Google Pixel 4 camera samples leaked: what are the big new features here?

The Google Pixel 4 is set to be announced on October 15, and there’s likely to be quite a big launch event - we now know what part of this fanfare will entail, because camera samples that Google intends (or intended) to use to promote the upcoming phone’s camera capabilities have leaked.

These snaps were found by 9to5Google, although it’s not clear how the website obtained them. They show a variety of pictures in a range of settings, from both the front and back camera on the device.

The Google Pixel 4 is set to be announced on October 15, and there’s likely to be quite a big launch event - we now know what part of this fanfare will entail, because camera samples that Google intends (or intended) to use to promote the upcoming phone’s camera capabilities have leaked.

These snaps were found by 9to5Google, although it’s not clear how the website obtained them. They show a variety of pictures in a range of settings, from both the front and back camera on the device.

This is what we know of the Google Pixel 4.

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By looking closely at these pictures, we can work out what the big new Google Pixel 4 camera features are. Shots of the Pixel 4 shown by Google itself show the device has one more camera lens than the Pixel 3, and these leaked image samples give us a good clue as to what purpose it could serve.

The Pixel 3 topped our list of the best camera phones when it came out, but has since been surpassed by the Huawei P30 Pro, so Google is going to have to pull out all the stops to reclaim its top ranking - which based on these samples it might manage

The Pixel 3 topped our list of the best camera phones when it came out, but has since been surpassed by the Huawei P30 Pro, so Google is going to have to pull out all the stops to reclaim its top ranking - which based on these samples it might manage.

What are the new Google Pixel 4 camera features?

Some of the pictures show selfies evidently taken on the front-facing cameras (the Pixel 3 actually had two, and we’d expect the Pixel 4 to have just as many). The snaps show crystal-clear subjects with appropriately blurred backgrounds, so it seems the selfie cameras could have improved depth sensing. Portrait shots from the rear cameras show the same effect.

Other snaps show astrophotography - pictures of the night skies. You can make out a field of stars in one, and the Milky Way in the other, so the camera is evidently great for snaps like this. Several handsets, like the Huawei P30, have had moon modes that can shoot that celestial body in high quality, but star shots are harder to take on smartphones.

A key feature of the Pixel 3 was night shooting, with clear and bold low-light pictures, and some of the leaked camera samples show off pictures of a group of people at night. These images are bright and high-quality, and the bright city behind the group doesn’t ruin the picture with overexposure, which is often a problem with night sight.

Quite a few of the leaked camera samples show macro shots, specifically close-ups of food and plants. Due to the high-quality nature of these snaps, it seems possible the second camera lens could be a macro lens.

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Few smartphone cameras have macro lenses, which make it easier to take great pictures of small subjects like food, small creatures, flowers and more. However most smartphone cameras have trouble autofocusing to near objects, which is why macro lenses are useful in order to properly capture the subject.

Another feature shown is action mode, with pictures of a dog jumping through the air without any blurring. This mode isn’t shown in much detail, however.

It’s worth pointing out that while none of these camera modes are completely new, they’re generally executed in these camera samples better than on other phones we’ve tried, which is why it’s likely these samples really came from the Pixel 4 (rather than another phone) - but as always, take pre-release information with a pinch of salt.

If these camera samples are from the Google Pixel 4, we could see them very soon at the handset’s October 15 release (unless this leak prompts Google to change the pictures it’s set to use). TechRadar will be live at the launch event, so stay tuned as we bring you all the news, reviews and analysis.