Samsung has finally revealed which previous Galaxy devices will get the Expert RAW support. As expected, only high-end Galaxy smartphones are lucky to use the app with a regular camera. As per the official list, Galaxy S22, Galaxy S22 Plus & Galaxy S22 Ultra devices will get the app at the end of this month. Later, the previous Galaxy S21 Ultra will get it, but as it has already received a beta version, it will receive a stable version in March. Samsung has excluded Galaxy S21 & Galaxy S21+ from the list. In the foldable phone, Galaxy Z Fold 3 will get the app in April, and Z Fold 2 is scheduled for H1 2022. Sadly, the app is not available for Galaxy Z Flip series models.
For even old models, only Galaxy S20 Ultra & Galaxy Note 20 Ultra are listed for the Expert RAW app. The Camera Manager explains other devices like Galaxy S20, S20+ Note 20 & Z Flip 3 don’t have the required features, so they will not get the support.
Here is the official answer from Camera Manager why some Galaxy devices are not supported the Expert RAW app.
The 64MP telephoto lens mounted on the S21, S21+, S20, S20+, Note20, etc. is a 1.1x optical zoom lens, providing hybrid zoom in photo and other modes. However, since Expert RAW requires at least 2x optical zoom magnification and Bayer RAW output at that magnification, please understand that this model is inevitably not supported.
For supporting Galaxy models, Samsung has taken these criteria in mind to launch the app.
- AP Exynos 990, SM8250 or higher;
- More than 8 gigabytes of memory,
- A model equipped with a telephoto lens that supports Bayer RAW with an optical zoom magnification of 2x or more
In the previous report, an official member has mentioned the stable version of the Expert RAW app will launch on February 25 for Galaxy S22 series. At current, the Expert RAW app is available for only Galaxy S21 Ultra.