Pixel 4 Dual Exposure Controls, Live HDR won't come to Google Pixel 3, 3a

The Google Pixel 4 packs quite a few neat camera features, including an astrophotography mode, Dual Exposure Controls, and Live HDR+ previews. We already know that the former feature is coming to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a series, but what about the other two features?

Unfortunately, the Made By Google Twitter account has confirmed that Dual Exposure Controls and Live HDR+ functionality will remain exclusive to the Pixel 4 series. The company claimed that these features require hardware capabilities that aren’t available on the older devices.

The news means you should get the Pixel 4 if you officially want these features, although I’m sure unofficial Google Camera ports will attempt to bring them to older Pixels.

Live HDR+ previews allow you to see what your HDR+ shot will look like in the viewfinder before you hit the shutter key. Meanwhile, Dual Exposure Controls give Pixel 4 owners two slider bars in the viewfinder, with one bar allowing you to tweak shadow levels and the other controlling overall exposure.

It’s a little disappointing that we’re not seeing these features come to the Pixel 3 and Pixel 3a, but Google is bringing some features to its legacy phones though. These include the aforementioned astrophotography mode and Android 10’s Live Caption functionality.

Would you buy a Pixel 4 over the Pixel 3a? Let us know your answer in the comments below!