YouTube supports HDR playback on Android

YouTube introduced HDR playback on compatible TVs last year, but support for the high dynamic range on the smartphone app has only just arrived. The company started the roll-out of the functionality on devices compatible with the HDR mode over the weekend, and in a few days it should arrive on all the devices suitable to receive the news.

With HDR, it is defined as a technology capable of guaranteeing the spectator a greater number of colors, in the darker and lighter shades of the color spectrum. An HDR display can then reproduce in the same frame the individual lighter shades of a sky and the darker details of the shaded areas, without burning the first or obscuring the seconds. In many cases and in very specific circumstances, the contribution of the HDR can make a significant contribution to image quality.

Among smartphones that already have an HDR display and that are compatible with the feature introduced on YouTube, we have LG V30, Samsung Galaxy S8, Samsung Galaxy Note 8, Sony Xperia XZ Premium and even the Google Pixel support the new mode, although the display has never been declared as HDR. Big absent LG G6, also compatible with the standard, but Google has already announced to be working to support a greater number of devices.

The feature is already in the roll-out phase. Those who have not yet received it can update the client manually through Google Play Store by installing the latest version available, while those who want to try some videos with the new HDR mode can do it with the playlist that we integrate below on the page. Unfortunately, it is not possible to deactivate it, so for a direct comparison you have to install the old client first and then compare it in second place by playing it with the updated app.