There had been rumors that Samsung would be releasing a software update ahead of the Galaxy S24 series' retail launch to fix some issues, such as inconsistency in photo quality, but the S24, S24+, and S24 Ultra went on sale with the same software they had been running pre-launch.
But the first update for the Galaxy S24 lineup is finally ready, as announced by Samsung today. It will be released this month, and those with an S24, S24+, or S24 Ultra will be able to download the update from the phone's Settings » Software update menu once it starts rolling out.
As expected, Samsung has addressed complaints about the vivid display mode on the Galaxy S24 series not doing anything to actually make the screen look more vivid. Samsung confirms that it was a deliberate decision to make the Galaxy S24 displays look more natural, but the company is also acknolwedging that not all users are happy about it and that is why it is offering them an option to make the display more vibrant.
The update will add a new “Vividness” slider to the display settings that can be adjusted according to the user's preference. Samsung has also improved the camera experience, though the wording it uses is pretty vague. The update brings “upgrades to the device’s zoom functions, Portrait Mode, Nightography, rear camera video shooting capabilities and more”, but what those upgrades are is not mentioned.
We can assume that Samsung has improved the camera algorithms for a more consistent output. For example, compared to previous devices, the Galaxy S24 Ultra doesn't always automatically turn on Night mode when using the telephoto cameras even in situations where it is necessary, which can be an issue when capturing zoom pictures in less-than-ideal lighting conditions.
We'll know for sure once the update becomes available. We don't expect massive improvements and changes to the camera experience, but we will have to test the new firmware before we can come to a conclusion.
