According to a fresh leak, Google Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro will upgrade their high-resolution primary sensor to a new one, and the new Tensor G3 will most likely enable even more sophisticated photography features. Google’s current Pixel 7 series smartphones featured the new Tensor G2 SoC, which improved upon the upgraded camera technology released with the prior Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro models. The Tensor G2 introduced new capabilities like as Long Exposure mode, a more faster Night Sight mode, and others that were not available on previous models. Even if the Pixel 6 series received sharper, higher-resolution cameras, Google was only able to make better use of them with the Pixel 7 series.
According to Android Authority, citing sources working at Google, the camera systems on both Pixel 8 series phones will receive considerable upgrades. The primary camera hardware improvement this year is coming to both Pixel 8 models: the Samsung ISOCELL GN1 sensor is being replaced by the ISOCELL GN2. The sensor is larger and should capture roughly 35% more light than its predecessor, resulting in brighter low-light photographs and faster shutter speeds to decrease blur. The sensor also allows video capture at 8K/30fps, as does the Tensor G3 processor. However, the source claims that due to Google Camera and heating issues, the capability may not be available to consumers. There’s also staggered HDR, which decreases ghosting while recording video.
The good news is that the primary camera isn’t the only one getting an upgrade this year. According to the source, the Pixel 8 Pro’s ultra-wide-angle camera should be updated from the 12-megapixel Sony IMX386 to a newer high-resolution 64-megapixel Sony IMX787 sensor. This is the same sensor used in the Pixel 7a‘s primary camera, which also has optical image stabilisation (OIS). As per the source, there is a chance the macro mode introduced with the Pixel 7 series might be missing this year. As of now, the feature is disabled on the Pixel 8 Pro. The feature may be re-enabled later.
The ultrawide camera on the Google Pixel 8 has also been improved, but very little. While the camera sensor is the same Sony IMX386 found in the Pixel 6 series, Google has made it somewhat wider this year. The Pixel 7 had a 0.67x zoom ratio, which has now been reduced to 0.55x with the Pixel 8. As per the report, the selfie cameras are said to remain the same as before, which would be a 11-megapixel sensor on both devices.
According to the source, the Pixel 8 Pro will retain the 5X optical telephoto camera found on the Pixel 7 Pro. However, the insider did mention that the previous premium models’ single-point time-of-flight (ToF) sensors will be upgraded to a more modern module (88 ToF VL53L8 sensor), but only for the Pixel 8 Pro in particular.
From a software side, there are two new highlighted features with Adaptive Torch (dynamically adjusts flash strength) and Segmentation AWB (will process various areas of an image individually), as well as a video bokeh blur level setting in the viewfinder, among other things. This also hints at a potentially higher price gap between the two handsets with the Pixel 8 series this year.
