Nexus 5 users should be pleased to hear that Android 4.4.1 update should be rolling out shortly and that in addition to speeding up focusing, it will add faster white balancing, less shutter lag, and the ability to pinch-zoom the viewfinder in HDR+ mode. The company also shared a handful of photos showing the difference between normal mode and HDR+ following the update.
Dave Burke, Google’s Director of Engineering for Android, confirmed the news about the camera problems users have been encountering and that the Nexus 5 takes longer to focus than it should. In an effort to produce a higher-quality image, the team opted to “make the shutter time longer, reduce the gain even longer, and get better shots.” This resulted in slower-than-expected shooting speeds, a drawback the next version of Android is aimed at fixing.
Besides the framerate increase, the Nexus 5 will have a speed-up between capturing pictures, reducing the time gap by 1 second. There will also be a progress indicator in the HDR+ mode that makes the mode easier to manage. The update should also fix the Nexus 5’s face unlock bug, where relying on facial recognition to unlock the device would occasionally ruin the camera app until the entire phone was rebooted.
The camera on the Nexus 5 is superb as it is, however the drawbacks have kept it from being the perfect picture-taking gadget. With the new update, owners should soon be able to whip out the handset with more confidence.
Thank you Android Police for providing us with this information
Images courtesy of Android Police
