Google's Pixel phones have always placed a focus on camera performance, and that's likely to be true again with the Pixel 4 and its new dual rear camera setup. Now we're getting an early look at what it'll be like to take photos with the Pixel 4 thanks to a leaked Camera app.
The Google Camera 7.0 APK from the Pixel 4 has found its way online, giving us an early peek at the updated UI and features that Google will likely roll out alongside its new flagship. Screenshots shared by Android Police show that the new Camera app (below, old on the left and new on the right) extends the viewfinder to a 16:9 "full view" with rounded corners, overlaying the shutter button and other modes on top of your camera's view. You can change back to the 4:3 aspect ratio if you'd like, though.
Google has also moved the buttons for the flash, timer, and face retouch into a button at the top of the viewfinder with an arrow, or you can access it by swiping down on the screen. Also moved is the button that used to help you adjust zoom; you'll now have to tap to focus to make the zoom and aperture sliders show up.
Also of note is that with Google Camera 7.0, you can hold the shutter button to take a brief video, saving you the trouble of jumping to the dedicated video mode for those times that you just need to start recording right away.
Meanwhile, the folks at XDA-Developers dug into the Google Camera 7.0 APK and found some interesting tidbits buried inside. They include a Zero Shutter Lag version of Night Sight to help make capturing low-light images faster and improvements to aid in astrophotography, which is expected to be a big focus for Google with the Pixel 4. Google is reportedly planning to use the Adreno 640 GPU inside the Pixel 4 to speed up segmentation of the night sky, find the stars in the image, and brighten them up. Tripod detection is said to be improved, too.
Google also appears to be working on an Audio Zoom feature that we've seen on other recent smartphones like the Note 10 and iPhone 11. A listing for "AUDIO_ZOOM_SUPPORTED" is set to true in the APK, meaning the Pixel 4 may be able to focus in on a major source of audio when its camera zooms in.
Google's Pixel phones are normally some of the best smartphone cameras on the market, especially their Night Sight low-light photography features. Because of that, we're looking forward to seeing the Pixel 4 launch and seeing what improvements Google has made to its camera performance. It's expected that Google will officially introduce the Pixel 4 in October, so we don't have to wait long to put its camera to the test.