There aren’t many things more exciting than a packed list of new Google Pixel camera features. It’s about as close as I get to the feeling of waking up on Christmas morning — just, you know, in late August. So, when Google unveiled everything from increased maximum zoom to Auto Best Take to a Camera Coach to help compose images, I felt it had pretty much checked off my list for Santa.
But then, as I looked closer, I realized that one Pixel 10 camera feature would probably outweigh all the rest. It’s the one piece of Google’s new camera setup you’ll use every day, but you won’t find it in any settings menu. Here’s why the new Pixel ISP is the real game-changer for the Pixel 10.
Yes, 100x Pro Res Zoom is impressive…
Rita El Khoury / Android Authority
Since I’ve already established something of a Christmas metaphor (but don’t worry, I’m not wishing away the exciting months of techtember/techtober/techvember), let me stick with it a little longer. Features like 100x Pro Res Zoom and Auto Best Take feel like exciting new triple-A titles you pick up for a new console. They’re the ones you’re excited to unwrap under the tree and then spend your whole day exploring.
Google’s Camera Coach? Easy, that’s your classic book full of cheat codes and strategies to make the rest of the game easier. Maybe you feel confident enough in your skills that you won’t need it, but it’s always there to get you out of a jam. I’ll admit that I used a GameShark in my Gameboy Advance back in the day, so you can bet I’ll be using Google’s cheats, too.
I'm excited for Pro Res Zoom, but I know I'll have so much more to explore on the Pixel 10's cameras.
The thing is, though, none of these features — exciting as they may be — is essential. If Google’s Pro Res Zoom is anything like Samsung’s 100x Space Zoom, it’ll be great for a few things, like far-off buildings and parked sports cars, but it won’t fare nearly as well with people, animals, or small objects. Auto Best Take will probably (definitely) be great, too, but when most of my phone photos are of my cats… I probably won’t need it very often.
I’m sure I’ll use all of it here and there to show off just what my Pixel 10 Pro can do, but I’ll probably spend the bulk of my time at a much more comfortable zoom range, trusting Google’s excellent processing around 5x and 10x zoom in the same way that I’ve replayed Skyrim about a hundred times. I’ll buy a triple-A title, but good luck prying me away from the classics.
But there’s more to the new Pixel ISP than meets the eye
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