The Pixel 8 and 8 Pro are already up for pre-order from $699 and $999 respectively with the Tensor G3 chipset providing the grunt. There’s a lot going on under the hood in terms of software, thanks to Google leveraging its use of AI with its newest flagships, adding or improving a number of enhancements to the Pixel experience. These enhancements make it easier than ever to tweak an image or video in order to edit out imperfections and also to emphasize standout features, better screen spam calls, and even summarize websites into a handy-sized synopsis.
Best Take
Sounds good so far? Well this is where Google brings its AI know-how to the fore with features such as Best Take which, instead of choosing the best image from a group of shots of the same objective, now takes what it considers are the best bits from each of those photos and merges them into a single picture. This means that instead of choosing the image where granny spat her false teeth out or little Johnny was yawning, you get what was never there in the first place – a perfect image.
Magic Editor
Magic Editor in Google Photos uses generative AI to reposition and resize subjects, and even use a preset to tweak the background with just a few taps.
Audio Magic Eraser
The addition of Audio Magic Eraser helps you remove or reduce sounds such as strong winds or crowds noise from your video so you can hear the important things.
Video Boost
Video Boost is another new feature coming to the Pixel 8 Pro courtesy of Google’s Tensor G3 processor, applying cutting-edge processing to your videos by adjusting the lighting, color, stabilization, and even the level of graininess to bring the moving image to life. Video Boost also enables Night Sight Video which aids better low-light video quality.
Summarize
With the new Summarize feature, the Pixel can now create a synopsis of a webpage giving you the key information, quickly. The AI’s increased ability to understand nuance means that you can speak to it more natually than ever before, even pausing when you say ‘um’ to allow you to finish your thought.
Call Screen
Google’s oh-so-handy Call Screen function has also been improved. Besides silently answering calls from unknown numbers with a more natural-sounding voice, it will soon be able to suggest contextual replies for you to choose from to reply to simple calls such as appointment confirmations without needing to answer the phone.
