Can Google Boost Pixel Photos With AI Horsepower, Not Gimmicks?

Google's upcoming Made By Google event promises to unveil the Pixel 11 line of phones, rumored to include the standard, Pro, and Pro XL variants, as well as the forthcoming Pixel 11 Pro Fold and possibly a Pixel Watch 5. The focus will reportedly be on integrating Gemini AI into these devices.

Last year, Google introduced Pro Res Zoom, an AI-powered feature that attempts to compensate for the limitations of small smartphone cameras when zooming in on photos. While this technology can work reasonably well for certain scenarios, it struggles with human subjects and extreme zoom levels. The Pro Res Zoom feature of the Pixel 10 Pro, for instance, only goes up to 100x magnification, resulting in pixelated images when magnified further.

However, rumors suggest the Pixel 11 Pro phones may offer an extended zoom range of up to 120x, though improvements in generative AI could potentially enhance the quality of these extremely zoomed-in images.

Super Res Zoom, which launched with the Pixel 3 in 2018, is more effective at higher magnifications (up to 30x) by applying AI-based upscaling to sharpen details and reduce artifacts. If Google can extend Super Res Zoom to a higher magnification without relying on generative AI reconstruction, it would be a significant advancement in mobile photography.

Night photography on smartphones has generally improved, but noise artifacts and exposure issues still plague darker scenes. Google's AI noise reduction technology has seen considerable progress recently, and better lighting adjustments while maintaining realistic colors could be a welcome development. The ultimate goal for smartphone photographers is to achieve "right-in-camera" results, minimizing the need for post-processing.