Google recently released the latest June 2019 security updates to devices as old as the 2016 Pixels, but its only now that owners of Samsung Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ here in Kenya are receiving May 2019 security patches.
It’s nothing new, though, but just a reminder that contrary to beliefs, having a new and pricey device doesn’t guarantee you’ll always have the latest software version installed at any given moment.
That aside, the new software update that arrives as build ASE7 has plenty that it adds to the Galaxy S10 series. In the previous update that also brought April 2019 security patches to the devices, Samsung included a dedicated Night mode to the camera app, allowing users to capture greatly improved photos in poorly-lit conditions.
In the latest update, the Night mode feature is getting some quality improvements alongside new camera options. For instance, it’s now possible to switch between the primary and ultra-wide lenses when taking panorama shots, something that was only limited to the latter lens.
The update adds support for Night mode to the ultra-wide angle lens, allowing users to shoot Night mode photos using this lens and not just the primary lens. The fact that the ultra-wide lens has a narrow aperture that doesn’t allow much light to enter means you probably won’t get the best photos even with Night mode enabled, but it’s great to see Samsung giving users options.
Also, the update adds Live focus to the wide and telephoto lenses, something that once again gives users more options to use for shooting bokeh photos. With this feature, you should be able to capture wide-angle photos and close-ups with bokeh effects without the need for physically moving away from or towards the subject. Unfortunately, this feature is limited to the Galaxy S10 and S10+ now that the compact S10e doesn’t have a telephoto lens.
Perhaps the biggest camera update is Samsung opening the ultra-wide angle lens to third-party developers. Thanks to the new ultra-wide SDK, developers can now create Galaxy S10 apps that take advantage of this lens, where switching between the various lenses shouldn’t be a problem.
With this feature enabled, S10 owners will be able to share ultra-wide photos captured within apps and not necessarily using the dedicated camera app. Even better is that updated third-party apps will also take advantage of the full 80-degree field of view on the selfie camera instead of the default 68 degrees.
The full changelog is captured in the screengrab below shared on Samsung Members app, but do keep in mind the rollout in Kenya just started today and thus, it may take several days before all Galaxy S10e, S10, and S10+ units in the country receive the download notification.
