I updated my phone a couple of nights ago to One UI 3.1 and have been going through it to see what's changed and i have to say that it was a pointless update, i don't know why they bothered. Extra features that are so minuscule that most people are not going to notice, let alone care about, which makes me wonder if it was an excuse to implement the biggest change, the camera.
Single Take has more customisation, though its a feature i have only tried and not used.
Photo doesn't look like its changed.
Gone is the ability in the Settings to select the default Video Size/Aspect Ratio (UHD/HD etc.) and moved to the top ribbon on the camera where you can select which size you want much quicker.
That is where the good changes end.
Video size up to UHD is now only supported under 9:16 Aspect Ratio.
1:1 defaults to 1440x1440 and FULL defaults to 2288x1080 and can't be changed, whereas before in the settings, you could shoot in any aspect ratio from HD to UHD at any frame rate at almost any video size/aspect ratio.
There is a distracting circle with a lock icon and a bar underneath constantly hovering on the screen, this allows you to change the brightness, the problem is, as soon as you touch the screen, if you are lucky enough for it disappear and it often doesn't, it reappears.
All of these downgrades are the same when using the front camera.
But, the biggest change? YOU CAN NO LONGER RECORD VIDEO WITH THE WIDEANGLE CAMERA. This option is gone. Sometimes you had to pinch the screen for the zoom options to show and you could select 0.5X, thus being able to switch between both cameras while recording or to record with the wide angle camera or it had 2 icons like in the Photo section to select. So now, as it stands, the Wide Angle Camera is nothing more than a hole on the back of the phone, except for photo.
Same again in Pro-Mode Photo, all looks like before except one thing. You can no longer use the wide angle camera.
Pro-Mode Video, all the missing features above, again, gone from this option. No UHD on most Aspect Ratios and no ability to use wide angle camera.
I can't remember if pro mode for photo and video could be used with the front camera but i know it can't after this update if it could before. They have added Portrait and Portrait Video under More, they don't seem to add anything that couldn't already to be done in Photo and Video mode and seems like a waste of human resources to me to add these features but ymmv.
Little did I know that when the description for the 3.1 update said that it had enhanced the Camera that what they really meant was they butchered it. Samsung have been pushing updates out quite fast and I have had no complaints but this one has not been thought through, I don't know if it was rushed out or if they have intentionally restricted the camera in the most petty way to try and encourage people to buy one of their newer phones but i would like to know their reasoning.
If you like One UI 3.0 and haven't downgraded yet, I would block this update. Gutted that you can't go back on updates. Now its back to using my trusted clip-on lenses because of these pathetic changes.
