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Here's when your Samsung phone will get the Expert RAW camera app
- Samsung’s Expert RAW app will make its way to other Samsung devices by the end of this year.
- The oldest phone on the list is the Galaxy S20 Ultra.
- The app allows professional photographers to make full use of the phone’s camera hardware.
Samsung smartphones have world-renowned photography chops. However, since Samsung is so popular, its computational photography software tends to stylize photos and videos quite a bit. As such, professional photographers might wish they had a bit more control.
Enter the Expert RAW camera app, which Samsung launched late last year exclusively for the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra. The app is also now available on the Galaxy S22 Ultra and we now know it will make its way to other high-end Samsung phones soon.
See also: A Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra shot this wildlife documentary short
Thanks to a post on Samsung’s community forums (via XDA-Developers), we have a list of phones that will see the Expert RAW app. Unfortunately, it might be the second half of this year before all the phones get it, but at least we know what to expect.
Check out the full list below.
Expert RAW support schedule
- February 2022
- Galaxy S22 Ultra
- Galaxy S22 Plus
- Galaxy S22
- March 2022
- All Galaxy S21 Ultra models
- April 2022
- Galaxy Z Fold 3
- By end of 2022
- Galaxy S20 Ultra
- Galaxy Note 20 Ultra
- Galaxy Z Fold 2
Interestingly, Samsung included the Galaxy S21 Ultra on its list. It said it would get support in March 2022. However, it has had support since last year, so it must be that regionalized versions will see support, which is why we’ve designated the March 2022 rollout as being for “all Galaxy S21 Ultra models.”
Samsung says that, in order to earn Expert RAW support, a phone’s camera must have a telephoto lens capable of at least 2x optical zoom. Since the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S21 Plus, Galaxy S20, Galaxy S20 Plus, and Galaxy Note 20 are limited to 1.1x optical zoom, they will not receive support for the camera app.
For more info on the app itself and how it works, check out our full review of the Galaxy S22 Ultra.