TheGoogle Pixel 7and its Pro sibling are among the best camera phones you can buy today. For 2023, the company is working on theGoogle Pixel 8 serieswith substantial camera upgrades. While the phones are still a few months away from their official launch, a new leak has extensively detailed the camera specs and features of the 2023 Pixels.
With thePixel 6in 2021, Google switched to the 50MP ISOCELL GN1 sensor for the primary camera and continued with it for its 2021 Pixel 7 lineup. But for the upcoming Pixel 8 lineup, the company will reportedly switch to a newer ISOCELL GN2 offering from Samsung, which is about 35% bigger.
This should lead to a substantial increase in light intake, thereby helping low-light imaging and dynamic range. More importantly, the sensor supports Staggered HDR, which allows the camera to simultaneously take a long and short exposure shot, reducing motion blur and ghosting. Rumors of thePixel 8 using Staggered HDRfirst popped up in December 2022.
While the ISOCELL GN3 andTensor G3 chipsupport 8K video recording, Google is unlikely to add support for it on its 2023 Pixels due to thermal constraints.
This is not the only camera hardware upgrade Google is planning for the Pixel 8 series. The upcoming Pixel 8 Pro will reportedly use the 64MP Sony IMX787 sensor as its ultrawide camera, which is about twice the size of the Pixel 7 Pro’s 12MP ultrawide shooter.Android Authority’s source claims the field-of-view will also become wider at 0.49x vs. 0.56x previously.
Google uses the same Sony sensor on thePixel 7afor its primary camera. Pixel phones have always lagged behind thebest Android phonesin the ultrawide imaging department. The switch to a substantially bigger sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro should change that. Interestingly, the company might drop the ultrawide camera’s macro focusing capabilities, as seen on thePixel 7 Pro, but it is not yet confirmed.
Seemingly, the smaller Pixel 8 won’t use the same ultrawide camera, though it is reportedly getting a minor upgrade as well. While it will retain the Pixel 7’s 12MP Sony IMX386 sensor, its field-of-view will expand to 0.55x (vs. 0.67x).
As for the 5x telephoto and the 11MP selfie shooter, they will remain unchanged.
Google will apparently use a more powerful 8x8 VL53L8 ToF sensor on the Pixel 8 Pro, which should help further reduce autofocus times and speed. The regular Pixel 8 will continue using the older VL53L1 ToF sensor.
A leaked video has shown thePixel 8 Pro housing a thermometer sensor on its back. Kamila Wojciechowska’s source notes that the Melexis MLX90632 sensor is meant for high-precision non-contact temperature measurements, and it is unlikely to serve any other purpose on Google’s upcoming flagship Pixel phone.
The hardware upgrades are just one side of the equation, though. Google is planning some new camera features as well. A new “Adaptive torch” feature will adjust the LED flash intensity depending on the scene to ensure your low-light shots are not overexposed. There’s also Segmentation AWB, in which the Pixel 8 will use AI to break down the photo into different parts and apply selective processing as required.
Google seemingly plans to improve the Cinematic video feature on the Pixel 8 by allowing you to adjust the blur level.
All these hardware changes suggest the Pixel 8 series could pack some serious punch in the imaging department and raise the smartphone photography bar again.
