The GooglePixel 7andPixel 7 Prohaven’t been around all that long, but time waits for no one - especially in the world of smartphones. The company is expected to announce thePixel 8and Pixel 8 Pro later in 2023, and expectations are high. As well they might be.
A new report claims to be based on information leaked by an unnamed Google insider, with multiple camera details shared for the first time. If these details are accurate, the next round of Pixel phones could be well worth taking a look at if you’re a fan of taking photos or videos.
Big upgrades are coming
This new report comes viaAndroid Authoritywhich points the figure at some notable hardware upgrades for Google’s next phones.
At the top of the list is a move to a new camera sensor for both the Pixel 8 and Pixel Pro. Out goes the Samsung ISOCELL GN1, we’re told, with the upgraded ICOSELL GN2 making an appearance in its stead. That should mean for a larger sensor that captures more light, we’re told. That’s something that should ensure the new phones will have better low-light performance, but we’ll need to see it for ourselves to be sure.
That new sensor also supports 8K video recording at 30fps, but it isn’t clear whether that will be made available to owners of the new phones. Staggered HDR should be included. the leak claims, with the feature reducing “the delay between the frames that are captured for HDR to reduce ghosting and speed up the capture process.”
For the Pixel 8 Pro specifically, an upgraded ultrawide camera will see the 64-megapixel Sony IMX787 replace the outgoing 12-megapixel Sony IMX386. That could wind up being the biggest upgrade of them all, hopefully making the ultrawide camera a much more capable one.
Google isn’t leaving the Pixel 8 out in the cold, though. It’s getting its own ultrawide upgrade, although it won’t be as impressive as the Pixel 8 Pro. That’s because it’s going to use the existing IMX386 sensor but with a new, wider zoom.
Moving on, the Pixel 8 Pro is reportedly getting a new 8×8 ToF VL53L8 sensor, potentially offering a big upgrade in terms of autofocus speed and accuracy. That’s another feature that we’ll need to see in the works before we can pass judgment.
Finally, software upgrades. Adaptive torch will adjust the flash intensity based on the photo that is being taken, while Segmentation AWB will use AI to look at different areas of an image and apply different types of processing to those sections as required.
All of these improvements should make the Pixel lineup even better cameras, but we’ll have to wait a little while to be sure - the new Pixel lineup isn’t expected to be announced until around October 2023.
