The shots are compiled in the Google Photos album, dubbed #Nofilter needed with your new Pixel, and while the EXIF data supports that the images were shot with the Google Pixel and Google Pixel XL, around half of the images were edited with a mobile app, either Snapseed or VSCO.
The shots encompass a range of different scenarios from low lighting to even aerial shots that appear to be shot from a drone. The low-light shots look pretty impressive, thanks in great measure to the large pixel size that earned the Pixel DxOMark’s highest sensor rating for a smartphone camera to date. The camera’s HDR+ mode that merges several RAW files together likely also gives the camera a boost in limited light.
The sample images also include a few action shots, and while a shot of a skateboarder in midair is slightly blurred, the overall album looks pretty solid for a smartphone camera. The images do not have much blurring of the background — which is to be expected from a smartphone, though the dual lens cameras with the iPhone 7 Plus can now fake that blur to some extent.
The Google Pixel doesn’t have optical image stabilization, but uses a built-in gyroscope for shooting videos. While Google hasn’t released official Pixel footage, videographer and YouTube user Ron8it recently released a 4K sample video that he says was shot entirely with the Pixel XL and an ND filter, with some color correction and slow motion effects in post.
The spec sheet and high DxO rating alone suggested that the camera could be a big selling point for the Google Pixel and Pixel XL smartphones — but now the samples allow potential buyers to make their own decision on whether the photo quality is worth that $650-plus list price.
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.