Even before the new HTC flagship hits the market, its developers have already made a first update on the phone due to the poor performance of the camera in daylight situations where the image showed high levels of noise. The first camera tests posted and commented on the network discovered the fact that although the new camera of the HTC One managed to capture very high quality night shots, the photographs taken during the day lost sharpness due to excess noise, something that did not depend on the hardware that supports the Ultrapixel technologylarvae, nymphs, and adults, so It has been fixed by the device software.
It has been a month since we analyzed the revolutionary Ultrapixel camera of the HTC One, a lens that boasts an aperture of f / 2.0. This means that it becomes, in objective terms, the brightest mobile phone on the market to date: the iPhone 5 has an aperture of f/2.4, and the Samsung Galaxy S4 with f/2.6; while the new Sony Xperia Z (HTC's biggest rival) boasts a lens aperture of f/2.4, the same as the iPhone 5.
But reality often doesn't match the numbers in the same way as it does in our minds, and while the HTC One's camera blew us away with its high-quality recording and nighttime photo capture, we eventually realized that performance in broad daylight was not that good as expected from that f/2.0 aperture. As you can see in the "Before" photographs, with a low ISO like 100, it showed very little sharpness, when it is at low ISO when noise should not be appreciated at all, as explained by the advanced camera settings on Android.
If we follow the horizontal line in the same photograph, we can see that the problem has been fixed and the noise disappears completely in the same ISO, since in "After" we can see the image taken after the software update that HTC decided to carry out to solve the problem.
Thanks to these updates prior to its launch, the firm assures us that the HTC One (although it is late in arriving given its production problems due to lack of supplies), it will arrive updated taking into account the first software errors uncovered in its first tests. Every cloud has a silver lining.
Specific improvements to the camera update
HTC has released a camera-focused firmware that introduces improvements and fixes key to better utilizing Ultrapixel technology. Among the most significant changes are: reduction of overexposure when not using HDR, better color reproduction or with a wider dynamic range in high contrast scenes.
The company has also optimized the sound quality on HTC Zoe, has applied noise reduction in slow motion clips and has corrected the EXIF ​​information so that the manual ISO is displayed correctly when reviewing metadata. In addition, an improvement is included in the overall system stability which positively impacts the shooting experience. Third-party applications such as Ultracam to complement recording functions.
The update, identified as 1.29.401.12 and with an approximate size of 229,04 MB, began its deployment in European users and has gradually expanded to more regions. HTC says that new units of the HTC One They arrive with updated firmware, so buyers take advantage of these improvements from the first ignition, without having to modify the base version of Android.
Ultrapixel: Hardware and Why It Matters
HTC's proposal breaks the megapixel race: it opts for a sensor of 4 SM to 2 µm pixels. Being larger, each pixel captures more light than conventional sensors, which translates into less noise y better nighttime performance. All this is combined with a lens f / 2.0 y optical stabilization to sustain longer exposure times without camera shake.
The sensor has format 16:9, and when shooting in 4:3 a crop is made, so the user must consider whether to prioritize the wider perspective or the maximum resolution available. After the update, the processing algorithm fine-tune the white balance and better controls highlights, mitigating the effect of burned areas which was observed in bright light.
Photo and video performance after the update
In good light, the HTC One offers most faithful color or with a white balance Generally accurate; fine detail is still limited by the 4MP resolution when viewed at 100%, but the new processing brings cleaner contours without increasing noise. In complex, high-contrast scenes, increasing Dynamic range reduces clipping in shadows and highlights.
In low light, the combination of Ultrapixel, f/2.0 and stabilization continues to make a difference: the Night mode extends the exposure time to capture more light at moderate ISO. The result is images with more visible textures and less chromatic noise. In video, the mode slow motion benefits from a noise reduction noticeable, and when recording with Zoe, the audio is recorded with greater clarity. The Night mode from other manufacturers shows how software can significantly improve nighttime capture.
The user experience remains very agile: fast focusing, bursts of up to 8 fps (up to 99 photos) and manual controls ISO 100-1600, white balance, exposure and sharpness. The firmware fixes isolated cases of partial blur and softens excessive sharpening; if desired, it is possible to leave the sharpness at -1 or -2 for a more natural look.
Tweaks and tricks for better results
- Leave ISO on automatic or use ISO 100 in full light to obtain the lowest possible noise; activate HDR only when the contrast demands it.
- Night mode: Take advantage of it with the help of stabilization; avoid the flash unless you need to fill in shadows at close range.
- Image profiles: If you see hard edges, reduce the sharpness and adjust contrast/saturation to your liking.
- Gust and Zoe: Shoot in burst for moving subjects and use HTC Zoe to capture moments before and after the shot.
- always update to version 1.29.401.12 or higher to benefit from the EXIF ISO correction and advances in color and range.
With these optimizations, HTC reinforces its commitment to Ultrapixel: a system that, without chasing megapixel figures, offers tangible improvements in real-world situations. The update reduces noise and overexposure during the day, maintains its advantage at night, improves Zoe, and refines metadata, cementing the HTC One as a solid choice for those who prioritize image consistency and control over the shot.
