The Samsung Galaxy S25 (2025) shoots in DNG RAW via Expert RAW and has no mechanical shutter — the image counter stored in each DNG file records total electronic captures across all cameras. Drop an Expert RAW DNG file to read it instantly.
Check Image Counter →The Samsung Galaxy S25 is powered by the Snapdragon 8 Elite (4 nm, Qualcomm Oryon CPU, Adreno 830 GPU) and features a 50 MP main camera (f/1.8, 23 mm equiv, dual-pixel PDAF, OIS), a 12 MP ultrawide (f/2.2, 120°), and a 10 MP 3× telephoto (f/3.7, 69 mm equiv, OIS). The 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X display runs at up to 120 Hz with Vision Booster for outdoor use.
Like all Galaxy S smartphones, the S25 uses CMOS electronic readout only. There is no mechanical focal-plane shutter. Every photo — regardless of which lens captures it — increments the persistent electronic image counter embedded in Expert RAW DNG files.
| Model | Release | Main Sensor | Shutter Type | RAW Format |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Galaxy S25 | 2025 | 50 MP (f/1.8, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Galaxy S25 Ultra | 2025 | 200 MP (f/1.7, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Galaxy S24 Ultra | 2024 | 200 MP (f/1.7, OIS) | Electronic only | DNG (Expert RAW) |
| Nikon Z6 III | 2024 | 24.5 MP FF CMOS | Mechanical + Electronic | NEF |
DCIM/ExpertRAW (or DCIM/Camera for Pro mode files). Copy the .dng file to your computer.exiftool -ImageNumber yourfile.dng to read the counter directly from the file metadata.The image counter is a useful indicator of how intensively the device was used, but it carries no mechanical wear significance. These are the meaningful factors to evaluate:
| What to Check | How |
|---|---|
| Battery health | Settings → Battery → Battery status. Samsung reports cycle count and health percentage. Aim for >80% capacity |
| Display condition | Inspect the 6.2-inch Dynamic AMOLED 2X for burn-in, dead pixels, or delamination at the edges. AMOLED burn-in typically appears as ghosted UI elements |
| Camera lenses | Check all three lenses (main, ultrawide, telephoto) for scratches or fogging; test autofocus on all three in good lighting |
| Armor Aluminum frame | Inspect edges for dents or cracks around the USB-C port; the Armor Aluminum finish is resilient but can show impact marks |
| Image counter | High count (>40,000) indicates intensive use — useful context, not a hardware failure indicator |
Samsung Expert RAW on the Galaxy S25 uses multi-frame processing: it captures multiple RAW frames and fuses them into a single high-quality DNG, combining the benefits of computational photography with the flexibility of RAW editing. The result is a DNG file that opens natively in Lightroom, Capture One, darktable, and other RAW-capable editors.
The image counter is stored in the DNG EXIF metadata under the ImageNumber field. This is a persistent hardware counter that increments with every capture across all camera modes and lenses, and cannot be reset by a factory restore or software reinstall.
Both Pro mode (stock Camera app) and Expert RAW produce DNG files that embed the image counter. Expert RAW adds multi-frame fusion, histogram overlays, and dedicated RAW workflow features. For the purpose of reading the image counter, either DNG file works identically in shuttercount.app.
No. All Galaxy S25 models use CMOS electronic readout. There is no focal-plane shutter mechanism and no rated mechanical lifespan. The image counter in the DNG file tracks electronic captures only.
Install Expert RAW from the Galaxy Store for the best experience, or enable RAW output in the stock Camera’s Pro mode: Camera → More → Pro, then tap the settings icon and enable RAW or RAW+JPEG. Expert RAW provides richer DNG metadata and multi-frame fusion.
No. The image counter is stored in persistent hardware memory and cannot be reset by a factory reset, OS update, or any user action. This makes it a reliable indicator of total device usage.
A casual user accumulates roughly 5,000–15,000 captures per year; an active photographer may exceed 30,000 per year. There is no mechanical wear threshold — a high count indicates heavy use, not proximity to failure. Focus on battery health and display condition instead.
The S25 has a 50 MP main sensor and 3× telephoto; the S25 Ultra has a 200 MP main sensor, 5× periscope telephoto, integrated S Pen, and a titanium frame. Both use the Snapdragon 8 Elite and Expert RAW for DNG capture. The image counter mechanism is identical across the S25 lineup.