Recent discoveries on the camera sensors used in the Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro, and Pixel tablet point to slight improvements for the Pixel 7 and the reasonable price of the Pixel tablet.
Thanks to an upgrade to the Google Camera app last month, our APK Insight team was able to learn some information regarding the hardware and software capabilities that Google has planned for the Pixel 7 series and Pixel tablet.
Android researcher Kuba Wojciechowski released information on the precise camera hardware that the upcoming Pixel phones will employ on Twitter.
HARDWARE FOR THE PIXEL 7/7 PRO CAMERA For starters, Kuba pointed out that the Samsung 3J1 will be used as the front-facing sensor for both the Pixel 7 and Pixel 7 Pro, enabling 11MP selfies. This differs from the Pixel 6 Pro, which employed a Sony IMX663 camera with comparable specifications.
Given that the Google Camera app identifies both Pixel 7 variants as having 4K selfie video recording capabilities, we had previously stated that the two phones will probably share a front-facing sensor. In contrast, the Pixel 6’s 8MP selfie camera was less powerful than the Pixel 6 Pro’s 11MP front-facing sensor.
The Samsung 3J1 sensor, like the IMX663 before it, has dual-pixel autofocus (DPAF) capabilities, which makes it more intriguing for the front camera. Although DPAF is frequently utilized to produce amazing portrait/bokeh images, we’ve learnt that the depth data from the camera should also be used in the face unlock system Google is still actively developing for the Pixel series.
Other than that, it appears that the Pixel 7 and 7 Pro will have camera hardware that is fairly identical to that of the Pixel 6 series before it. The Sony IMX381 for the ultrawide will continue to be paired with the 50MP Samsung GN1 as the primary sensor. Although the performance of the two telephoto sensors is quite comparable, Kuba pointed out one difference: this year’s telephoto sensor will be the Samsung GM1 rather than the IMX586.
HARDWARE FOR A PIXEL TABLET CAMERA Looking at the Pixel tablet (code-named Tangor), which Google has said will launch next year, it appears the company is giving it two Sony IMX355 sensors—one on the front and one on the back. Since 2018, these have powered selfies on phones like the Pixel 3 and Pixel 6 in Google hardware. The 2018 Pixel Slate tablet from Google also used it as its back camera.
These less expensive camera sensors hint at possible strategies Google may be considering to use to lower the price of the Pixel tablet, but at the expense of losing the excellent photography for which the Pixel series is renowned. Kubas findings support our assertion that a number of Google Camera functions, including 4K recording, Audio Zoom, and Slow Motion, will probably be absent from the Pixel tablet.
LYNX CONSCIENCE Kuba also revealed some information regarding the Pixel device with the codename Lynx, which we broke earlier this year. Lynx will apparently include the same Samsung GN1 primary sensor as the Pixel 6 and 7 series, despite the fact that its purpose is still unknown.
Where things start to diverge is the addition of a Sony IMX787, which is thought to be utilized for telephoto photography. This is especially noteworthy because the IMX787’s 1/1.3-inch sensor, which is the same size as the Samsung GN1’s sensor, allows for 64MP photos.
According to reports, Lynx’s front camera will use a Sony IMX712 sensor. Although Sony hasn’t officially released this specific model, it should be able to take 13MP photos. Lynx may just be a test platform for Google to try out newer camera hardware for the Pixel series, but there’s also a slim chance that a Pixel smartphone with even better photography skills may be released.
But for the time being, until further information becomes available, all we can do is conjecture.
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