Google Pixel 3 adds Top Shot, Night Sight, and Group Selfie Cam

Google

Just like its forebears, the newly-announced Pixel 3 smartphone looks like it will have some serious photography chops. 

At Google’s Pixel 3 announcement event on Tuesday morning, the company laid out all the new features coming with the Pixel 3 — and as usual, the camera received a lot of attention. Google’s Pixel cameras are well-known for their powerful cameras capable of producing high-quality images, and the Pixel 3 looks like no exception.

New, mostly software-based additions are coming to existing Pixel phones as well as the Pixel 3 series. Some upcoming features include better low-light performance, an AI-based burst photo mode that will automatically choose the best image, and a group selfie mode that captures a wider frame to ensure everyone gets in the shot. Better yet, some of these features will be coming to existing Google Pixel and Pixel 2 phones, with details on that forthcoming.

The Pixel 3 and Pixel 3 XL are available for preorder now and will start shipping on October 17 — the standard version starts at $799, and the XL version starts at $899. 

Here are the new features coming with the Pixel 3’s camera: 

Top Shot: It’s pretty easy to miss a picture-perfect moment, especially when it happens quickly. The Pixel 3’s Top Shot feature attempts to alleviate that with the help of artificial intelligence.

Google

Top Shot will take a series of photos, before and after you press the shutter button, and it will recommend the best one by checking if everyone in the photo is smiling, facing the camera or has their eyes open. You can scroll through the photos to pick your favorite if you don’t want the Pixel’s recommended choice.