The Pixel series tends to grab quite the attention before its release and has a hard time staying under wraps. A new leak gives a sneak peek into the significant improvements coming to the upcoming Pixel 9 lineup’s camera sensors and hints at the 8K video recording support that finally made it to the Camera app.
Google Pixel 9 series will launch with new sensors and support for 8K video recording
Google Pixel 9 has gained quite a reputation with users and tech enthusiasts for offering a great camera for photography. However, the company is slow-paced when it comes to updating the camera software. This is about to change with the upcoming Pixel 9 series, as the company is set on bringing some significant hardware upgrades and other noticeable improvements to the smartphones.
As reported by Android Authority, Google is bringing some major improvements to the camera of the Pixel 9 lineup. The base model, the Pixel 9, would be getting an upgrade for its ultrawide lens from its predecessor, as the Sony IMX386 was previously used for the Pixel 8, but that is being replaced with a new Sony IMX858. The updated ultrawide lens would be relatively bigger and be able to capture better quality images in varied situations such as low light conditions.
Pixel 9 will receive another important feature long demanded for the standard model: the auto-focus enabled front-facing camera that the Pixel 8 Pro sported. This camera would help produce crisper and more defined images and eliminate issues with the fixed-focus selfie camera, which usually takes blurry pictures.
The Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL will also get the new Sony IMX858 sensor for their front-facing, telephoto, and ultrawide cameras. The upgraded sensor in the front-facing camera would drastically improve the results of the selfie cameras, as the larger sensors would help get higher-resolution pictures with more details. The Pixel 9 Pro will be gaining popularity for its large camera sensors, which are usually meant for rear-facing cameras and will now be coming to the front camera. Google is retaining its infrared thermometer, Melexis MLX90632, for the Pixel Pro even though it has limited use and was a polarizing feature to begin with.
The changes are not limited to the Pixel 9 and the Pixel 9 Pro; the Fold series will also undergo some tweaks. The ultrawide camera for the Pixel 9 Pro Fold will no longer use the Sony IMX386 and will now be replaced by a Samsung 3LU ultrawide sensor, and the selfie camera will now be Samsung 3K1. This seems like a downgrade but can be attributed to the Pixel foldable now being 2mm thinner than the original Pixel Fold.
To make it more clear, here are the camera sensors coming to the Pixel 9 series according to the given information:
Pixel 9
- Primary Sensor: Samsung GNK
- Ultra Wide Camera: Sony IMX858
- Front-Facing Camera: Samsung 3J1
Pixel 9 Pro and Pixel 9 Pro XL
- Primary Sensor: Samsung GNK
- Ultrawide, Telephoto, Front Facing Sensor: Sony IMX858
- Infrared Thermometer: Melexis MLX90632
Pixel 9 Pro Fold
- Ultrawide Sensor: Samsung 3LU
- Front-facing camera: Samsung 3K1
Besides camera hardware upgrades, the upcoming Pixel 9 series will get 8K video recording support at 30 frames per second for its Camera app, which could significantly improve the details and clarity of the content by creating high-resolution videos. The Pixel 9 series will be unveiled at the Made by Google event next month, and we could see more details emerge as the event date approaches.