The June security update released for the Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 brings new background blur effects for the camera’s Live Focus feature which only available on the Galaxy S10.
Apart from the Live focus, the update also brings other camera features like a dedicated Night mode and a QR code scanner. Live focus allows a user to adjust the level of background blur so whatever they are focusing on stands out. Say the subject is food. Live Focus ensures your plate of food stands out.
The feature also allows you to change the photo’s mood. Even after taking the photo, you can readjust the blur until you find the ideal setting. The phone also have a select range of background blur shapes to add characters and shapes to the photo.
As we await the launch of the Galaxy Note 10 on August 7th, the Galaxy Note 9 is still a beast of a device that has improved even more so since Android Pie arrived. Now the dedicated camera Night Mode is rolling out to Galaxy Note 9 users.
The update also brings with it the June 2019 security patch and some extra camera abilities including Bixby QR code scanning.
The effects to choose from are blur, spin, zoom, and color point. And just like we experienced it on the Galaxy S10+ while reviewing it, our favorite effect still remains to be Color Point. The feature turns the background greyscale so that only the subject is left in color, while “Zoom Bokeh” and “Spin Bokeh” makes it look like you’re racing towards the camera or speeding around on a roundabout, respectively.
However, unlike the Galaxy S10 trio that let you change the effect on the fly, the Galaxy S9 and Note 9 only allow changing the background effect after a Live Focus photo has been taken. You can do this by opening the Gallery app, navigating to a Live Focus photo, and then hitting the Change background effect option. The new effects can be applied to both new and existing Live Focus photos.
It’s fun being able to change the blur effect, allowing for a more artistic look in your bokeh/portrait shots compared to standard background blur, and Galaxy S9 and Galaxy Note 9 owners can now take advantage of the same Live Focus effects as the Galaxy S10e, Galaxy S10, and Galaxy S10+ owners.