We’re one day away from Google’s big launch event where we expect to see the Google Pixel 2 and the Google Pixel 2 XL as well as some other goodies. As with most smartphone launches these days; there isn’t much we don’t already know about the devices thanks to a flurry of leaks over the past few weeks. We saw iPhone 8 and iPhone X leaks all summer. We saw Galaxy Note 8 leaks all summer. Now, it looks like Google has been unable to avoid the leaks about pricing and design. However, with that said, Google is usually known for their software that’s packed into their devices so there may still be plenty of new information hiding behind the scenes.
A new rumor from XDA Developers is revealing some information about the Google Pixel 2 camera features that Google surely wanted to keep under wraps until their big event tomorrow. Anyone who got to play with a Pixel or Pixel XL from last year is probably most excited to see what kind of camera improvements Google is making in this year’s update of the popular Android smartphones. The Pixel cameras were regarded as being among the best smartphone cameras on the market largely due to a lot of the software features packed in.
These new leaked Google Pixel 2 camera features might seem gimmicky to some while others may be downright excited to experience what Google has to offer. First, for the selfie fans, there is reportedly going to be a “face retouching” feature which will be able to remove blemishes or imperfections from your skin when taking a selfie. Part of me says that you should love who you are, blemishes and all. Another part of me (my forehead) has a giant zit growing on it today and would love to make use of this feature.
Ultimately, the face retouching feature isn’t really groundbreaking. A lot of smartphones have offered a “beauty mode” for selfies in the past. If you want to look great for your selfies then this will be a handy feature but it’s hardly anything to get overly excited about.
The other one of the leaked Google Pixel 2 camera features is a “motion photo” feature. If this makes you immediately think of “Live Photos” from iOS then you’re not alone because that’s pretty much exactly what this is. The description of the feature says that the Pixel 2 will take a short video prior to, during, and after snapping a photo. Again, this isn’t a groundbreaking feature as Apple has already done Live Photos but it is a nice feature to have. When I first heard of Live Photos I thought, “That sounds dumb.” Now that I have seen it in action I do see the value in the feature. Will it ever convince me to buy an iPhone or Pixel 2 based on that feature alone? No. But it is nice to have alongside (hopefully) a stable of other great features.
There you have it! Those are the 2 new leaked Google Pixel 2 camera features to look forward to tomorrow. Again, they aren’t groundbreaking features that we have never seen before but it’s always nice to get more features packed into a device to justify those ever increasing prices. And, if new Google Pixel 2 camera features don’t get you excited, there will be plenty of other stuff to check out during the big launch event tomorrow. We are expecting to see new Google Assistant enabled wireless headphones from Google. These are obviously meant to make up for the loss of the 3.5mm headphone port in the new Pixel devices. We are also hearing that Google has a new Google Home Mini lined up as well as a Pixelbook which is a really fancy and expensive Chromebook.
Are you getting excited for Google’s big launch event tomorrow? Will you be picking up a Pixel 2 or Pixel 2 XL this year or are you going to look elsewhere based on the rumors and speculation we have heard?