Android 16 may let you capture screenshot in full HDR effects

Android 16 is bringing a new capability that will enable users to capture HDR screenshot with full clarity. The feature has been spotted in the latest Beta 2 update and may roll out to all eligible smartphones with the stable Android 16 upgrade.

Screenshot is one of the significant features of an Android device. It is a tool that lets you snap out what is being displayed on your phone’s screen in real time. It is useful when you want to save any important information without penning it down.

Looks like Google is giving a new HDR twist to the screenshot feature with the Android 16 upgrade. Earlier, the feature used to support SDR (Standard Dynamic Range) format. But with the next major version, it may upgrade to HDR quality.

Mishaal Rahman (via Android Authority) noted that Google is bringing HDR screenshot support this year with the new Android version. HDR or High Dynamic Range offers a wider range of brightness and colors over the SDR image. It hypes more realistic visuals, deeper shadows, and greater details in the picture.

While Google introduced the Ultra HDR with Android 14, it didn’t really work well when it comes to the screenshot images. The company formed a way to encode both SDR UI and HDR images in a single snap. Since SDR remained in the frame, the captured image was used to show the same dull results as earlier.

Android 16 may let you capture screenshot in full HDR effects (Image Credits: Google)

The first clue of HDR screenshots is visible in Android 15 as a tone mapping algorithm for screenshots. It can capture the HDR effect while preserving the content’s surrounding SDR UI. These images often get saved in SDR but Android 16 may change that.

Inputs reveal that screenshots captured on the Android 16 Beta 2 devices are being saved in HDR format. Mishaal even shared some sample shots in the Google Photos app. Though you must have an HDR-supported phone to view the effects.

(source)