Ryan Haines / Android Authority
TL;DR
- A leaker has claimed that the Pixel 8 bid could summation staggered HDR tech.
- This diagnostic offers higher prime HDR than presently disposable connected the Pixel 7’s main camera.
- This leak besides suggests that the Pixel 8 could truthful summation a sensor upgrade.
Google’s phones person agelong offered an HDR+ photography diagnostic arsenic a tentpole mode, with some the Nexus and Pixel enactment utilizing this multi-frame HDR solution to amended dynamic scope and trim ghosting erstwhile taking regular snaps.
Now, tipster and developer Kuba Wojciechowski has uncovered references to 2023 Pixels gaining staggered HDR support. Wojciechowski dug into the Google Camera Go app and discovered references to the diagnostic for 2023 devices.
The tipster besides rightfully notes that the Samsung Isocell GN1 main sensor utilized connected the Pixel 6 and Pixel 7 series don’t connection staggered HDR support. However, the Isocell GN2 so offers this capability, suggesting a main camera upgrade could beryllium connected the cards for the Pixel 8.
How does this comparison to Google’s existing tech?
Google’s archetypal HDR+ solution took a bid of abbreviated exposures. But the institution switched to HDR+ with bracketing from the Pixel 5 and 4a 5G onwards. This method sees 5 abbreviated exposures captured earlier the shutter property and a agelong vulnerability erstwhile the shutter fastener is tapped.
Meanwhile, staggered HDR is Samsung’s much modern instrumentality connected HDR photography. This tech captures 3 abstracted exposures (short, medium, and long) successful precise speedy succession, past merges them for the last photo. So it seems similar the mean vulnerability successful peculiar is missing from Google’s HDR+ solutions, for one.
Google's archetypal HDR+ solution (top) and HDR+ with Bracketing technique.
Samsung noted astatine the clip of the GN2 motorboat that staggered HDR brought richer item and much vibrant colors than the GN1’s real-time HDR mode, adding that it reduced vigor depletion by up to 24%. The institution has besides confirmed with different sensor launches that staggered HDR is faster than accepted HDR solutions, though we’re not definite if this was successful examination to the GN1’s mode oregon earlier HDR implementations.
Of course, velocity is beingness erstwhile it comes to HDR capture. And truthful immoderate velocity betterment present should besides construe into reduced ghosting and perchance little clip spent looking astatine the dreaded “processing” screen. Toss successful different aforementioned upgrades and the Pixel 8 could present much efficient, higher prime HDR shots if it leans connected this solution.
However, the bigger takeaway present is the information that Google could upgrade the main camera sensor successful the Pixel 8 series. Switching to a sensor similar the Isocell GN2 would besides unfastened the doorway for improved low-light show acknowledgment to bigger pixels and improved autofocus via Dual Pixel Pro tech.