The search giant announced Ultra HDR, a new format for image capture, at the annual Google I/O Developer conference earlier this month. This lets you shoot photos in a backward compatible JPEG format, but offers a dynamic range of more than 8 bits. This will allow the phones to take more detailed photos in the shadows and highlights. However, to access this feature, the smartphone must be compatible enough to shoot in Ultra HDR format and display the result on the device.

Ultra HDR may be limited to certain Galaxy phones

After the announcement, many Galaxy users wondered if Ultra HDR would come to Samsung smartphones and tablets with the upcoming update. Now, the official forum moderator for the brand’s camera section has revealed some information about the feature.

Ultra HDR requires a smartphone to take pictures and video in HDR format and then display the results on an HDR-capable display with the same dynamic range. Most phone cameras already support HDR, but the screen in the budget segment does not fully support HDR. As such, the feature is likely to be limited to mid-range and high-end devices.

Some Samsung phones in the Galaxy A series, the latest Galaxy Note, Galaxy S and Galaxy Z series all have screens that can display HDR content. It is likely that only these devices will be able to get the Ultra HDR feature of Android 14. However, Samsung has not clarified the matter yet and may announce when the brand will release the OneUI 6 beta update later this year.