The Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra is the latest flagship smartphone by Samsung that has been launched in January 2021. As it’s a premium segment flagship device, it has Exynos 2100 or Snapdragon 888 5G chipset along with quad rear cameras. However, if you feel that the stock Samsung camera app isn’t that impressive, you can always Download Google Camera for Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | GCam APK Guide.
Also Read: Samsung Galaxy S21, S21 Plus, and S21 Ultra Android 12 (One UI 4.0) Update Tracker
Talking about the camera specifications of the Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra, it has 108MP (wide, f/1.8) + 10MP (periscope telephoto, f/4.9) + 10MP (telephoto, f/2.4) + 12MP (ultrawide, f/2.2) lens at the rear side that offers PDAF, Laser AF, OIS, 10x optical zoom, super steady video, an LED flashlight, auto-HDR, Panorama, etc. It also captures 8K videos with HDR10+, stereo sound recording, gyro-EIS, etc.
While coming to the front side, the handset packs a single 40MP (wide, f/2.2) selfie camera that offers PDAF, dual video call, auto-HDR mode, etc. It can record videos up to 4K resolution. Although flagship Samsung Galaxy devices are well-equipped with powerful camera sensors and software algorithms (One UI), it may possible that some advanced mobile photography lovers may not like the interface or image results.
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What is a Google Camera App (GCam)?
Google Camera (GCam) is a stock camera app for Google Pixel devices that comes preloaded with Pixel devices. Initially, Google made it available on the Play Store for every Android device. But later Google has decided to keep it official for only Pixel devices.
However, due to the Android’s open-source nature and hard work for developers like Arnova8G2, we’re now able to use ported Google Camera app for almost every Android model. It has a simple yet stunning user interface, multiple features, and most importantly a powerful software algorithm for better image processing.
Needless to say that it’s a stock camera app for Google Pixel devices and the performance is high class. Therefore, mobile photography lovers mostly prefer the Google Camera app on their entry-level to flagship Android devices as a primary camera app. A big thanks to all of the ported GCam app developers who’re really working hard to port the Pixel camera app. You won’t find such a camera app right now for your Android device.
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Google Camera Features
The ported Google Camera (GCam) app features Google Lens integration, Super Res Zoom, AR Emojis, TimeLapse, Slow-Motion, PhotoSphere, Image Stabilization, Astrophotography mode, HDR, HDR+, HDR+ enhanced mode, etc. Additionally, it supports RAW image format, ZSL, Screen Flash, AR Stickers, Night Sight mode, Portrait mode, Advanced Settings, etc.
Meanwhile, advanced users can manually set up the ISO level, brightness, and plenty of other options according to their preference.
What works:
- All quad rear cameras work.
- Portrait mode also works with all quad rear cameras.
- Astrophotography works on main and ultra-wide.
- Telephoto can only do 1080p recording while main and ultra-wide can do 4K (but can zoom further than 20x for video).
- RAW DNG capture for all quad rear cameras.
Doesn’t work:
- Front camera
- Slow-motion
- Macro (ultra-wide works but can’t focus up to macro levels like stock)
Download Google Camera for Samsung Galaxy S21 Ultra | GCam APK
Steps to Install Google Camera on Android
The Google Camera APK file installation process is as simple as installing any other third-party APK file. You do not need to root or enable Camera2 API on your device. Just follow the below steps to easily install the Google Camera app.
- Make sure that the Unknown Sources option is enabled on your device. Head over to the device Settings menu > Security/Privacy > Enable it. [If already enabled, skip to the installation]
- Now, download the GCam APK file according to your model or preference from the download link above on your phone.
- Head over to the File Manager app and tap on the downloaded GCam APK file.
- It will initiate the package installer interface > Tap on Install.
- The app will start installing and once it’s done, follow the next method.
Steps to Load XML Files
- Once you’ve installed the GCam 8.1 build on your handset, head over to the File Manager app.
- Now, go to the Internal Storage section > Here you’ll find out a folder called GCam. [If not found, manually create this folder]
- Open the GCam folder and create another folder called Configs8. [It should look like /GCam/Configs8/]
- Then copy and paste the XML file inside this Configs8 folder.
- Once moved the XML file successfully, open the Google Camera app.
- Make sure to give the app full storage permissions to work properly.
- Now, double-tap the dark area around the camera shutter button.
- This will open a popup for the Choose Config option.
- Here you’ll have to select the Arnova_S21U.xml file and tap on Restore.
- You’re done. Enjoy!
That’s it, guys. We assume this guide was helpful to you. For further queries, you can comment below.
Credit: XDA