The Google Pixel phones have always been praised for their cameras and they’re one of the best phones to get if you are looking for the best camera performance. The primary camera sensor remained unchanged from the Google Pixel 2 to the Google Pixel 5 – a 12MP Sony IMX363 (Pixel 2 had IMX362 but wasn’t much different than IMX363).
But it all changed in 2021 with the launch of the Google Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro, which were also the first Pixels with the Google Tensor chipset. These phones had a new design language and more importantly, upgraded camera hardware. The Pixel 6 & Pixel 6 Pro featured a 1/1.31″ 50MP Samsung GN1 sensor for the primary camera which was a big upgrade over the IMX363, offering an almost 150% increase in light-gathering ability.
The same camera sensor was used in the Google Pixel 7 series but it is all going to change once again with the Google Pixel 8 series. According to a new report by AndroidAuthority, the Google Pixel 8 series is getting upgraded camera sensors.
The biggest upgrade is the Samsung GN2 sensor for the primary camera. This is a 1/1.12″ sensor with a 1.4μm pixel size. In simple words, this is a larger sensor (1/1.12″ vs 1/1.31″) than the Samsung GN1 & has a larger individual pixel size (1.4μm vs 1.2μm). The GN2 sensor features an upgraded PDAF technology named the Dual Pixel Pro, offering faster and more accurate autofocusing in challenging situations.
Another thing to note is the 8K video recording capability of the Samsung GN2 sensor. As we know via previous leaks, the Google Tensor G3 will support 8K 30fps video recording so we may finally see Google Pixels with 8K video recording.
Speaking of the ultrawide camera, Google Pixel 8 Pro is getting a new sensor for the ultrawide camera – 64MP Sony IMX787. This is the same camera sensor that was used in the Google Pixel 7a. This is almost twice the size of the Sony IMX386 which was used in the Google Pixel 7 Pro and more megapixels also mean better details. The ultrawide camera on the Pixel 8 Pro is also having a wider FOV, so the zoom ratio is 0.49x, compared to 0.56x on the Pixel 7 Pro.
As for the vanilla model, the ultrawide camera has the same Sony IMX386 sensor as Pixel 7 series. But, the zoom ratio is 0.55x, compared to 0.67x in the Pixel 7. This means the field of view is wider for the vanilla Pixel 8’s ultrawide camera as well.
The other two cameras on the Google Pixel 8 Pro are the same as last year – a 48MP Samsung GM5 sensor with a 5X periscope lens, and an 11MP Samsung 3J1 sensor for the selfie shooter.
Google Pixel 8 & Pixel 8 Pro have a Time of Flight sensor for better focusing but the Pixel 8 Pro has an upgraded 8×8 ToF STM VL53L8 sensor. The vanilla model, however, has the same single-point ToF STM VL53L1 sensor as last year.
And last but not least, Google Pixel 8 Pro has an FIR thermometer sensor. This is a Melexis MLX90632 sensor which is used for non-contact thermal measurement.
Google Pixel 8 series will get some new software features for the camera. There is a feature named “Adaptive Torch” that dynamically adjusts the flash intensity based on the lighting around you. Then there is “Segmentation AWB” which divides the scene into various segments and then applies image processing algorithms to specific parts of the image.