All theGoogle Pixel 8 and 8 Proleaks so far have detailed key hardware upgrades planned for this year’s lineup. Last year’sPixel 7series packed minimal camera improvements, but that seemingly won’t be the case this year. The company isrumored to use a bigger (and newer) 50MP Samsung GN2 sensorand switch to a 64MP ultra-wide shooter on the Pixel 8 Pro for better imaging performance. The improvements won’t be limited to just the hardware, though. Google plans to debut a new camera UI on its 2023 Pixels, with a new leak giving a clear look at the revamped interface.
Shared byAndroid Authority, the screenshots show the new Google Camera UI in all its glory. Right off the bat, you’ll notice the new interface separates the photo and video modes. There’s now a separate switch to toggle between the two modes, with the selection bar above it.
Left: Current Google Camera UI; Middle: New Google Camera UI on Pixel 8 in photo mode; Right: In video mode
Google is considering swapping the position of the camera switch and the gallery button as a part of the redesign. While this might frustrate long-time Pixel users, this should be a welcome change, as it would be easier to hit the camera switch button in most cases. Plus, Samsung and iPhones also follow the same layout for the controls.
In the current Google Camera build, you swipe down on the viewfinder to bring the settings menu. This gesture will also be flipped, so you’ll need to swipe up on the display.
With the upcoming Google Camera for the Pixel 8 series, Google will emphasize different camera modes like Long Exposure and Action Pan. They will be shown separately in photo mode; for comparison, they are placed inside the Motion tab in the current build. Similarly, Cinematic Pan will appear as a dedicated option called Pan when in video mode.
Lastly, the video stabilization options will get a pop-up menu, though the options — Standard, Locked, and Active —will reportedly remain the same.
Google has not updated its camera app’s interface since the Pixel 4’s debut in 2019. So, a revamp is long overdue, especially to accommodate all the new modes and features that Pixel phones have gained since then. What’s unclear for now is if this new Google Camera UI will come to older Pixel phones.
