What you need to know
- Samsung has announced an update in South Korea for the Galaxy S23 series with several improvements to the camera.
- The update brings improved video stabilization and low-light image capture.
- The Camera Assistant lets users prioritize speed over focus and vice versa.
- The update also improves image sharpness and addresses some problems with intermittent blurring.
The Galaxy S23 series has been out for just over a month, but Samsung is already dropping a significant update to improve its cameras after user feedback. The update was announced via a Samsung Community post spotted by SamMobile, and it comes with a host of refinements and fixes for the new flagship phones.
Most changes focus specifically on the Galaxy S23 camera, improving video stabilization, image sharpness, and low-light capture when shooting in higher pixel modes such as 50MP and 200MP. There's also an update to the Camera Assistant app, which gives users more control over capturing images with auto-focus.
Samsung further addressed several issues via this update, including a green line that would appear when shooting with the rear cameras and an issue that would occur when shooting in low light with Night Mode off and the Camera Assistant set to prioritize speed.
In addition to camera changes, Samsung is adding a function to the Gallery that allows users to delete photos while they're being processed.
Here is the full changelog (translated):
- Added a function to the gallery so that you can delete photos that are being processed immediately after shooting from the camera.
- For faster photo shooting, the AF concept has been changed so that when the user presses the shoot button, the focus can be taken immediately, even if the focus is not completely aligned. However, if you want to shoot after the focus is completed as before, please change the settings in the latest Camera Assistant.
※ Camera Assistant > Prioritize focus over speed (focus priority) On - Improved sharpness/flicker and added notice when shooting Ultrawide in low light indoors after setting Camera Video Mode > Super Steady On.
※ "To take a good Super Steady photo, I need more light." - Fixed the issue of intermittent green streaks on the left side when shooting in Rear Photo mode.
- Improved image stabilization when shooting with FHD60 after setting Auto FPS Off in rear video.
- Improved line-shaped banding noise in the sky in mid-low light when shooting high-pixel in low-mid light.
Optimized overall sharpness for high-pixel shooting and improved intermittent blurring through OIS stabilization. - Fixed a malfunction when shooting after Night Off in low light after selecting Shooting Speed > High Resolution > Speed Priority in Camera Assistant.
※ Camera Assistant > Shooting Speed > High Resolution > Speed Priority, then Camera > Night Off or Scene Optimizer Off - Fixed an issue where face recognition could not be recognized intermittently after ending a 3rd party video call.
- Stability has been improved for camera movements introduced through other routes.
It's great to see Samsung already making such a big push to improve its cameras. Android Central's Nicholas Sutrich has been fairly impressed with his Galaxy S23 Ultra and its massive 200MP sensor. However, he notes in his Galaxy S23 Ultra camera review that the results can be pretty inconsistent, so hopefully, this update addresses those concerns.
Additionally, users have complained about an odd blur effect when capturing images with the S23 series, although it's not clear yet if the update fixes that.
The update is pretty significant at 922.88MB and comes with build number S91xNKSU1AWC8. It seems like it's only rolling out in Korea, but we expect it may not be long before other regions receive the update. Given how close we are to April, we expect it might even be rolled in with the April security patch.
Samsung put an "Ultra" in the name because this phone is just that. It has a massive 120Hz display and built-in S Pen for note-taking, a fast Snapdragon chipset with all the power you could need, and an impressive 200MP camera for extra detail in every shot.
