Readers like you help support XDA Developers. When you make a purchase using links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Read More.
The Google Pixel 8 series smartphones have been announced at the just-concluded Made by Google event alongside the Pixel Watch 2. This year’s Google flagship phone, the Pixel 8 Pro, features a 6.7-inch display, is powered by the new Tensor G3 processor, has a triple rear camera system with 5x optical zoom, and even comes with a temperature sensor. The Pixel 8 Pro starts at $999 and is available in colors such as Bay (sky blue), Porcelain (white/cream) and Obsidian (black).
XDA VIDEO OF THE DAY SCROLL TO CONTINUE WITH CONTENT
While the Pixel 8 Pro has many interesting features, we’re going to focus on the camera. Let’s face it, most of you will be going for this device purely for its camera chops. With every generation, the Pixel smartphones add newer computational photography elements to help you get more improved photos. This year, though, Google has focused on enhancing the video features on the Pixel 8 Pro. Here are the most interesting camera features on the Pixel 8 Pro.
7 Impressive camera specs Source: Google
The rear camera setup on the Pixel 8 Pro is comprised of all new cameras. It sports a 50MP primary camera with the sensor having a 1.2-micron pixel width and an aperture of f/1.6 that will help get good low-light photographs. The ultrawide camera comes with a 48MP sensor with 0.8-micron pixel width and a slightly smaller f/1.9 aperture. The third camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is a 48MP telephoto camera with an aperture of f/2.8 and support for 5x optical zoom.
As with earlier Pixel smartphones, the Pixel 8 Pro also supports the Super Res Zoom of up to 30x. The main camera and the telephoto cameras also come with optical and electronic image stabilization systems for stutter-free stills and videos. On the front, you get a standard 10.5MP selfie camera with an f/2.2 aperture and autofocus.
6 Video Boost technology Source: Google
Google claims its new Video Boost feature can record “smoother videos” and uses software chops to automatically adjust color, improve dynamic range, lighting, and stabilization, and reduce graininess in videos. It was shown off at the keynote in a side-by-side comparison with a video shot using the iPhone 15 Pro Max. The Pixel 8 Pro footage showed a higher dynamic range and more saturated colors on the landscape.
According to Google, every frame of the 4K video (with the Video Boost feature activated) passes through the HDR image pipeline, and it works in concert with the camera hardware on the Pixel 8 Pro, the Tensor G3 chipset, and Google’s data centers. The processing happens in the background, and the completed video will show up in your Google Photos library. The Video Boost feature will be available by December.
5 Night Sight Video Source: Google
When compared with flagship iPhones, Pixel flagships have always come short when it comes to video recording. But just like the Pixel phones set new benchmarks for low-light still photography on mobile phones, the Pixel 8 Pro could do the same for low-light video shooting. Night Sight Video is a software feature that hopes to improve low-light video shooting by combining different exposures to minimize noise and improve visibility. This could come in handy when shooting videos in dimly lit nightclubs, restaurants, or cityscapes at night. It’s basically a Video Boost feature when used at nighttime.
4 Audio Magic Eraser Source: Google
When Google introduced the Magic Eraser with the Pixel 6 and 6 Pro to remove unwanted elements or crowds in a photo, it was met with great enthusiasm. With the Pixel 8 Pro, Google wants to build on its computational audio functionality as well. The Audio Magic Eraser feature is a result of that, and its promise lies in removing unwanted distracting sounds from your videos. According to Google, the Pixel 8 Pro identifies different sounds in your videos and sorts them into distinct layers that you can control. In the presentation, you can see sounds categorized as Speech, Crowd, Noise, Wind, and Music.
3 Magic Editor Source: Google
The Magic Editor takes the Magic Eraser feature to the next level. With this, you can not only erase but also reposition objects or people in the frame, change the color of the sky, and even use some presets to get the image that you want. This feature makes use of generative AI to manipulate the images. However, according to Google, this will be available in Google Photos, so it may come to other Pixel devices as well.
2 Best Take Source: Google
We have all captured group photos where the people in the frame are not looking at the camera. With the Best Take feature on the Pixel 8 Pro, you have the option to change that. The Best Take feature presents the best photos from a burst of photos so that you can select the best photo — one where everyone is looking into the camera and smiling, for instance. While the promos show a seamless replacement of the headshots, we will have to see how it works in real life. As with the Magic Eraser, there also used to be unwanted artifacts when removing objects from images.
1 Pro-level DSLR features Source: Google
Pixel flagship phones have great point-and-shoot cameras within them. But Pixel 8 Pro hopes to take things up a notch by giving users pro-level DSLR features. What that means is you can adjust the shutter speed, ISO levels, manually select the lens, adjust the focus, and more. The Pro Controls also give you added flexibility to shoot creatively and even shoot full-resolution RAW images for every camera.
The Pixel 8 Pro has definitely packed in a lot of impressive camera features. By showing a side-by-side comparison of its Video Boost feature with the iPhone 15 Pro Max, Google has made it clear which company it considers competition on the video front. Even though artificial intelligence features and the powerful Tensor G3 chipset sound great, only thorough testing in real-life conditions will we see how they perform. If you are already set on the Pixel 8 Pro, here’s how you can save money with a trade-in.
