With most of this year’s smartphone releases now done, it’s time to look forward to the end of the year when we see an onslaught of a different kind. Not fuelled by the frantic nature of MWC, from July onwards, we see a steady release of high calibre handsets from the likes of Samsung, Huawei, and even Apple.
One that has joined this trend in recent years is Google, and this year we’re expecting the Pixel 4. In news overnight, the new Google Camera APK has been released, and it contains some hints of what’s to come in the new Pixel 4 later this year.
We’ve already had the design of the Pixel 4’s rear confirmed by Google itself, but we were left to guess what function the second camera might actually serve. Well, we can probably stop wondering whether it’s a telephoto or a wide-angle lens … because it looks like Google might have confirmed which.
The revelation comes after the guys at XDA did some digging into the code of version 6.3 of the Google Camera app. In particular, some of the code makes clear reference to a rear-mounted telephoto lens:
There’s some other stuff in here, too, including a front-facing IR sensor reference, which lends credibility to suggestions the Pixel 4 may include some sort of advanced facial recognition (beyond just using a front-facing normal camera). This technology would also benefit Google’s Playmojis, or if something like Animoji’s were to come to Google’s own phones.
Another change from the Google Camera APK is the promotion of Night Sight to the front-screen of the app, instead of being hidden in a menu. To make way, the Panorama scene is now a bit more hidden away .. but let’s be honest, it’s not that widely used any more (har har).
It’s early July, making it three months from the Pixel 4’s likely launch date. What rumours will we see between now and then?
