During its Google I/O conference, Google announced the arrival of a new feature called Ultra HDR on Android 14, which should greatly improve your snapshots on Google Photos.
While Android 14 is already available in beta on many devices, Google is preparing to add a new feature aimed at photo enthusiasts: Ultra HDR. This new feature will allow compatible apps on Android devices running Android 14 to display photos with a greater range of colors and brightness.
According to Google, Ultra HDR images are brighter, more realistic and more colorful than standard dynamic range images. According to partner Adobe, images optimized for high-dynamic-range displays have brighter highlights and more detailed shadows, whichi increases the realism and impact of the image. However, these images may look different on various devices due to varying screen capabilities and different tone mapping methods implemented in software and platforms.
Android 14 wants to improve your photos thanks to Ultra HDR
Google expects the “Ultra HDR” format is the default format of the camera application integrated into your smartphone. Photos taken with this format will be able to be saved in the original 10-bit high dynamic range and then viewed as is on high-end devices when Android 14 is released. Google Photos will notably support Ultra HDR for viewing, saving, editing, sharing and downloading.
At first, Ultra HDR will only be supported by the Google Photos app, but third-party app developers will have to decide for themselves if they want to support this technology. The Android team is working with Qualcomm and others to optimize hardware capabilities, as well as Chrome to make Ultra HDR more widely available.
The good news is that Ultra HDR technology is backwards compatible, which means that applications that do not support it will be able to display images in JPEG format.
Ultra HDR will soon be available for those testing Android 14 in beta. While the Android 14 beta program was plagued with numerous bugs, the recent release of Android 14 Beta 2 was a huge step forward. Next month, the beta program is expected to enter the platform stability phase, which means internal and external APIs have been finalized and app behavior has also been finalized. Most developers will therefore now focus on the compatibility and stability of their apps, rather than adding new features.