Google Chrome for Android to Soon Get HDR Video Playback Support

Google Chrome for Android looks set to joining the ranks of mobile apps that offer HDR video playback support, such as YouTube and Netflix among others. HDR or High Dynamic Range helps enhance colour and contrast and gives a more realistic feel compared to the usual standard dynamic range present. The feature was spotted in the Chromium Gerrit, and can be expected to arrive in a future update to the mobile browser.

An HDR-capable smartphone is required to access the new feature, a lot of devices are now available in the market including the flagship phones from Sony (Xperia XZ Premium, Xperia XZ1), the LG G6 and Samsung Galaxy S8 as well as Galaxy Note 8. Two updates to the Chromium Gerrit were spotted by XDA Developers, pointing to the upcoming addition of HDR video playback support for Google Chrome on Android.

Not a lot of content with HDR video capabilities is available but expect a lot of it to roll out now that the update is official on Google Chrome for Android. Earlier, apps like YouTube and Netflix have already added support for HDR, giving select videos superior colour quality - of course, for the two apps, video viewing is their primary task.

With support expanding to a popular mobile Web browser like Google Chrome, you will now be able to scout the entire web for HDR content and view it with the browser’s inbuilt video player on Android.