Samsung is bringing a nifty new trick to its Galaxy Buds 2 Pro starting today: whenever you’re recording video, the earbuds will now be able to capture more realistic binaural 3D audio. “The feature captures 360-degree sound using a microphone on each ear cup, placing viewers at the center of a roaring festival crowd or next to a bubbling stream in the middle of a forest,” Samsung wrote in a statement from press today.
If you share those clips on social media and other platforms, listeners will be placed right in the middle of the sound field and will be able to hear the audio just like you did; it can deliver a more immersive and realistic experience compared to the standard stereo audio recorded by most smartphones and headsets. 3D audio sounds like it’s coming from everywhere.
Pretty cool, but there’s another interesting piece to this: Samsung is using LE Audio to achieve the new 3D audio recording capability:
360 audio recording is the first feature in the Galaxy line to take advantage of LE Audio, a new advanced Bluetooth audio standard. This new technology provides better audio quality, as well as better latency and battery life. Beyond providing better-sounding music, LE Audio also broadens the spectrum of audio experiences to deliver richer, more complex sound that can be shared with others. Now, LE Audio brings binaural recording to Galaxy Buds2 Pro, taking advantage of the left and right microphones at the same time.
Unfortunately, at the moment, binaural audio recording is limited to the Galaxy Z Fold 4 and Z Flip 4, and the company says it will also be available with the upcoming Galaxy S23 lineup. I have asked if other recent Samsung phones will be able to take advantage of the new feature. If you own one of the compatible foldables and the Buds 2 Pro, you can expect software updates starting today that will enable 3D audio recording for videos.
Samsung is also bringing a new feature to its Camera Controller app for the Galaxy Watch 5 and Watch 4: Starting in February, you’ll be able to control your phone’s camera zoom using the companion app on your smartwatch. That could be very useful for anyone who has a Samsung phone with powerful zoom powers.
Now users can remotely control the zoom of their phone’s camera with a simple pinch of the watch face or a twist of the rotating bezel, perfect for taking group photos or individual selfies from a distance and eliminating the need to run. back and forth toward the camera to frame the perfect image,” Samsung said in the press release. But again, while the binaural audio capability is rolling out today, you’ll need to wait a few more weeks for the zoom camera driver.
These aren’t major features by any means, but they are examples of Samsung continuing to lean into its ecosystem and provide exclusive functionality for customers who own multiple of the company’s devices.
