Future Galaxy S23 camera update will boost your portrait-taking game

If you like your Galaxy S23 camera system today, you might like it even more next month as Samsung is apparently implementing a 2x zoom for portrait mode.

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2x zoom will arrive in the next software update, which is expected to roll out by the end of the month.

If you’re curious to know what the big deal is, think of 2x zoom as a Goldilocks mode for portrait photography on smartphones. The 1x zoom on the S23 is great for taking wide-angle shots while the 3x zoom is good for close-ups or taking a picture of far-off landmarks. However, neither is the best for taking portraits. With 2x zoom, you have this nice in-between option that’s just right. A similar mode is available on the iPhone 14 Pro, and in fact, it was one of the reasons why we liked its camera so much.It is unknown whether or not every phone in the S23 line will get the feature as only the standard model is specifically mentioned. When asked about the mode potentially rolling out to the Galaxy S22 Ultra, the moderator states there’s a possibility, although there’s nothing set in stone as 2x zoom will have to roll out to the Galaxy S23 first.

We reached out to Samsung for confirmation on 2x zoom coming to its flagship line. This story will be updated if we hear back.

HDR fixes

The fixes don’t stop there. A recent leak from notable industry insider Ice Universe on Twitter (opens in new tab) shows Samsung developers are working on addressing a problem with the Galaxy S23 Ultra’s HDR (high-dynamic range) feature. The error is a bug that causes pictures of objects taken in either low-light or indoor conditions to have a strange glow to them (opens in new tab). The effect is exacerbated if the primary lighting source is in the shot. Object details are also lost making things look more rubbery. Reportedly, this is caused by something going wrong (opens in new tab) with the “exposure value frame and local tone-mapping” on the S23 Ultra.

The text in Ice Universe’s leak is in Korean, but according to another translation provided by SamMobile, it states “improvements are in progress and will be included in the next version” seemingly referring to the patch coming later this month.

2023 has seen a fair amount of camera fixes for the Galaxy S23 like enhancing the stability of video recordings, but there’s more work to do. Back in March, people began complaining about photographs taken with the phone as coming out weirdly blurry. It appears Samsung has yet to address the issue as recent Reddit posts (opens in new tab) show people are still dealing with this problem. It’s unknown if the tech giant is working on a fix for that particular issue. Hopefully, it is.

Galaxy Watch 5 adds FDA-approved AFib monitoring and narrows Apple Watch gap

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) just gave Samsung the green light on its Irregular Heart Rhythm Notification feature (IHRN) for the Galaxy Watch series.

Recent models, like the Galaxy Watch5, come with heart monitoring tools like on-demand ECG recording (opens in new tab) and HR Alert. What’s unique about IHRN is it specifically looks for signs of atrial fibrillation, or AFib, by utilizing the device’s ECG (electrocardiogram) function and BioActive Sensor. AFib occurs when a person suddenly has a rapid, irregular heartbeat. Samsung claims (opens in new tab) the condition “is widely considered a warning sign for major cardiovascular issues that can increase the risk of stroke”. Some cases can even be “asymptomatic”, leaving people totally unaware of what’s going on with their bodies.

The goal of IHRN is to provide users with “proactive safety solutions” and offer a “more holistic understanding of their cardiovascular” health.

How it works

The way it’ll work, according to the announcement post, is you first must activate IHRN through the Health Monitor app (opens in new tab). Once on, the BioActive Sensor will check for “irregular heart rhythms in the background”. If the sensor detects a certain number of irregular heartbeats consecutively, the Galaxy Watch will warn you of “potential AFib activity”. The device will then tell you to take an ECG reading “for a more accurate measurement.”

Samsung states IHRN will not alert you to “every episode of irregular” heartbeats suggesting AFib. Additionally, the feature won’t detect “other known arrhythmias (opens in new tab)” nor it is meant to be used by people under the age of 22.

IHRN will roll out to devices sporting the One UI 5 Watch update, which launches later this year. It’ll arrive first on “upcoming Galaxy Watch” models, presumably the anticipated Galaxy Watch6, before moving on to “previous editions.” Availability of the feature may vary depending on the region and what carrier you have. Given that the FDA is involved, it’s probably safe to say Galaxy Watch owners in the United States will get IHRN.

We asked Samsung if it has plans to expand the new alert system to other regions around the world. We also wanted to know why IHRN won’t notify users of every case of arrhythmia suggesting AFib. This story will be updated at a later time.

Playing catch-up

It is good to see the Galaxy Watch finally catching up to some of the competition. Apple, for example, added its own FDA-approved AFib tool to the Apple Watch 4 all the way back in 2018 where it has been shown to be 98 percent accurate at detecting the condition. More recently, Garmin added its own version of the tech to the Venu 2 Plus.

Needless to say, you can’t play catch-up forever. Samsung has trailed behind its rivals and it’s unknown how the tech giant plans to overtake them, but there are some tantalizing possibilities.

A report from February claims Apple is currently working on a blood glucose monitoring tool for an upcoming version of its wearable. However, development is still in its early stages, and may take years for anything to come to fruition on the Apple Watch. We’re not saying this is Samsung’s next path for the Galaxy Watch, but we’re also not saying it’s not.