Some Android 15 phones will be forced to shoot in Ultra HDR by default
Ultra HDR popularity could get a shot in the arm, with select high-end phones running Android 15 using it by default.
![Some Android 15 phones will be forced to shoot in Ultra HDR by default](https://www.androidauthority.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/Google-Pixel-9-Pro-cameras.jpg)
- Devices that declare they meet performance class 15 will be required to support Ultra HDR for the main rear and front-facing cameras.
- This is outlined in the Compatibility Definition Document for Android 15.
- Performance class 15 is opt-in, though, and only some new, high-end devices will declare that they meet it.
One of the best features introduced in last year’s Android 14 update is Ultra HDR. It’s an image format made by Google that’s built on top of the nearly ubiquitous JPEG format. An Ultra HDR image is essentially just a JPEG file with some HDR metadata embedded in it so devices with HDR displays can see the HDR version of the picture while devices without HDR displays will only see the SDR version. The format solves the conundrum of displaying high-quality images on both modern and legacy devices, but the problem is that only a handful of the best Android phones capture photos in Ultra HDR. That could change soon, though.