Samsung is expected to release a major camera update for the Galaxy S23 series this month. The said update may bring some new features, improvements, and a few bug fixes. Among them could be a fix for the so-called “blurred banana” issue on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+. It is a focusing problem that produces images with blurry patches.
Reports about this focusing issue on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ first surfaced in March. Several users noticed that the new Samsung flagships are struggling to keep the entire scene in focus when capturing photos with the 50MP primary rear camera. Photos come out with curved patches of blurriness. These patches are often in the shape of a banana, thus the name.
This problem is particularly noticeable in photos of text or documents. However, some users could reproduce the issue in outdoor photos as well. The closer the subject is, the more visible the blurriness is. Despite the issue being fairly widespread, Samsung has been mum about it all this while. It has finally spoken, albeit through its regional community forum for Poland (via Reddit).
Samsung finally acknowledges the focusing issue with the Galaxy S23 camera
According to Samsung, this issue on the Galaxy S23 and Galaxy S23+ is because of a larger aperture (the opening in a lens through which light passes to enter the camera). A larger aperture or opening allows more light to pass, thus helping capture brighter pictures even in dark environments. The 50MP camera of these phones has an f/1.8 aperture, which is relatively large.
Unfortunately, this is resulting in a “more noticeable selective focus” that is making the background of photos look a bit blurry. Samsung says “a future software update” for the phones will improve this behavior, which should mean removing or at least reducing the blurriness. Meanwhile, it advises users to avoid taking photos with the 50MP camera if the subject is closer than 30cm (approx. 12 inches). “Move back a hand’s width,” the company says.
Moreover, Samsung suggests keeping the phone in a vertical orientation while taking photos. “If you hold the phone horizontally or diagonally, the background may appear blurred,” the community post stated. The company didn’t reveal when the fix for this issue will roll out. However, as said earlier, it is preparing to release a major update for the Galaxy S23 series this month. The update adds features like a 2x zoom option for portrait shots and is also expected to fix a long-standing HDR problem. We will let you know when the rollout begins.
2023-06-02 15:10:46