Samsung Burst Mode: How to Capture Fast Action with Galaxy Phones

Sports photographers often take burst photos to increase their chances of capturing that one elusive shot where everything is in alignment. Burst shooting on Samsung Galaxy phones can be done on all of the more recent models, but if you’re coming from an older Galaxy phone you may be wondering why holding down the shutter button no longer initiates burst shooting.

In this article, we’ll show you how to take burst photos on Samsung Galaxy phones running One UI, as well as some tips on how to get the sharpest images possible.

How to trigger burst on a Samsung Galaxy

• For burst shots, the easiest way is to swipe the shutter button down (or towards the edge)
• In older versions of One UI you could also set the volume key to take burst shots: Camera settings → Shooting methods → Press Volume key to → Take burst shot. This option has been renamed in One UI 9 (it’s Press Volume buttons to on a Galaxy S25 Ultra and offers Take picture or record video as an option)
• In Pro Mode you can also manually set a fast shutter speed (1/1000s or faster should freeze most action)

Set Swipe Shutter button to edge to: Take burst shot (Camera Assistant > Shutter on a Galaxy S25 Ultra with One UI 9, as of November 2026). On previous versions of One UI, Swipe Shutter button to is available under Shooting methods in Camera settings. On this model’s Camera Assistant, you’ll find Video recording in Photo mode, which controls whether the shutter button records a video when touched and held.

When to use burst

• Kids and pets: can't sit still
• Sports: action at its peak only lasts for a fraction of a second
• Birds and wildlife: wing position matters
• For jumping shots, make sure to snag the frame at the apex of the jump
• 100x zoom: go for bursts to beat camera shake
• Fireworks: weighing a burst vs. a long exposure with our guide

Settings for sharp burst frames

• Tap once on the subject to focus and keep CAF (continuous autofocus) enabled
• Use Pro Mode and set your shutter speed to 1/1000s for sports (1/2000s for birds in flight)
• Note that if shutter speed is set manually, you will not be able to set ISO to Auto
• Select 12MP (binned) image size, which allows faster frame rates than 50MP

Picking the best frame

After you take a burst, Gallery displays a stack icon. To review the frames, tap the burst icon beneath the picture, pick your favourites and tap the crown icon or Save. Delete the rest so they don’t take up space.

A dog catching a ball in the park

Take a bright afternoon on open grass and a dog that goes wild for a tennis ball. Here's the full sequence from start to finish.

First, make sure your phone is set to take burst shots when you swipe the shutter button (on One UI 9, this can be found in Camera Assistant). Stay on the main 1x camera, as its larger sensor will give better results when each frame gets little light. Use 12MP for photos as you’ll get a higher fps than in higher res shooting modes.

On a sunny day, exposure compensation can be used to get sharper photos in Photo mode. Tap the dog to set AF/AE and lower exposure compensation slightly if the preview looks bright. This will encourage the phone to use faster shutter speeds, and a slightly underexposed photo is easier to fix in post than a blurry one.

If the light fades in the late afternoon or under heavy cloud, open Camera → More → Pro and set shutter 1/1000s, ISO 400, WB 5500K. The shutter value matters most, since a sprinting dog covers its own body length in about a tenth of a second and 1/1000s trims that movement to almost nothing. ISO 400 buys the exposure back, and 800 is fine under real cloud, because a noisy sharp frame beats a clean blurred one. WB 5500K ensures a consistent grass green, as auto white balance can drift between frames. Tap as fast as you can in Pro mode at the peak, firing single frames, or use the burst gesture in Photo mode.

Position yourself to the side of where the dog is running so it’s travelling across your frame – AF will have an easier time tracking it. Take photos just before the dog jumps and continue taking photos until after it lands – frames are free! The best frame is usually two or three frames before the dog grabs the ball, ideally with its mouth open and all four paws off the ground!

Four ways a burst goes wrong

Four common mistakes account for almost all unsuccessful bursts.

• Focus on the subject, not the background. Tap to focus on the subject before the action. If there’s anything between you and the subject (glass, fence, etc.), you can tap and hold to make sure the camera doesn’t continue to search for focus.
• Shoot a little earlier and longer than you think you need to. Start shooting a burst of pictures about half a second before you think the action will peak. Memory is cheap. You’ll be glad you captured everything.
• Cull your pictures. When you get home, open the burst mode pictures you shot, crown your two or three favourites, and delete the rest. Do it the same day so you don’t forget!
• In low light, don’t be afraid to jack up the ISO. Better a noisy picture at ISO 800 than a blurry one at ISO 100. Use Pro mode and increase the ISO until you’re getting a good exposure at 1/1000s.