The Galaxy S24 series phones were the first set of Samsung phones to feature Super HDR. It is based on Google’s Ultra HDR, a format that contains HDR metadata. Devices with HDR displays use that data to display images in HDR. Phones without HDR displays ignore that data and show those pictures in SDR.
The South Korean tech giant already confirmed that it won't bring Super HDR to older Galaxy devices. As for upcoming phones and tablets, Samsung might offer the feature on high-end devices but not mid-range ones. Well, Google can force Samsung to offer Super HDR to upcoming mid-range phones with Android 15.
What is Android's Performance Classes?
Since Android 12, whenever Google releases a new version of Android, it also releases a new Performance Class. With Android 12, it released Performance Class 12. With Android 13, the company released Performance Class 13. With Android 14, it released Performance Class 14.
Performance Class “defines a set of device capabilities that goes beyond Android's baseline requirements.” An app can read which Performance Class a device belongs to and then “provide upgraded experiences that take full advantage of the device's capabilities.”
A brand has to define which Performance Class their device meets. If it launches a device with Android 13, it can define that it meets Performance Class 13. When it releases the Android 14 update to the device, it can define the same Performance Class as before or upgrade it to Performance Class 14.
Android 15 (Performance Class 15) requires Ultra HDR support
A new report from Android Authority points out that with Android 15, Google will release Performance Class 15 and one of the requirements of Performance Class 15 is support for Ultra HDR for the main camera at the front and the rear.
That means, with Android 15, if a brand wants to define that their device meets Performance Class 15, it will also have to make the device capable of capturing Ultra HDR images.
Samsung could offer Super HDR on future mid-rangers
Starting next year, when Samsung releases new mid-range phones, it will launch them with Android 15. Now, the company might define those devices to meet Performance Class 15. That means those devices will have to support Ultra HDR or Super HDR, which will offer better picture quality to users.
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However, Samsung could also decide to define those devices to meet Performance Class 14. In that case, those devices will not support Super HDR. We hope that the South Korean tech giant doesn't cut the corners in this regard.
