Samsung’s upcoming flagship is rumored to be called the Galaxy S20 and is expected to be unveiled on February 18. Much information about the device has been leaked, including the camera layout design and the specifications of the main camera itself. Now, code spotted in the firmware of the One UI 2 update for a galaxy Note9 provides a deeper look at the features that might be coming to the rumored Galaxy S20. It isn’t unusual to find strings that mention upcoming features in these updates.
The first of the features is ‘Director’s View’. This feature likely lets users frame scenes or subjects and track them either automatically or manually, ideal for cinematic effects. The feature might also let users record/shoot close-ups of subjects and enable switching between cameras, similar to the feature present in Filmic Pro on iPhone.
Next up is ‘Single Take Photo’, an AI-assisted mode for clicking pictures or short clips for a scene. The verbiage for this feature suggests that the feature could be similar to that of Google’s Photobooth, where the camera detects a particular scene/expression, such as that of a smile, and automatically captures an image based on the best available frame, resulting in better shots. Current capability in this regard lets users click better photos with the help of suggestions. Single Take Photo might also suggest poses and/or angles to improve the image.
The next camera feature found in the APK teardown was Pro Video. While Samsung’s flagships allow for granular control of picture settings in photo mode, including that of Aperture owing to the variable aperture, when clicking an image, there were currently no ways to alter the exposure or other settings while recording video. That might change since the description notes that the feature lets users take control of the exposure, shutter speed, color tone or ISO sensitivity.
Lastly, there are new effects for the background blur (bokeh) created for images shot in Live Focus. There are four new effects that are visible in the code – Artify, Mono, Side Light, and Vintage – likely to come to Live Focus images and video. As for non-camera related features, there might be a ‘Battery Health’ section in Settings that provides information on the health of the battery, helping with replacing batteries when they age and fail to hold a complete charge.
In addition to the camera features, the teardown also hints at the fast charging capabilities of the Galaxy Fold 2 (codenamed Bloom). The file titled “bloom_front_charging_effect_superfast” suggests that the upcoming iteration of Samsung’s foldable smartphone might come with support for ‘Super Fast Charging’ that leverages a minimum of 25W fast charging or 45W fast charging.
While the features were found in the code for a Note9’s One UI update, it is not indicative of the fact that all of these features will indeed make it to the Note9. The capabilities may also be dependent on hardware that is supposed to ship with the next-generation flagship devices. However, some features spotted here could make it to the S10 and Note10 line of devices. As with all unofficial information, it could be that these features won"t be available anytime soon, if at all..
Source: XDA Developers | Header image credit: OnLeaks (Twitter)