After weeks of utilizing the Pixel 9 and its digital camera, it’s clear that Google has just about preserved quite a lot of the options which makes its telephones terrific for point-and-shoot images. I’d be mendacity if I stated that the Pixel 9 felt totally different from older fashions, though this sense of familiarity does work each methods, each for higher and for worse.
Do take be aware that we’re not doing a little deep-dive digital camera check right here, however quite key factors that must be talked about particularly for folk who need to get the Pixel 9 particularly for its digital camera. (You may click on on the video beneath for a extra hands-on comparability and samples)
Let’s take a look at the good things first – so far as picture high quality goes, customers who’re trying ahead to getting the identical color science in previous Pixel telephones will really feel proper at residence with the Pixel 9. There’s the same old strategy to distinction and saturation, with images leaning in direction of hotter tones with out going overboard. Dynamic vary is likewise spectacular, with only a few overblown highlights.
With that stated, there are some issues that do trouble me a bit concerning the Pixel 9’s digital camera. As an illustration, I’ve seen an awesome quantity of background blur when capturing zoomed-out portrait images on the entrance digital camera, a problem that I didn’t actually face with earlier Pixel fashions. This tends to make images look unnatural at instances, as if topics had been standing in entrance of a backdrop.
In fact, one workaround could be to fine-tune the bokeh in put up, though this simply provides one other step which might’ve been in any other case unneeded.
Edge detection remains to be hit or miss, with particulars similar to hair and eyeglass frames nonetheless blurring out at instances. There have been additionally cases the place images with a number of topics ended up with one of many topics blurred within the picture, one thing I didn’t anticipate to occur particularly contemplating that the Pixel 9 now has autofocus on its entrance digital camera.
Pixels have by no means been recognized for excellent video high quality, and whereas footage shot on the Pixel 9 isn’t horrible per se, it nonetheless reveals some minor points discovered on its predecessors. Much less-than-ideal lighting conditions nonetheless end in appreciable grain and pixelation on darkish scenes, and foliage nonetheless seems muddy in some cases (see the screenshot beneath).
As for the digital camera consumer expertise, one difficulty I’ve seen is that the shutter button tends to freeze at instances particularly when repeatedly capturing a number of portrait images, one thing that was additionally current on the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8a, for instance. The digital camera app additionally stutters at instances, though this could possibly be on account of a buggy software program replace.
In fact it’s vital to do not forget that no smartphone digital camera is ideal, and every machine may have its personal shortcomings. With the Pixel 9 nevertheless, it might’ve been good to see such points ironed out, particularly since Google has had a number of years to work on its smartphone cameras at this level. It must be attention-grabbing to see if the corporate will be capable to work out the Pixel 9 digital camera’s inefficiencies particularly given its promise of long-term software program help.
In any case, we’re hoping for some enhancements sooner or later.