NEWS
Android 16 Beta 2 arrives with cool camera features
Google is testing Android 16 for the entire Android ecosystem, meanwhile, Samsung hasn’t even released Android 15-based One UI 7 for its existing devices. Meanwhile, Google has released Android 16 Beta 2 for Pixel devices after announcing the date of its Google I/O 2024 event. The new Android 16 Beta 2 version comes with several enhancements and features for professional camera users, allowing hybrid auto exposure with accurate color temperature and tint adjustments.
The Android 16 beta 2 update is now available for compatible Pixel phones and tablets. The update includes the following camera features:
Google Android 16 beta 2 camera features:
- Hybrid auto-exposure: With Beta 2, Android 16 now supports hybrid auto-exposure on the camera via the Camera2 API. This allows you to manually control specific aspects of the exposure while letting the auto-exposure (AE) algorithm handle the rest. With this feature, apps will allow you can control ISO + AE, and exposure time + AE, providing greater flexibility.
- Accurate color temperature and tint adjustments: The latest version of Android 16 introduces camera support for fine color temperature and tint adjustments to better support professional video recording applications.
- Motion photo intent actions: Android 16 brings a new way to capture and display motion photos using the device’s camera.
- Ultra HDR image enhancements: With Android 16, Google is bringing improvements to Ultra HDR, which supports capturing Ultra HDR images in HEIC format, which was limited to the JPG file format. Also, the company is working on AVIF file format support for Ultra HDR images. Also, it supports HDR images and SDR gain maps. In addition, Android 16 implements additional parameters in UltraHDR, including the ability to get and set the colorspace in which gainmap math should be applied.
Apart from the new camera features, Android 16 beta also brings other notable features that you can check out here.
Know when stable Android 16 will be released?
Google plans to release a stable version of Android 16 at the end of the second quarter of 2025, followed by platform stability in March or April, which means it will likely arrive in June 2025.
On the other hand, older Galaxy smartphone users are still waiting for the Android 15-based One UI 7 update, which could happen around April 2025. Now, we are in February 2025, still two months away from the stable release, so the One UI 8.0 (Android 16) update will also be significantly delayed.
Samsung started to roll out the January 2026 software update for the Korean models of Galaxy S24, Galaxy S24 Ultra, Galaxy S24+, and Galaxy S24 FE smartphones. This flagship device will be the next to grab One UI 8.5 as a major software release.
Samsung Galaxy S24 series January 2026 software update is released in batches with One UI 8 version SKT and a package size of 383 megabytes. Your Samsung Galaxy S24 series phone will get up to 55 fixes with the January 2026 patch.
This update provides that both Android and One UI systems remain secure. It also improves performance by clearing the system-level cache partition during installation.
Users of this phone can download this version with improved system security and better user experience. However, you should know that the software is released in batches and may take some time to reach all of the Samsung Galaxy S24 series users in the market.
You can download the latest software update on your Galaxy S24 series smartphone with the following instructions:
- Open Settings
- From here, now tap on Software update
- Click on Software update
You will be notified with updated information if an upgrade is available.
On the other hand, Samsung is also testing the One UI 8.5 update for dozens of Galaxy models. While the beta program is open to Galaxy S25 users, developers are ensuring that users of other phones don’t have to wait too long by conducting internal testing.
After the Ultra variant, the Standard Galaxy S26 smartphone has appeared on Geekbench with the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy chipset. The flagship phone has made significant scores on the benchmarking platform and seems ready to enter the real world.
On the other hand, a report from a French publication claims that the Galaxy S26 series will be launched across Europe on March 11, 2026. However, the company has not yet officially confirmed either the date of the Unpacked event or the release date.
In the latest edition, the Standard Samsung Galaxy S26 has reached Geekbench and revealed some of its key specifications. It has seemingly performed well in the single-core and multi-core tests on version 6.5.0, as well as achieved good points.
As per the listing, the device with model number SM-S942U obtained 3,379 points on the single-core test and 11,097 points on the multi-core test. The details reveal that the Galaxy S26 smartphone will equip the Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy, an overclocked version of the chipset.
The chip includes 12-gigabyte RAM, 3.63 GHz base frequency, six high-performance CPU cores running at a clock speed of 3.63GHz, and two prime cores at 4.74 GHz.
Samsung is rolling out the One UI 8.5 Beta 3 update for the Samsung Galaxy S25 series. This latest update is available in Germany, India, South Korea, the UK, and the US, and will be released in more countries soon. The update includes several important fixes and improvements to enhance the overall user experience, as well as carries the January 2026 security patch along with battery life improvements and some additional fixes.
One UI 8.5 Beta 3 can be identified via the PDA build version ending with ZZA3. It’s hitting the Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra in Beta markets.
Last month, Samsung launched the One UI Beta Program for Galaxy S25, S25+, and S25 Ultra devices in four countries. At the same time, the company released the first Beta software. Two weeks ago, Samsung distributed the second Beta update, which expanded to India and Poland for key fixes and new features.
As Samsung gears up to start the official rollout, the Galaxy S25 series has received a new Beta software. The One UI 8.5 Beta 3 for the Galaxy S25 series brings fixes for clock display error on the lock screen and issues related to favorites in the phone app.
Users reported that the Now Briefing does not display after the Beta, which has been resolved. Plus, it improved the screen lagging issue when using Live Effect in the gallery.
In addition, the beta release also includes improvements to battery life. The issue of excessive power consumption when certain apps are running has now been fixed. For Galaxy S25 users waiting for the stable version, Beta 3 will feel like a significant upgrade.
If you’re on the One UI 8.5 Beta 2 build, you should have already received the third Beta. Update your Samsung Galaxy S25 phone’s software by navigating to Settings, followed by Software update, and Download and install.
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