Pixel 8 Pro's Promised Features: A Mixed Bag of Delivery and Delays
Google's Pixel 8 Pro, launched in October 2023, promised a suite of innovative features that would leverage AI to enhance user experience. However, the delivery of these features has been inconsistent, with some already available and others still pending.
Video Boost: A Game-Changer for Pixel Videos
One of the standout features that has already been implemented is Video Boost. This cloud-based feature significantly improves video quality by applying Night Sight, HDR, and Unblur technologies. Early reports suggest that Video Boost elevates Pixel videos to a quality level comparable to iPhone footage, addressing a long-standing weakness in Google's computational photography arsenal.
On-Device Video Enhancement Coming Soon
In a related development, code sleuth AssembleDebug has uncovered evidence of a new on-device video enhancement feature in the Google Photos app. This feature, when rolled out, will allow users to improve video brightness, color, contrast, and overall quality with a single tap. Unlike Video Boost, this enhancement will be processed on the device, potentially making it available to a wider range of Android phones.
Theft Protection: A Crucial Security Update
Perhaps the most impactful feature on the horizon is the new theft protection system. This innovative security measure uses the phone's sensors to detect if it has been snatched while unlocked. If a theft is detected, the phone automatically locks itself, preventing unauthorized access to sensitive data. This feature is expected to roll out with Android 15 and potentially to older Android versions through Play Services, significantly enhancing the security of millions of devices.
The Missing Zoom Enhance
However, not all promised features have materialized as quickly as users might have hoped. The much-anticipated Zoom Enhance feature, which uses generative AI to improve image details when zooming, is still absent nearly eight months after its initial announcement. Google executives have hinted that work on this technology is ongoing, but no specific release date has been provided.
Looking Ahead
As Google continues to refine and release these features, Pixel 8 Pro users find themselves in a mixed state of satisfaction and anticipation. While some groundbreaking capabilities like Video Boost and the upcoming theft protection are enhancing the user experience, the delay of Zoom Enhance serves as a reminder that cutting-edge features often require extensive development time.
The tech community now looks forward to the June Pixel Feature Drop, hoping it might bring some of these long-awaited enhancements to fruition. As Google pushes the boundaries of what's possible with mobile AI, the Pixel 8 Pro remains a testament to both the potential and the challenges of implementing advanced computational features in consumer devices.
Update: Saturday June 15 00:16
Google's June 2024 Pixel Feature Drop has introduced significant enhancements to the Pixel 8 Pro. The update includes AI-powered improvements to the Recorder app using Gemini, DisplayPort support for screen mirroring, enhanced device tracking capabilities, and camera improvements for capturing the best moments. Additional features include reverse phone number lookup, improved Bluetooth LE audio performance, and various bug fixes. These updates demonstrate Google's commitment to continually improving the Pixel experience through software enhancements that leverage the device's advanced hardware and AI capabilities.
