After spending some solid time testing the camera on my S24 FE post-One UI 7 update, here’s a detailed breakdown of what's changed – both good and bad.
What’s Improved:
Flash Photography for Documents:
A long-standing issue seems to be finally fixed! Earlier, using flash to capture documents often resulted in a bright white blob in the center with dark, vignette-like edges. Post-update, the capture timing feels much more aligned with the flash, producing far more balanced and usable shots — especially for text documents.
Smoother Zoom Slider:
The zoom control now feels much more refined and responsive, making it easier to frame shots precisely.
Reduced Noise in Low-Light Preview:
While final images were clean even in One UI 6.1, the camera preview often showed significant noise in low-light scenes. That’s been noticeably improved in One UI 7, offering a more accurate preview of the final output.
Improved Front Camera Night Shots (No Flash):
Nightography on the front camera feels sharper and more detailed now, especially without flash.
What’s Gone Bad:
Portrait Mode (Rear Camera):
The rear Portrait mode is now struggling with edge detection on non-human subjects. Previously, it handled such scenarios really well. Now, subject-background separation feels less accurate — even when using the telephoto lens, which should ideally help with natural depth.
Exposure Struggles on Front Camera (Against Light):
The front camera now takes noticeably longer to adjust exposure when the subject is backlit. It does eventually get it right, but the quick adaptation we saw in One UI 6.1 is missing.
Camera Switch Delay & Missing Flash Ring Animation:
Switching from rear to front camera now takes longer than before. Also, the flashy ring animation that lit up around the front camera during the switch is gone — a small thing, but one that added a nice visual touch.
It feels like the software is leaning more on computational processing than necessary. Even when using the telephoto lens, Portrait mode relies heavily on software blur, which sometimes affects the natural feel of the photo.
What’s the Same:
Videography:
No noticeable changes here — in quality or performance. It's stable and consistent, just like before.
Camera UI:
Still fluid and user-friendly, with no lag or usability issues. A few layout changes are welcome but nothing major.
Wishlist:
I really hoped Samsung would bring Flash Fill to the main camera app. It’s incredibly useful for capturing documents without harsh reflections — especially for users like me who scan a lot of text.
Conclusion:
While One UI 7 brings some meaningful camera improvements — especially in flash handling, zoom, and front camera night shots — it also introduces a few issues. The Portrait mode’s regression and exposure handling delay are noticeable, but I believe these can be addressed in future updates. Fingers crossed that Samsung irons these out soon!
