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Google Pixel 7 Pro: Official camera samples highlight stepless Super Res Zoom quality up to 30x

The Pixel 7 Pro will start shipping next week. (Image source: Google)
The Pixel 7 Pro will start shipping next week. (Image source: Google)
Google is betting big on its machine learning capabilities, so much so in fact, that it wants to guarantee a practically stepless zoom to 30x on the Pixel 7 Pro. Supposedly delivering 10x more zoom than the Pixel 6 Pro, Google has sought to demonstrate the improvements in a series of camera samples.

While the Pixel 6 Pro and Pixel 7 Pro appear to feature the same cameras, Google has tweaked the latter in a few areas. As we discussed before this week's launch, the Pixel 7 Pro has a technically inferior zoom camera than its predecessor. However, Google claims that the new telephoto sensor delivers 5x optical zoom and 30x Super Res Zoom, rather than 4x optical and 20x Super Res functionality with the Pixel 6 Pro. Supposedly, the Pixel 7 Pro derives improvements in the latter from superior machine learning, not better optics. 

Subsequently, Google has sought to demonstrate these Super Res Zoom improvements, examples of which we have embedded below. In short, Google takes a 12 MP crop from the device's 50 MP primary camera and optimises it with AI algorithms, a method that Apple also employs with the iPhone 14 Pro and iPhone 14 Pro Max. Incidentally, the same applies to the lesser Pixel 7.

Billed as 'Zoom Fusion', Google claims that its technology provides better results than a classic digital zoom. Allegedly, Zoom Fusion stitches information from all three rear-facing cameras together. Unfortunately, Google did not provide equivalent digital zoom photos to compare against these Super Rez ones. Arguably, the results vary, with the 30x shot of the Golden Gate Bridge bearing the telltale signs of being AI-enhanced. While the One World Trade Center looks slightly clearer, it remains to be seen how well Google's tweaked algorithms fare in low-light conditions.

 
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> Expert Reviews and News on Laptops, Smartphones and Tech Innovations > News > News Archive > Newsarchive 2022 10 > Google Pixel 7 Pro: Official camera samples highlight stepless Super Res Zoom quality up to 30x
Alex Alderson, 2022-10- 9 (Update: 2022-10- 9)