New sensors, software enhancements, and more.
Although new Google hardware will make its retail debut this month with the Pixel Tablet and Pixel Fold, many have their eyes set on October, when the company typically announces its new Pixel smartphones. Google has not formally announced any details about its next Pixel phones, but a new leak now gives us more details about what to expect from the upcoming Pixel 8 lineup.
Google’s done some great things with its Pixel smartphones over the years, especially with early version of its handsets, pushing aging camera sensors to the brink thanks to the company’s software prowess. But software can only take things so far, and the company has realized this by offering improved sensors starting with the Google Pixel 6 series. While the Pixel 7 series wouldn’t get any significant changes in camera hardware, it looks like the Pixel 8 series will.
According to Android Authority, the upcoming smartphones will move to Samsung’s ISOCELL GN2 sensor, a sensor that features increased pixel size, improved autofocus performance, better HDR, and more. This change will yield big improvements when compared to the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor that was found in the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro. Furthermore, the new phones will also capture images using staggered HDR, giving users clearer pictures by simultaneously capturing multiple images using different exposure settings.
Source: Android Authority
In addition to the new ISOCELL GN2 processor, the Google Pixel 8 Pro will also reportedly get a new ultrawide camera with a 64MP Sony IMX787 sensor. This is quite a big difference when compared to the current ultrawide sensor found in the Pixel 7 Pro, which comes in at 12MP. Furthermore, the Pixel 8 Pro is getting a new time of flight (ToF) sensor, which should provide the handset with better autofocus accuracy when taking images. For those curious, the new phone will make use of the 8×8 ToF VL53L8 sensor.
The Pixel 8 will also see improvements to its ultrawide camera as well, although the upgrade will be more minor. While Google won’t be upgrading the sensor on the Pixel 8, it will be upping the field of view (FOV), going to a 0.55x zoom ratio. The Pixel 8 will not receive a ToF upgrade, which means that, like every year, if you want the best camera configuration, you’re going to want to go with the Pro model.
Source: 91mobiles
Of course, one of the more interesting additions to this year’s upcoming Pro model will be its infrared thermometer. This detail found its way online last month and will give users an easy and convenient way to check body temperature. While there was some speculation that the thermometer could be used for other things, the source states that this is not the case, and the sensor will simply be used to check one’s temperature.
And no Pixel smartphone would be complete without new software tricks up its sleeve. A feature called “adaptive torch” has been discovered that will apparently dynamically adjust the strength of the flash when taking photos depending on the scene or mode used, mitigating issues like overexposure. Google will also implement more AI magic with its images with “segmentation AWB,” a feature that will apply different types of processing to parts of an image to gain the best results. The company could also provide more granular controls for its Cinematic Blur mode, giving users more control.
As far as when we can expect the Pixel 8 series, Google hasn’t formally announced anything regarding these devices, but they are coming. The company typically shows off its new handset later in the year, with last year’s event taking place in October. Let’s hope that Google provides more information soon.