's dominance of ProRes, being open, efficient, and backed by Google, Samsung, Qualcomm, and other major players in the audiovisual industry, it has all the ingredients to become the benchmark for professional video on Android smartphones for years to come.
All this movement makes it clear that mobile video has ceased to be a cute accessory for Instagram and is becoming a central pillar of serious creative workWith APV, the Galaxy S26 Ultra demonstrates that a single device can accompany the user from capture to editing and sharing at a professional level, with a quality that a few years ago sounded like science fiction in a phone. Share the information so that more users know about the topic.