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Many Google Pixel 6 and 6 Pro camera features leak, here's what you can expect

Will you be able to record 4K60 footage with all cameras? Which phone will be better for selfies? We have some hints here.
By
September 23, 2021
Google Pixel 6 Silver
Google
TL;DR
  • Information just leaked related to hardware and software features of the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro camera.
  • There appears to be good news and bad news related to their photography and videography capabilities.
  • Since this is a leak, there’s no way to know if the information will hold up for the actual release of the phones.

For a few weeks now, XDA-Developers has been communicating with an anonymous source who claims to have a working Google Pixel 6 Pro. By sharing information with XDA, this source has given us an insider look at things we can expect from Google’s next flagships.

See also: All Google Pixel phones released so far

Today, the source gave XDA a tour of the Google Pixel 6 Pro camera. By examining code from the phone as well as asking questions to the anonymous source, XDA has collected some interesting tidbits about the imaging system.

Keep in mind that this is unverified leaked information. Although XDA is a very trustworthy source for info like this, that doesn’t mean it’s set in stone. Treat everything you read here with a grain of salt.

Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro camera hardware

As a refresher, this is what you can expect from the two phones as far as hardware:

Google Pixel 6

  • 50MP Samsung GN1 main
  • 12MP Sony IMX386 ultra-wide
  • 8MP selfie camera

Google Pixel 6 Pro

  • 50MP Samsung GN1 main
  • 12MP Sony IMX386 ultra-wide
  • 48MP Sony IMX586 telephoto with 4x zoom
  • 12MP Sony IMX663 selfie camera

Notice that the phones have different selfie camera hardware. According to XDA, the Pixel 6 Pro code suggests it has an ultra-wide-angle lens on its front, while the vanilla Pixel 6 has a standard wide-angle lens. This should allow the Google Pixel 6 Pro camera to get wider shots and bring in more background to your selfies.

Features and limitations

Here’s a quick rundown of what XDA found. For full explanations as to how it figured these things out, be sure to read the whole original post.

  • Video recording quality: It looks like the main camera lens on the Pixel 6 lineup can record 4K video at 60fps. However, the wide-angle and telephoto lenses are stuck with 4K at 30fps.
  • Seamless recording: If you set all three lenses to record at 4K30, it’s possible you can seamlessly switch from one lens to another without stopping the recording.
  • Video zoom: The maximum zoom level when recording at 4K60 or 1080p60 is allegedly at 7x. Recording at 4K30 or 1080p30 allegedly enables zoom levels up to 20x.
  • Manual white balance: You might be able to have more control over the white balance of your shots. However, it is unclear if this is a developer feature for the Google Pixel 6 and Google Pixel 6 Pro camera.
  • “Magic Eraser”: It’s possible Google has revived its plans to bring object deletion to its products. It said it would do this within Google Photos, but it never happened. Maybe this will be a Pixel 6 exclusive?
  • Face Deblur: Google actually already confirmed this is coming, but the Pixel 6 Pro code backs up the announcement. As the name suggests, this would help clean up out-of-focus faces in your shots.
  • Bluetooth mic: It’s possible you’ll be able to use a Bluetooth-connected microphone when recording videos. The evidence for this is shaky at the moment, though.

There are some other hinted features in the full roundup, but either the evidence for them is shaky or XDA isn’t sure what they’ll be for.