Pixel 7 Pro AI-Powered Cameras Could Make You Rethink That iPhone

Google expects to make significant camera improvements to its pixel 7 Pro smartphone with new hardware, software, and artificial intelligence technology. CNET has exclusive access to the company's complete work.

Google's $899 flagship Android phone is positioned to compete with Apple's $1099 iPhone 14 Pro Max. However, the smaller $999 iPhone 14 Pro does have the same camera hardware.

The Pixel phones from Google have not sold as well as models from Apple and Samsung. They've been praised for their photography year after year. Camera technology is what will win customers over.

The Pixel 6 Pro had a "camerabar" that housed three rear cameras last year. It contained a 50-megapixel main camera, an ultrawide angle of 0.7x and a telephoto. The Pixel 7 models retain the same 50-megapixel camera, but house it in a new camera bar. The Pixel 7 Pro's ultrawide camera has the same sensor as last years, but it gets a macro mode and autofocus, and a wider zoom of 0.5x. The 7 Pro's zoom magnification is extended to 5x and the 48-megapixel telephoto sensor allows for a 10x zoom mode with no digital magnification tricks. Both phones now have a front-facing selfie camera.

The Pixel 7 Pro's new hardware foundation is just one part of the story. New computational photography technology, enabled by new AI algorithms, and Google’s new Tensor G2 CPU speeds Night Sight up, unblurs face, stabilizes video better, and merges data from multiple camera to improve image quality for intermediate zoom levels such as 3x. This is more like a traditional camera.

"What we really tried was to give you a 12-240mm camera," Alexander Schiffhauer, Pixel's hardware leader, said. He translated the Pixel 7 Pro’s 0.5x-10x magnification range into traditional 35mm camera terms. "That's like a Holy Grail travel lens," a versatile setup that many photo enthusiasts love for its portability and flexibility.

Here's a deeper look at what Google is doing.

Pixel 7 Pro has virtual 2x and 10x cameras

High-end smartphones come with at least three rear-facing camera so you can capture more shots. Ultrawide angle cameras can be used to photograph people squeezed into rooms and other interesting buildings. Telephoto cameras work better for portraits, and distant subjects.

However, a large gap between zoom levels can cause problems. The Pixel 7 Pro's main camera, 50 megapixels, and telephoto cameras, 48 megapixels offer some relief.

These cameras use a technique called "pixel binning" to convert a 2x2 grid into one larger pixel. This results in 12-megapixel photos with better color and a wider dynamic range for dark and light tones.

By skipping pixel binning, and only using the central 12 megapixels, a 1x main camera can take 2x shots, and a 5x telephoto can take 10x shots. Although the image quality isn’t as good, it’s still very useful. Google also uses its Super Res Zoom technology for sharpening and color. The 2x mode is also available on Google's Pixel 7. 

Apple did the exact same thing with its iPhone 14 Pro phones but only with the main 1x-camera.

Apple has gone further by allowing you to shoot full 48-megapixel photos using the iPhone 14 Pro's 1x digital camera. Google uses pixel binning at 1x and captures only 12 MP3.

Read more: Pixel 7, Pixel 7 Pro and Pixel Watch: Everything Google Just Announced

Zoom Fusion for greater photo flexibility

The Pixel 7 Pro blends data from both wide and telephoto cameras to improve image image quality when shooting between 2.5x zoom and 5x zoom. Schiffhauer stated that this improves photos over simply digitally scaling a photo from the main cam.

It's not easy. The phone must reconcile the perspectives of the two cameras. This means that foreground objects can block out those in the background. This can be seen by covering one eye and then the second to see how the scene changes. Because of their different focal lengths, the two cameras can focus differently.

Google uses artificial intelligence (also known as machine learning) and other processing techniques in order to determine which parts of each image should be included or rejected to avoid discontinuities.

Zoom fusion is done after other processing methods. These include HDR+, which merges multiple frames into one image for a better dynamic range, as well as an AI algorithm that monitors hand shaking to take photos when the camera's stability is highest.

