Smartphones & Tablets | August 31, 2023
The camera app is going to receive a design overhaul and a redistribution of its photography modes that has been expected for years in the Pixel lineup. Google will launch the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro in the coming months with some new features that have been leaking in recent weeks, but the one that is catching a lot of attention is the introduction of a series of AI-based features.
Google is being quite clever here in enhancing one of the aspects for which its Pixel smartphones have clearly excelled: the computational photography prowess. In other words, the software applied to the captures taken from their cameras has been able to outshine the competition for years and even allows them to incorporate sensors of lower quality, resulting in reduced production costs and expanded profits from each phone sold.
The Pixel 8 series will bring with it some AI features to enhance photos and videos taken with the camera. Mishaal Rahman gathered some of the best functions from a survey conducted among Pixel Superfans, and these will be incorporated into the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro. The first one is already known, as AI will take care of eliminating background noise in the captured video, such as the noise generated by a fan.
Another scenario where AI will come into play is in emphasizing the voices of family and friends’ reactions when they’re at a soccer match, by minimizing the noise generated in a noisy environment like a stadium. As for photography, both Pixel 8 models will have the ability to generate the best possible group photo, even if someone is distracted when the photo is taken. In other words, AI will ensure that everyone in the final group photo is looking at the camera.
This process will also be used to capture the best smiles of all participants in a group photo. It’s quite simple to explain: currently, all phones, when taking a photo, capture several shots, and AI decides which one is the best to turn into the final image displayed in the gallery.
Finally, as reported by Android Authority, Rahman has discovered the ability to respond to messages using voice in the Pixel 8. When a message is received, users can dictate the response directly to the Google Assistant. This function already exists in Android Auto but would now come to mobile phones without any pop-up window; only voice commands to Google Assistant will be used to send the response to the contact.
