August looks to be a busy month for Samsung as Samsung continues to roll out One UI 5.1.1 for Galaxy Fold phones and One UI 6 beta for the Galaxy S23. They also sent the August security patch to regular Galaxy S23 (Ultra) users earlier this month, but only published a changelog yesterday, revealing a number of camera fixes and improvements planned for the trio.
Unlike the usual security patches, the August version packs a huge file size at 1.4 GB. He also explains that this is more than security improvements. The update has started hitting compatible Samsung devices in many countries since last week.
New Samsung Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23 Ultra camera features
As mentioned in a changelog shared on Samsung Korea’s community forum, the firmware is introducing new features dedicated to the Galaxy S23 (review) series camera. It includes the 2x zoom cropped mode that users requested for the ‘banana blur’ issue and other important changes in the Gallery app.
2x photo and video zoom
One of the most noticeable additions in this update is the new 2x photo and video zoom. Similar to the 2x portrait mode, the shooting mode relies on a cropped version of the main sensor. However, Samsung claims to have optimized the images for comparable quality when shot with the 2x optical zoom snapper.
Samsung is also introducing an option to add a 2x zoom shortcut when using the Camera Assistant app. At the same time, users can find and access the icon in Super Steady Video, an exclusive feature on the Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra (Review).
AI-optimized picture quality
Similar to the one used on the Samsung Galaxy Z Fold 5 (review) and Galaxy Z Flip 5 (review), the company brings AI-based imaging to brick-and-mortar Galaxy devices when taking pictures with digital zoom. He added that this only applies to photo mode, not when recording videos.
Samsung also suggests that they adjust the strength of the face adjustment algorithm when using the front-facing camera. In these selfies, users should expect a more natural-looking framing effect.
The Samsung Galaxy S23 gets a 2 MP boost on the front (16 MP). / © NextPit
Fix blurring issues
The infamous banana blur issue faced by some Galaxy S23 users has been resolved in the August security patch. It is noted that some close-up images taken from the rear camera show elliptical manipulation in places. Samsung says they adjusted the focus area to reduce blur.
Additionally, Samsung is improving how blur is seen with high-resolution photos at 50MP and 200MP resolutions. The same is true for shots involving moving subjects in the same mode, which should see a better blur image. Similarly, file sizes for mobile photos are also said to be more optimized.
Finally, many effects on still video are also getting higher frame rates. These include the Big Circle, Color Point and Glitch effects, which have now been increased from 24fps to 30fps.
Have you updated your Samsung Galaxy S23 to the August security patch? What do you think about these changes and improvements?