Zoom fusion is not an option for raw photo shooters who prefer to use raw images. This image format offers better quality and greater editing flexibility than zoom fusion. The Pixel 7 Pro's fixed zoom levels (0.5x, 1x2, 2x, 5x, 10x and 10x) will give you full 12-megapixel raw images.

The Pixel 7 Pro's unblurring technology

Google introduced technology in 2021 that combines data from both the main and ultrawide camera to deal with motion blur in faces that can ruin photos. Isaac Reynolds, a leader in Pixel camera software, stated that face unblur technology is now used three times more often.

It will work better in normal light, activate more in dimming, and function even when faces are not in focus.

The Google Photos app now has a new tool to blur photos. It works with even digitized film photos from an older era of analog photography.

Eye detection and other autofocus enhancements

The Pixel 7 Pro features several autofocus improvements. This includes the addition of an autofocus hardware for the ultrawide camera. Google uses an AI algorithm to process focus data from all cameras.

The camera will also be able spot eyes and not just faces. This will allow for autofocus that is more like the high-end cameras made by companies such as Sony, Nikon, and Canon.

AI technology can also focus better on people moving in a scene. Reynolds stated that if someone walks away or turns their head away from the camera, they can keep their focus on their head.

Pixel 7 phones perform better when faces are difficult to recognize, such as with large hats and really dark sunglasses.

The new AI-based autofocus technology makes it easier to switch to telephoto photography. When activating its Telephoto camera, the Pixel 6 Pro sometimes pauses. 

Read more: Pixel 7 vs. Pixel 6: Comparing Google's Flagship Phones

Photo upscaling is better

The Pixel 7 Pro can zoom from 5x to 10x with the central pixels of the 5x camera. This allows for a 12-megapixel image.

The digital magnification method allows the camera to zoom in at up to 30x, compared to 20x on the Pixel 6 Pro. Google has developed Super Res Zoom, which uses hand shaking to collect more information about the subject and zoom better.

Google's digital zoom can also use AI techniques to magnify images. Google's AI was able to predict new pixels more accurately this year. An anisotropic kernel is a scene attribute that the phone calculates to better predict subtle changes between pixels. This helps to fill in data while magnifying.

Schiffhauer stated that 30x will not produce the same quality as 10x. "But you still get these truly beautiful photos that can be shared."

Night Sight Photos Faster

Night Sight, the original and widely copied technology that takes better photos in dimming or dark conditions, is now twice as fast. Google uses image frames it has collected before you press the shutter release button. This is possible because the camera constantly collects imagery and stores it in memory, but only keeps it if you actually take photos.

Reynolds stated that users are taking half the time to take Night Sight photos. "They are getting sharper results and they don't pay any penalty for noise."

The Pixel line's astrophotography mode -- Night Sight at its extreme -- uses new AI technology to remove noise speckles. This preserves stars better.

Video improvements and stabilization are also possible

Google also improved the video quality of the Pixel 7 cameras, which many reviewers consider a weakness compared to iPhones. All Pixel 7 Pro cameras can now shoot 60 frames per second at 4K resolution. But there's more.

• The camera can also shoot in 10-bit HDR mode (high dynamic range) for high contrast scenes such as those with dark shadows or bright skies.
• Google is currently on the eighth generation of its video stabilization technology. It is especially useful when tracking moving subjects using heavy zoom magnification. 
• When you shoot with rear-facing cameras, speech enhancement technology captures subjects' voices better.
• Videographers who are more serious can lock white balance and exposure -- something that was only possible with photos.
• Cinematic blur allows you to blur backgrounds in video. This feature was previously only available for photos.
• Time lapse videos now take 15 to 30 seconds, following the iPhone's lead. Previously, you had to figure out the best settings.
• The Pixel 7 Pro uses blur injection technology to reduce the jittery effects of bright light and shutter speeds that are very fast.

These improvements are a sign that Google is working hard to keep its top smartphone camera technology. Schiffhauer stated that Google is pushing hardware, software, and machine learning as far to go.

Correction, October 7:A previous version of this story incorrectly described Pixel 7 and 7 Pro's main 50-megapixel camera. The camera used in the Pixel 6 models is the same.