Samsung Galaxy S6 & HTC One M9 Missing Critical Controls for Android Lollipop Camera 2 API

[dgstorm]

Apparently both Samsung and HTC didn't feel like implementing all of the possible features found in the current version of Lollipop for their newest flagships. It looks like neither the Samsung Galaxy S6, nor the S6 Edge, nor the HTC One M9 will implement the full range of controls found in the Android Lollipop Camera 2 API.

Amongst these two brands of flagship Android smartphones, the Galaxy S6 and S6 Edge are the most egregious offenders. On these, Samsung left out a couple of critical API features from Lollipop, including the ability to shoot photos in raw format (DNG), and access to control over shutter speeds. This results in several missing features detailed below:

• no manual white balance via RGB gains
• no custom color space conversion matrix
• no shutter speed control
• no manual exposure parameters (only rough exposure steps control)
• non-fixed metering, etc.

It turns out that these aren't the only devices affected by lagging OEM development. Here's a quote with the final few details,

A similar list holds true for practically all other 2015 Android 5.0 Lollipop flagships unveiled at MWC 2015.

What this means for the user is that - unless you are using a Nexus phone - a huge part of camera options coming with Camera 2 API in Lollipop will not be available on Samsung Galaxy and HTC One flagships in the near future (at least not via third-party apps). Only time will tell whether those new features will come to Android.

Source: PhoneArena