I don’t mind the Jonas Brothers. I grew up when they starred in movies like Camp Rock and watched them make a few appearances at Penn State over the four years I was there. Honestly, their music is decent — even if I don’t make the biggest effort to seek it out. So, I was happy to go into the debut of their “I Can’t Lose” music video with an open mind, mainly since it was shot on the Pixel 10 Pro that I’m so eager to review.
But now that I’ve replayed it a few times, I’m not sure the partnership was a great idea. The song is fine, but the music video shows off just as many weaknesses of the Pixel 10 Pro as it does strengths. Here’s why I think not every phone needs a big campaign to showcase its video features.
Alright, there are a few good shots here…
Ryan Haines / Android Authority
Before I get all doom and gloom on the JoBros’ efforts, know that the “I Can’t Lose” music video isn’t entirely a waste. There are things that the Pixel 10 Pro and Tensor G5 handle well, they’re just, well, very specific. It’s the same limitation as if the Jonas Brothers had shot the entire video on a camera with a fixed lens, but they did it on a triple-camera flagship Pixel instead.
Anyway, the things the video gets right. We can start with the opening sequence of shots, mostly those centered around Joe Jonas sitting in a restaurant. I thought this was a sign that Google had elevated its video chops for the Pixel 10 Pro, with the phone nicely softening the croissant and glass of water in the foreground while keeping Joe sharp and well-lit by the window without blowing out the sunny details outside. If it were a still photo, I would be pleased with the finished result, even if there’s some loss of detail in the man’s hair off to the left side.
Cinematic Blur works pretty well... as long as you give it a distinct subject.
Google’s updated Cinematic Blur is also usually decent, at least when it’s used for medium close-up shots — those that highlight one of the brothers from about the chest up. I was particularly impressed by the shot of Kevin walking down the street in New York’s Meatpacking District, in which the Pixel 10 Pro perfectly separated him from the cars, people, and storefronts in the background without blanketing everything in too much artificial bokeh. It’s not quite as effective when there’s more than one brother in a shot, but we’re not onto the flaws just yet.
I also generally like how Google and the Jonas Brothers handled their ultrawide shots — but that’s probably more because I like the 123-degree field of view than the quality of the footage itself. It fits just enough extra detail into the footage without adding too much distortion, even though whoever edited the video cropped off the top and bottom parts of the footage.
Unfortunately, that’s about it, as far as the positives I took from the video are concerned.
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