Samsung expands Camera Assistant to cheaper Galaxy phones- Android Authority

Samsung’s most powerful camera tricks have historically been reserved for its flagship Galaxy phones. If you bought a mid-range handset, you were pretty much stuck with the factory settings. With the widespread rollout of One UI 8.5, Samsung is opening the gates and expanding its Camera Assistant module to a massive roster of budget Galaxy smartphones and tablets.

If you haven’t used it before, Camera Assistant is a dedicated tool that sits on top of your default camera app and is available via Good Lock or the Galaxy Store. It won’t replace your primary viewfinder, but it allows you granular control over how Samsung’s image processing actually works behind the scenes.

You can set automatic lens switching, control the levels of softening in your pictures and videos, and control the shutter speed manually via the app. You also get extra zoom shortcuts, Auto HDR toggles, HDR10+ video recording, and custom controls on how many frames are captured when using the timer.

Previously, Samsung slowly trickled this support down to the Galaxy A5x lineup, covering everything from the A52 to the A56, and eventually the newly launched A57. Now, the One UI 8.5 update expands compatibility straight to the Galaxy A3x and M-series families (via SamMobile). The list of newly supported phones includes the Galaxy A37, A36, A35, and A34, as well as the Galaxy M36, M35, and M34.

Tablets are getting the exact same treatment. Camera Assistant is now fully functional across the Galaxy Tab S8, Tab S9, Tab S10, and Tab S11 series. This wide support includes all of the Plus, Ultra, and FE variants in those lineups.

There is a catch, though. Not every supported device will get every Camera Assistant feature. Samsung says hardware limitations are still a factor, especially on lower-end phones. Some of the more advanced image processing or higher-end camera sensors may stay exclusive to flagship models.