Android 14
Android 14’s Ultra HDR may restrict to selected Samsung Galaxy smartphones
Google I/O 2023, the yearly developer conference hosted by the tech titan in Mountain View, was held on Wednesday. This year’s event was particularly notable, featuring a plethora of announcements encompassing every aspect of the Made by Google software and hardware ecosystem.
Among the exciting revelations, Google introduced new Pixel devices. Additionally, the company unveiled a brand-new photo format called Ultra HDR, designed to enhance image capture.
Android 14 Introduces Stunning Ultra HDR Photos and Refreshed Material You+ UI
The Ultra HDR photo format is scheduled for release alongside Android 14. It’s worth mentioning that smartphones powered by Qualcomm Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 Soc are already equipped to support this innovative format.
Samsung devices with Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 will support Ultra HDR format
As per the previous report, Android 14’s Ultra HDR functionality is not solely dependent on the camera itself but also necessitates support for HDR display on the device. While many smartphones today can capture HDR images, they often do not save them in HDR format. In order to utilize the Ultra HDR feature, an Android phone must be capable of both capturing images and videos in HDR and reproducing them with consistent dynamic range on an HDR display. Consequently, this feature may be limited to higher mid-range and high-end smartphones.
The ability to display HDR content is currently limited to select models within the Galaxy A series and all recent flagship devices. As a result, only these specific devices will likely be eligible to receive Android 14’s Ultra HDR feature. However, Samsung has yet to provide clear clarification regarding which phones and tablets will support this feature. Further details are expected to emerge when Samsung releases the One UI 6.0 beta update, anticipated to take place later this year.
What’s the Ultra HDR?
The Ultra HDR format allows capturing photos in the widely compatible JPEG format used in previous versions. However, it introduces an enhanced dynamic range that surpasses the standard 8-bit range. This advancement empowers eligible smartphones to capture photos with exceptional detail, especially in the peripheral regions of the light spectrum.
Images captured in the Ultra HDR format maintain backward compatibility with existing applications, allowing them to be utilized by devices and apps that do not support the Ultra HDR format. In such cases, the images can be viewed as JPEG SDR files.
To ensure seamless integration of the Ultra HDR format, Qualcomm has collaborated with the Android team. They have utilized the 18-bit Image Signal Processor (ISP) of the Snapdragon 8 Gen 2 chipset. Consequently, smartphones equipped with this chipset will be capable of capturing photos in the Ultra HDR format as soon as it becomes available with the release of Android 14.
Last month, Samsung officially confirmed the One UI 6.1 update for the 2022 models. Now, keeping its promise, the company has started rolling out the major update for the Galaxy S22 series.
The Android 14-based One UI 6.1 update for the Galaxy S22 series is live in South Korea. Users who own the Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22+, and Galaxy S22 Ultra can identify the latest update by the firmware version numbers S901NKSU3EXDC, S906NKSU3EXDC, and S908NKSU3EXDC, respectively.
Samsung has released several Galaxy AI features with the One UI 6.1 update that will help you provide a better communication experience and take advantage of the ability to quickly understand information.
For your information, the Galaxy S22 series device will get the benefit of all the important Galaxy AI features, including Circle to Search, Live Translate, Generative Edit, Note Assist, Transcript Script, Chat Assist, and many more.
Apart from the Galaxy AI feature, the device will also get some important additions on the customization side, where users will get several new changes related to wallpaper, lock screen, alarm, calendar, and many more.
To check the latest update on your device, navigate to the settings, then select the software update option here. Tap on the download and install option. Wait until it finishes searching to see if the update is available, then tap on the install button.
Samsung Galaxy XCover 5 is one of the rugged smartphones that is dedicatedly made for using it in any weather condition. It is worth noticing that the company hasn’t limited it to giving tough hardware but also keeps it up to date with its fresh software. In the last major update, Android 14, it has grabbed some new features, and unfortunately, it has also got an issue with the camera, which is causing inconvenience to the users.
Galaxy XCover5 getting a camera issue after Android 14
The Galaxy XCover 5 has received Android 14 and One UI 6.0, and after installing them, users have started reporting about the camera issue. In the reports, the consumers have pointed out that they are not able to use the camera focus like before. Since the camera is the most frequently used feature of the smartphone, its malfunction is significantly affecting the overall performance of the devices.
Due to the malfunctioning of the autofocus, users are also having difficulty making payments due to the autofocus malfunction. When they open the QR code scanner, they are unable to do so because the camera is not focusing on the code.
However, the Korean giant hasn’t yet released a statement regarding the issue’s resolution, despite the fact that the issue surfaced after the last update, suggesting a software update-related problem. Hopefully, Samsung could release a proper update that will update it to the latest version.
Android 14
Google Get Inspired By Samsung; As It Copies Secure Folder Feature Housed In Galaxy Phones
Is Google following Samsung? With the Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1, it offers a new option for private space, which Samsung already offers with the title Secure Folder.
Google released Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 in November 2023, which introduced a feature called ‘Private Space’ already housed in Samsung devices as Secure Folder. Since reports have been around for several days that the latest iteration of Android 15 will be dedicated to more security and will bring tons of new features to enhance users’ secure experiences, one of the awaiting features is Private Space.
The upcoming Private Space feature will allow the user to install the application in a separate, locked profile, which they can hide at any time. Although this feature has been in the development phase for a long time, it has not yet gone live. Let’s take a closer look.
The new feature named ‘Lock private space automatically’ will allow users to configure the feature to automatically lock the protected space depending on one of the two sub-options they select in it, which are ‘Every time device lock’ and ‘After 5 minutes of inactivity.’ While choosing the first, the feature will lock Privact Space instantly after they lock the device.
But here’s the catchable fact: Secure Folder, available on Galaxy devices, already offers this feature, so somewhere it seems like Google got inspired by Samsung.
The reports are also saying that when users set up Private Space, the feature now recommends them to create a dedicated Google account for using it to’stop data appearing outside private space; for instance, ‘Synced photos, files, emails, contacts, calendar events, and other data,’ and many more. This suggestion and the option to automatically lock the protected space further enhance the privacy and security of private space.
Upcoming Private Space will offer a redesign setup flow to deliver a better idea of the feature. Since this feature initially appeared in Android 14 QPR2 Beta 1 and then Android 14 QPR3 Beta 2.1, it is expected that Android 15 will bring this feature to enhance the secure experience.