According to the latest reports from renowned tech expert Ice Universe, Samsung is preparing to bring back the 2x portrait mode feature on the S23 series camera with an upcoming firmware update. Samsung initially removed the feature a few months ago, but the company is reportedly responding to user feedback and bringing it back.

In addition to the Portrait mode, an upcoming software update will address issues with the HDR performance of the Galaxy S23 Ultra. Several users reported issues with the camera under certain lighting conditions. When using the HDR function, a halo around objects is observed in low light conditions or indoors, especially when the main light source is present in the frame. This issue is caused by a combination of negative exposure value (EV) input frames containing the same contour patterns, and applying local tone mapping (LTM) after HDR output. Samsung has officially acknowledged and promised to fix this in the next update.

The latest May 2023 security update for the Galaxy S23 series does not contain HDR fixes, so the next or second May 2023 update is likely to bring these changes. HDR issue aside, Samsung’s camera team is also open to suggestions for new features.

In April, Samsung released a system update for the S23 series that improves the camera and fixes bugs. These include optimization of the Gallery app, autofocus mechanism, Super Steady On mode and Camera Assistant.