The company’s next big Android update, One UI 7, will have a toggle that keeps your screen brightness in check.
High Dynamic Range (HDR) content is often a showstopper. Whether it’s vivid photos or videos, HDR showcases the brilliance of your smartphone display, pushing colors, contrast, and brightness to the limit. But let’s face it—there are times when HDR can be more of a nuisance than a feature. Imagine settling in for a cozy evening, scrolling through Instagram or watching YouTube, only to have your screen blast your eyes with ultra-bright highlights. Annoying, right?
Samsung has heard your pain. With its upcoming One UI 7 update, currently in beta, the company is introducing a system-wide toggle to give you complete control over HDR content. Say hello to the “Super HDR” setting, a simple yet powerful tool that allows you to rein in those blinding highlights and enjoy a more comfortable viewing experience—especially at night.
What Is Super HDR?
The new “Super HDR” toggle, highlighted by 9to5Google, is tucked into your Galaxy phone’s settings menu. While the description—“automatically adjust the display to show the full range of colors and contrast in pictures taken with Galaxy devices”—might sound like it’s enhancing HDR, the feature actually does the opposite. When enabled, it prevents your display from cranking up the brightness unnecessarily across all apps.
This isn’t just a fix for HDR photos and videos captured on your Galaxy phone; it’s a universal switch that covers all HDR content, including videos on social media platforms, streaming apps, and more. It’s the kind of thoughtful functionality that can make a huge difference in everyday use.
Why This Matters
As smartphone cameras improve, HDR content has become more ubiquitous. Most devices now capture video with enhanced dynamic range by default. While this makes for stunning visuals, it also means that even mundane clips—like a random Instagram story—can suddenly turn your screen into a flashlight.
Until now, there’s been no universal solution to control HDR brightness on Android. While some apps, like Instagram, offer in-app settings to manage HDR content (more on that later), these are often inconsistent and limited in scope. Samsung’s new feature solves the problem at its root, giving you the power to manage HDR brightness across your entire device with a single toggle.
How Does It Compare to iPhone?
Apple, for all its polish, doesn’t currently offer an HDR-specific toggle. If you want to avoid HDR content on your iPhone, the only workaround is enabling Low Power Mode, which makes a host of other system-wide changes that might not be ideal. This makes Samsung’s “Super HDR” feature a standout option for Android users, filling a gap that even iOS hasn’t addressed.
Customizing Your HDR Experience
For those who primarily experience HDR issues on Instagram, there is a partial fix available—but only for iOS users. In Instagram’s settings, under the “Media Quality” section, you can disable HDR. Unfortunately, this feature doesn’t exist on the Android version of the app, making Samsung’s system-wide solution even more valuable.
A Win for Eye Comfort
The “Super HDR” toggle isn’t just about convenience; it’s about comfort. By giving users control over HDR brightness, Samsung is addressing a real-world problem that many of us encounter daily. Whether you’re winding down for the night or simply prefer a more subdued display, this feature ensures that your phone adapts to your needs, not the other way around.
What’s Next?
The One UI 7 update is still in beta, so it may be a little while before the feature rolls out to all Galaxy devices. But once it does, it’s likely to become a favorite among users who value both cutting-edge technology and practical usability.
Samsung’s “Super HDR” toggle is yet another example of how the company continues to refine its software to meet the needs of real people. While HDR content isn’t going anywhere, at least now you’ll have the tools to manage it on your terms.
Stay tuned for the full release of One UI 7, and in the meantime, let’s hope other smartphone manufacturers take a cue from Samsung and start offering similar options for their users.
