Google’s Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro are launching in a matter of weeks, but a new leak today just showcased what will be the phone’s killer feature: Its camera. The report comes from Brandon Lee, a YouTuber with access to a preproduction Google Pixel 6 Pro who has provided earlier Pixel 6 Pro leaks on pricing and color names.
Now, there are quite a few caveats here. First, the photos come sourced from, as already said, preproduction hardware from a source in Nigeria. It’s not quite clear if the software on the phone being used is the same as what Google is going to push out, nor is the photographer (or weather conditions) amenable to showcasing the best of the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro. Finally, we’re only seeing the Pixel 6 photos through compressed social media posts, rather than in their full quality. It’s best to think of this as giving you an idea of what Google’s next phone can do, rather than being a true indicator.
Google’s Pixel phones have typically excelled at capturing still photos, with the cameras falling short on flexibility and video quality. With the Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro, Google has reportedly invested in these two aspects. The Pixel 6 Pro is Google’s first triple-lens phone, with the company equipping telephoto and ultrawide lenses. The camera specs are said to be a 50MP GN1 image sensor, with a Sony 12MP IMX386 image sensor for ultrawide scenarios, plus a Sony 48MP IMX586 sensor for telephoto capture. For those curious about the performance of the main camera hardware in production-level hardware, the Vivo X70 Pro ships with the same GN1 sensor and has been critically acclaimed for its photography skills.
The Google Pixel 6 and Pixel 6 Pro otherwise are expected to be made available later this month with high-res, smooth displays, Android 12, large batteries, and a first-of-its-kind Google Tensor chip to power it all. We’ll be able to properly appraise its camera performance then.
Two new highly requested iCloud plugins just got added to ChatGPT, giving people who rely on Apple’s Mail and Calendar services a way to search emails, check appointments, and manage their schedules directly through the chatbot.
The integration is rolling out to all ChatGPT plans, including the free tier. You can access it on the web, desktop, and iOS.
Google Play is borrowing one of the Nintendo Switch’s most useful little tricks. A new Sidekick tool called Playbacks captures a short clip after something interesting has already happened, sparing players from running a screen recorder throughout an entire game.
Playbacks is part of Google Play Store v53.8 and keeps saved clips on the phone. Google first announced it earlier this month, but the new Play Store update marks its arrival for players. Anyone who has watched a perfect win vanish because the record button came too late already understands the appeal.
Samsung’s scandal over its Game Optimizing Service, or GOS, has returned with a bill attached. South Korea’s Fair Trade Commission has tentatively fined the company 20.1 billion won, or about $15.1 million, over gaming claims made for the Galaxy S21, Galaxy S22, and Tab S8.
The regulator says Samsung promoted the devices as gaming powerhouses without disclosing that GOS placed preset CPU and GPU limits on certain demanding games. Samsung disputes that conclusion, calling GOS a legitimate way to manage heat.