What you should know
- The Pixel 8 Pro recently received an update to the Google AI Core app to enhance AI-driven features.
- Long-time leaker Max Weinbach has hinted that the December Feature Drop may bring two promised features, Video Boost and AI Super Zoom, to the Pixel 8 Pro.
- The Video Boost feature will send a copy of your video to the cloud where Google’s computational photography models will adjust aspects such as color, lighting, and graininess. This feature will also enable Night Sight Video on the Pixel 8 Pro to improve the quality of videos shot in poorly lit environments.
- Zoom Enhance, another Pixel 8 Pro-exclusive feature, will use generative AI to sharpen the details in a zoomed-in version of a photo. Google had previously stated this feature was “coming later.”
- While the Pixel 8 Pro is already one of the best camera phones on the market, these two features will further enhance its capabilities. However, user comfort with sending their videos to Google’s server remains to be seen.
Full Story
The Pixel 8 Pro just got smarter. Thanks to an update to the Google AI Core app, the phone’s AI-driven features have been ramped up. But wait, there’s more. Pixel 8 Pro users, brace yourselves for another surprise. The December Feature Drop could finally deliver two long-awaited features.
Enter Max Weinbach, the long-time leaker and 9to5Google writer. He’s dropped a hint that next month’s update will bring the Video Boost and AI Super Zoom features to the Pixel 8 Pro. Pixel phones have always been big on machine learning. This year, they’ve cranked up the volume.
Most AI-powered features, like the Magic Editor, were ready to go at launch. But Google had other plans for Video Boost and Zoom Enhance. Or, as Weinbach calls it, AI Super Zoom. These features were set to roll out later.
The Pixel 8 Pro can snap HDR+ photos. But videos? That’s a whole different ball game. They have way more data than a photo. So, making an HDR+ video? No phone can do that alone. Enter Video Boost. This feature will send a copy of your video to the cloud. There, Google’s computational photography models will tweak everything from color to lighting, and even graininess. Plus, it’ll turn on Night Sight Video on the Pixel 8 Pro. This will boost the quality of videos shot in low light or at night.
Zoom Enhance is another Pixel 8 Pro special. It uses generative AI to sharpen the details in a zoomed-in version of a photo you’ve already taken. At launch, Google was vague, only saying the feature was “coming later.” Well, later might be next month.
The Pixel 8 Pro is already a top-notch camera phone. These two features will make it even better. But whether users will be okay with sending their videos to Google’s server, well, that’s another story.
