For all its issues, the Pixel 3 is one of the better Android phones of 2018, as we expressed in our review. But one feature that still stands out, even as we shift our attention to the wave of new phones expected to arrive early next year, is Night Sight. While you may not have had a chance to experiment with the feature yourself, you’ve probably seen it demonstrated in commercials, and Google has shared a few stunning examples on its blog.
But in 2019, Google will seemingly have some competition in this field from the biggest Android phone maker on the planet. Earlier this week, by decompiling the Samsung Camera APK included in the latest Note 9 One UI build, XDA Developers discovered code that hints at a new feature for the Galaxy S10 called “Bright Night.”
Here are the relevant strings that XDA Developers managed to pull from the camera APK in the update:
<string name=”Title_bright_night”>Bright night</string>
<string name=”smart_tips_bright_night_description”> Suggest mode to take bright pictures even in very dark conditions. </string>
<string name=”super_night_guide_capture”> Hold your phone steady. Taking picture. </string>
<string name=”super_night_guide_ready”> Brighten up this shot with Bright night. </string>
<string name=”bright_night_summary”> Take bright pictures even in very dark conditions </string>
<string name=”SM_NIGHT”> Night </string>
<string name=”SM_NIGHT_description”> Take multiple shots and combine them to get brighter, clearer pictures in low light without using the flash. </string>
<string name=”bright_night_summary”> Take bright pictures even in very dark conditions. </string>
As you can see from the strings of code hidden in the update, Bright Night sounds virtually identical to Google’s Night Sight feature. The camera mode will allow users to “take bright pictures in very dark conditions” by combining multiple shots “to get brighter clearer pictures in low light without using the flash.” Of course, Google isn’t the only big phone maker to have introduced a feature along these lines, but it’s clear that Samsung is interested in jumping on the bandwagon, especially after Google’s Night Sight received so much attention.
There’s no clear indication of when or if Bright Night will roll out, but it would make sense to include it on the upcoming Galaxy S10, which Samsung is expected to debut in February ahead of MWC 2019. While the feature could certainly make its way to older phones as well, expect it to be an S10 exclusive at launch.
