The Pixel 8 digicam would possibly undertake a brand new HDR approach

The Pixel 8 is an extended methods off, however some snippets of digicam app code identified by developer Kuba Wojciechowski are giving us an early glimpse into what Google is perhaps planning. The code in query refers to “staggered HDR,” which isn’t a method that Google’s Pixel digicam at the moment makes use of. The firm was one of many first to refine cell HDR and computational pictures, taking them mainstream. Now, it seems to be evolving its tech for the subsequent technology in a major approach.

Staggered HDR is a technique of capturing quick and lengthy exposures of scenes almost concurrently. Google at the moment employs HDR Plus Bracketing, which takes particular person photographs in fast succession and makes use of them to create a closing picture with a large dynamic vary — that means there’s element in each shadows and in spotlight areas.

It works effectively, however it additionally implies that the system has a more durable time coping with transferring topics because it’s utilizing separate frames. With staggered HDR, a brief publicity follows proper on the heels of an extended publicity — earlier than the lengthy publicity has even completed.

This rolling shutter impact scans the sensor from high to backside and implies that there’s no look forward to one publicity to complete earlier than beginning one other one. This means there are fewer movement artifacts to take care of, and fewer energy is consumed within the course of — Samsung says it reduces power consumption by 24 % in comparison with a way utilizing separate frames.

If Google does plan so as to add assist for staggered HDR, then a brand new digicam sensor is on the way in which, too. Kuba says that the Pixel 7 and seven Pro use a Samsung Isocell GN1 for his or her principal digicam sensor, which doesn’t assist staggered HDR. The Isocell GN2 does assist the characteristic, so it appears to be a possible candidate for the Pixel 8. The GN2 would additionally present some autofocus enhancements due to a tweaked phase-detection array that’s extra delicate to horizontal motion.

We’re a great distance from discovering out if any of that is within the playing cards for the Pixel 8 — Google hasn’t confirmed the system but, and we anticipate to launch within the fall of 2023. But it appears probably that Google will preserve iterating on the HDR characteristic it made popularly, and this early trace provides us a glimpse of what which may appear to be.