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 has reportedly commenced Android 17-based One UI 9 testing for the Galaxy S26 series. The first-ever Android 17 build has surfaced on Samsung’s firmware server, suggesting an early debut of the next One UI version.
An alleged Android 17 firmware has been listed on CheckFirm (via TarunVats) for the Galaxy S26 Ultra. That said, Samsung kicked off its work on the One UI 9 system for the latest flagship nearly two months earlier than usual.
Based on available information, Samsung is currently testing the BZC5 build on the Galaxy S26 Ultra. Samsung will take its time to refine this new operating system for Galaxy devices and will not rush the release of the firmware.
Although testing for One UI 9 has commenced early, this does not imply that it will become available to customers any sooner. Samsung will take the necessary time to optimize this new operating system for Galaxy devices and will not rush the firmware release.
On February 25, Samsung launched the Galaxy S26 series, and these phones will be available starting March 11. A day later, the company began rolling out Beta 6 for the Galaxy S25 series, but it seems this may not be the last beta before the stable version is released. Meanwhile, the Galaxy S25 series is still receiving updates through the One UI 8.5 beta program.
Samsung One UI 8.5 beta 7
A reliable tipster, @TarunVats, spotted a new One UI 8.5 beta build for the Galaxy S25 series on testing systems. The build ending in ZZC3 indicates that Samsung is preparing the seventh beta update for the S25 phones. It’s worth noting that this build began rolling out in March, but the patch level is still February 2026.
The new build suggests that the beta program is still active even after the Galaxy S26 series launched with One UI 8.5 features and improvements. Galaxy S25 Users may have to wait a little longer for the final stable update.
The latest One UI 8.5 Beta 6 update fixed many problems and improved the phone’s performance, including Bixby, Gallery, Now Bar, Now Brief, Display settings, Modes, and Routines.
At this time, Samsung hasn’t officially confirmed how many more beta updates will arrive or when the stable One UI 8.5 version will be released for the Galaxy S25 series and older phones. However, the new beta build is a strong indication that at least one more beta update is on the way. Galaxy S25 users who are part of the beta program should keep an eye out for new updates.
At the Galaxy Unpacked 2026 event on February 25, 2026, Samsung unveiled its new Galaxy S26 series. The series includes the Galaxy S26 Ultra, Galaxy S26+, and Galaxy S26. These new smartphones come with smarter AI features that help simplify everyday tasks. Now, we are talking about four hidden Galaxy S26 Ultra camera improvements, helping improve image and video quality.
Notably, the Galaxy S26 Ultra features Samsung’s most advanced camera system to date. Samsung has integrated its 200MP primary camera and 50MP telephoto camera into the Galaxy S26 Ultra, with a wide aperture to allow more light to reach the sensor.
Additionally, the Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra features the powerful Snapdragon 8 Elite Gen 5 for Galaxy processor, allowing Samsung to improve camera performance, even though the phone uses the same sensor as the previous Galaxy S series Ultra.
Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra gets four camera improvements
1. Improved 200MP images
The Galaxy S26 Ultra feature a mutltiframe HDR processing, so that it may now capture the better 200MP images. The company says these 200MP photos deliver clearer, more detailed, and greater dynamic range than 200MP shots taken on earlier Galaxy S series models.
2. New 24MP mode in the stock camera app
The Samsung Galaxy S26 Ultra has a new 24MP resolution option in the stock camera app. This new mode combines a 12MP multi-frame processed image with a 50MP high-resolution image using a system called AI Fusion. The resulting 24MP photo offers more detail than a 12MP image to reach the sensors, resulting in brighter, cleaner, and sharper images.
3. Virtual Aperture in Portrait Mode
The Galaxy S25 Ultra launched with a virtual aperture feature, but it was limited to the Expert RAW app. Now, Samsung adds a virtual aperture feature to the Portrait mode of the stock camera app on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, allowing users to digitally adjust the aperture.
4. Auto option for Motion Photo
As the name suggests, a motion photo is a short video clip captured alongside a still image. It includes a few seconds before and after the shutter button is pressed.. Now, on the Galaxy S26 Ultra, when the Auto option is on, Motion Photos are only recorded when significant movement is detected in the scene. If you capture a static scene, such as a…. landscape, with no visible motion, the Motion Photo will not be saved.
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