Google Pixel 3 review: Phone's smarts shine through its AI-driven camera

1. Google Pixel 3 review: Phone's smarts shine through its AI- driven camera Hardware innovations? Nope. Instead, Google is emphasising software improvements - particularly for images - with its newest Pixel smartphones. Apple and Samsung typically show off glitzy hardware innovations — dual-lens cameras; bigger screens — to mesmerize millions into buying their new smartphones. Google has taken a different approach: It wants to sell people on better software.

2. That was abundantly clear with the Pixel 3, the search giant’s latest smartphone, with software features powered by artificial intelligence and machine learning. When you take a blurry photo, for example, the Pixel’s camera software can capture a series of alternate images and look for a clearer shot. When you get a call from an unknown number, you can use a screening tool to determine if it is a robocall. (I recommend using this feature with caution — more on that later.) “The phone is powered by A.I. so that we let Pixel do really useful, delightful things,” said Mario Queiroz, Google’s vice president of Pixel hardware. “The phone doesn’t get in the way. Things just happen for you.” The Pixel 3, which will be available on Thursday, is a modest piece of hardware otherwise. It comes in two screen sizes — 5.5 inches and 6.3 inches — that are slightly smaller than phones from Apple and Samsung. The smaller Pixel costs $799; the larger one is $899. The screen technology is OLED, which offers better color accuracy and contrast than its predecessor, LCD. The rear camera has a single lens, because Google felt its A.I.- powered camera software was so good that it didn’t need to add a second one. Like other high-end phones, the Pixel 3 is water-resistant, and its body is composed of glass to support wireless power charging, a feature that I have found marginally useful. After testing the Pixel 3 for four days, I’m convinced that Google did the right thing by emphasizing its software. The Pixel 3 is a superior Android phone to Samsung’s top- rated Galaxy devices thanks largely to Google’s clever camera and intuitive interface. But I wouldn’t say that the new Pixel has the all-around best camera — I prefer the iPhone camera’s more lifelike colors. Still, the Pixel 3’s software smarts offer some advantages, like the ability to take superior photos with the bokeh effect, which puts the picture’s main subject in sharp focus while gently blurring the background. Here’s what I found about the Pixel 3’s most important features. Top Shot Let’s say you take a photo of a group of people and one person blinks. Using Google’s new photo-optimization tool, Top Shot, there’s a chance you can salvage that photo by choosing a better shot with that person’s eyes open. To use Top Shot, you turn on a feature called Motion Photos, which are essentially three- second videos capturing the moments just before and after you take a shot. When you snap a picture, Google’s camera software can analyze those before-and-after moments for a better image to recommend. Business Standard