Samsung is working on implementing an Android 16 feature into One UI 8 that will allow users to capture HDR screenshots. This feature is not yet available in the public One UI 8 beta build(s) but could become a reality soon.

Support for HDR screenshots was discovered in the ZYF7 closed One UI 8 beta build (via UniverseIce). It is not available in the public ZYF3 beta 2 firmware, but Samsung is working on the feature behind closed doors. Here's why it matters.

If this feature goes live with the One UI 8 update, Galaxy phone users will have the ability to screenshot HDR content and view those screenshots in HDR format.

In other words, if you watch a movie or play a game with HDR enabled and you capture a screenshot, that screenshot will retain the HDR effects when viewed in the Gallery app.

Right now, screenshots of HDR content are saved in SDR. These screenshots don't retain the HDR data, so they don't appear as bright as the original content. HDR screenshots will be saved in an HDR format, i.e., PNG with HDR gain maps.

It's not entirely clear if Samsung is developing this One UI 8 feature on its own, but it is likely based on existing Android 16 code (via Android Authority). Android 16 introduces gain maps to enable HDR imagery, and Samsung is likely working on implementing this exact feature into One UI 8.

Because the HDR screenshot feature is not yet available in the public One UI 8 beta builds, it's hard to predict when Samsung may or may not make it available. HDR screenshot support could be added with a future One UI 8 beta build or the public One UI 8 update following the conclusion of the beta program.

We will have to wait and see how Samsung handles this, but considering the fact that the feature already appears to be fully functional in the closed beta build, it might not be far from reaching Galaxy device users running One UI 8.