Stay up to date with notifications from The Independent

Notifications can be managed in browser preferences.

Samsung Galaxy S8 to get Portrait Mode in next software update, support suggests

It deliberately increases the amount of blur in the background of shots, placing all the focus on the main subject

Aatif Sulleyman
Thursday 19 October 2017 11:55 BST
Comments

Samsung Galaxy S8 users could soon gain access to one of the iPhone 8 Plus’ headline features.

The company’s support team has hinted that an upcoming software update will bring Portrait Mode to the handset.

The feature is designed to let you quickly capture professional-looking pictures.

It deliberately increases the amount of blur in the background of shots, placing all the focus on the main subject.

Asked whether or not Portrait Mode would come to the S8, Samsung support told a customer: “Kindly note that regarding your query unfortunately there is no information yet, but we hope that you will get portrait mode update with the next [software update].”

While this is far from official confirmation, it certainly offers hope for users.

Portrait Mode is a headline camera feature on some of the best phones on the market, including the iPhone 7 Plus and iPhone 8 Plus, but it’s also available on the Samsung Galaxy Note 8, which came out after the S8.

Unlike the iPhones and Note 8, which use dual cameras, the S8 only has one rear sensor.

As noted by GSMArena, which was tipped off about Samsung support’s message, that means the South Korean company would need to take a very different approach to Apple.

Like the Google Pixel 2, which also only features a single rear camera, the S8 could successfully replicate the effect with the use of software. If the feature comes to the S8, it will come to the larger S8 Plus too.

Join our commenting forum

Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies

Comments

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged inPlease refresh your browser to be logged in