If you’ve ever tried to capture a tranquil scene on video, say a pair of ducks frolicking around a lake, but it was ruined by someone talking loudly in the background, the Google Pixel 8 could be here to help.
That’s because a survey titled “Future of Pixel Sports” was tweeted out by tech tipster Mishall Raham pointing to a reference to the Audio Eraser tool, which is said to be designed to eliminate unwanted sound in videos while enhancing the desired audio. The Audio Eraser, previously shown off in a leaked video, appears to be a built-in feature for the Pixel 8 phones.
Some Pixel Superfans get surveys asking them about Team Pixel’s sports partnerships. One page asks fans to select scenarios that could be “influential” in deciding which smartphone to buy, and some of the scenarios may point to upcoming features for the Pixel 8! This one… pic.twitter.com/VskXd9j0N9August 23, 2023
The survey was sent to members of the Google Superfans group and cited an example of the Audio Eraser tool being used during a sports game to “eliminate the screams of the fan in the next seat from your winning video shot with the awesome your phone’s AI removal of video noise.”
And for people who want specific spectator sounds, Audio Eraser can “enhance the sound of your friends and family’s reactions during a thrilling game, while minimizing stadium background noise with your phone’s amazing AI video noise removal.”
I’m already impressed with the Magic Eraser feature on Pixel phones, which removes unwanted objects from images, so I’m cautiously optimistic about the Audio Eraser tool. While the improvements in smartphone photography are arguably incremental at this point for phone generation to generation, I believe improvements can be made in the video capture area. And having AI-powered tools to capture the content you want at source, rather than having to spend a lot of time editing, is a promising idea.
That said, I’d also like to see Google improve video capture on the next Pixel flagship phones. While the Pixel 7 Pro is far from bad at video, I feel it lags behind the likes of the iPhone 14 Pro and Galaxy S23 Ultra.
Capture smart content
An X user named Kamila has posted a screenshot of what appears to be the full list of options in the Google survey, and from the looks of it, the Pixel 8 phones will once again lean heavily on AI-based features.
for reference, here’s a full list of options in the survey pic.twitter.com/ki99wg3mtiAugust 23, 2023
Not only can we expect improvements in the Photo Unblur, Lens, and AI photo stitching features, but new editing features that make use of smart processing also seem to be on the way.
There was also a tip about an improvement in the speed at which the camera’s shutter works; faster shutter speeds are better for capturing fast-moving objects – Google has made some progress with this by using AI to blur photos, but if supported by hardware it will definitely help.
An upgraded Tensor chip will likely power these AI-focused features. The chip is rumored to be called the Tensor G3, and it looks like the chip will have an overall performance boost, in addition to improving the responsiveness and effectiveness of smart functions.
With improvements to the camera sensor being touted and the addition of satellite communication capabilities, the Google Pixel 8 looks set to be a standout phone at launch, probably in October, and a potential contender for our best phones list.