What you need to know
- Samsung has rolled out new updates for the Galaxy S22 and Galaxy S21 series.
- The latest update introduces big camera improvements to the flagship phones.
- One of the highlight improvements is the hyperlapse mode support for the 3x telephoto camera.
Every now and then, Samsung pushes camera improvements to its flagship smartphones, and the latest update to the Galaxy S22 series brings a slew of imaging enhancements.
The new One UI update has started to roll out (opens in new tab) in South Korea for the Galaxy S22, S22+, and S22 Ultra, with version numbers S901NKSU2AVHB, S906NKSU2AVHB, and S906NKSU2AVHB, respectively (via Sammy Fans (opens in new tab)). Following the release of this month’s security patch, which fixed a number of vulnerabilities, this is the second August 2022 update for the Galaxy S22 series.
There are no bug fixes with the latest release, though. Instead, its major focus is on camera improvements, including Hyperlapse mode support for the Galaxy S22 series’ 3x telephoto shooter, solidifying its position as among the best Android camera phones available. This capability was previously not available beyond the primary and ultrawide cameras. Samsung also promised that an “Astronomical Hyperlapse” mode is in the pipeline.
Another useful enhancement is the speed with which QR codes can be scanned. This means that the phone’s camera app can now read QR codes much faster than before. The guide size has also been increased. Samsung also fixed a bug that prevented the camera from scanning a QR code after dismissing it. You used to have to restart the camera app to get it to work again, but now you can simply tap on a QR code to scan it again.
The Hyperlapse mode support and QR code scanning improvements are also available for the Galaxy S21 series. In April, Samsung updated its Expert RAW app for both the Galaxy S22 series and the Galaxy S21 Ultra to make them better at handling low-light photos.
In addition, Samsung has rolled out memory usage and AI engine optimizations for the Photo, Night, and Video modes (via SamMobile (opens in new tab)). Finally, there are improvements to HDR and colors for photos, color and brightness for the night mode, and video quality and stabilization.
There’s no word on when it will hit other markets, but the update’s wider availability is likely just around the corner.
The smallest member of the Galaxy S22 family compensates for its diminutive size by providing plenty of power, thanks to the latest Qualcomm Snapdragon chipset. The design has been improved over its predecessor, resulting in the best-looking Galaxy smartphone we’ve ever had.
