One of the most impressive features introduced in last year's Android 14 update is Ultra HDR.
This image format, developed by Google, is based on the near-universal JPEG format. An Ultra HDR image is essentially a JPEG file with HDR metadata, allowing devices with HDR displays to view the HDR version of the image, while devices without HDR displays only see the SDR version.
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This format solves the problem of displaying high-quality images on modern and older devices, but the catch is that only a few top Android phones capture photos in Ultra HDR. However, that may change soon.
With the release of Android 15 last week, Google unveiled the latest version of its Android Compatibility Definition Document, known as CDD. The CDD specifies the requirements that “ device” (i.e., hardware and software ) must meet in order to be considered “Android compatible.” Google created this document to ensure that OEMs develop devices that ship with versions of Android that maintain close parameters in terms of system behavior and API accessibility. While OEMs have the option to bypass the CDD and modify AOSP at will, if they want access to Google Mobile Services (GMS), they are required to follow the rules.
The Android 15 CDD includes new provisions related to the Performance Category, a standard introduced with Android 12 in 2021. This category defines a set of hardware and software capabilities that go beyond the core Android requirements as described in the CDD. The primary purpose of the Performance Category is to provide app developers with a quick way to understand when a given device can perform demanding tasks, such as supporting HDR video codecs, software-accelerated AV1 decoding, and more.
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Each version of Android has its own performance class, such as the performance class for Android 12, Android 13, and Android 14. OEMs declare the corresponding performance class that their devices meet through a system property that can be read by applications. For example, devices that ship with Android 12 and meet the requirements for performance 12 have the option to declare that they support that class. However, when those devices are upgraded to Android 13, OEMs can either continue to declare that they support performance class 12, or they can declare that they support performance class 13, provided they meet the new requirements.
While Google has yet to update its developer documentation to list all of the specifications for Performance Class 15, the Android 15 CDD lists some new requirements. There are many small changes to Performance Class 15, but the most significant ones relate to the following two issues:
- [7.5/H-1-18] MUST support JPEG_R for the main rear and main front cameras.
- [7.5/H-1-20] MUST output JPEG_R by default for the primary rear and primary front cameras in the native camera app.
The “JPEG_R” you see is the official name for the Ultra HDR image format. The “R” stands for “recovery map,” referring to the HDR gain map included in the JPEG file. Performance Class 15 requires devices to support Ultra HDR for both the main rear and front cameras, as well as output images in Ultra HDR by default when taking photos through the default camera. This requirement is notable, as it’s the first time Google has required devices to support its new Ultra HDR image format.
However, since the requirement only applies to devices that declare Performance Class 15, many devices that upgrade to or launch with Android 15 will not be required to support Ultra HDR. This requirement will only apply to technologically advanced Android 15 devices that choose the Performance Class standard.
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Fortunately, we're seeing more and more manufacturers adopt Ultra HDR without being forced to, which is great considering that in the past each OEM used their own proprietary HDR format. With Ultra HDR support gaining popularity, we hope that some third-party camera apps will release updates to enable Ultra HDR shooting.
Source: androidauthority
