Reflecting on the desirability of turning one of the key benefits of Pixel smartphones into an open source component.
My deep and passionate attachment to the camera at Google Pixel is no secret. The device itself does not stand out in anything special, but the photographs taken with its help give a completely stunning new level of quality, inaccessible to all other mobile devices. Therefore, during the MWC in Barcelona, in the process of getting to know Android – smartphones of the new wave, I thought of only one thing: 'eh, if only there was a camera from Pixel ..'.
For example, Oppo, as part of a limited edition, introduced a chic red R9, which I would love to covet later, if it had a camera on par with the Pixel. Huawei The P10 is very good in terms of design, but I doubt its camera is the best on the market. And LG G6 for me is almost a model of an ideal smartphone, so I'm afraid even to test its camera, no matter how it loses to the Pixel. But here's the thing: in all these devices it is possible to make a camera of the same level as in smartphones developed by Mountain View. To do this, Google will have to provide manufacturers with its camera algorithms, similar to how the company 'gives' them a base Android as a base for their add-ons.
I'm not saying this is a commercially viable idea for Google. Perhaps, on the contrary, Google is counting on the camera as a potential opportunity for differentiation and plans to continue building its line of devices on it. But would it be cool if it did happen? Definitely!
Imagine MWC from an alternate reality, where each Android – device has a guaranteed level of software performance and camera quality. With such equality, I would give in to the basest instincts and choose the most beautiful of the presented smartphones for the role of the new main device. And in fact, there were some beautiful devices on display. For example, smartphones from Croats Noa with zero frames on the sides and a particularly beautiful red version (yes, I have a fad for red smartphones).
This is how I understand the magic at work in the Google Pixel camera: it lies in the traditional need for a good sensor and optics, and the QualcommSnapdragon processor helps them. But the most important thing is the work of ingenious engineers who have developed a wonderful mode with always activated HDR and new ways to eliminate noise in the image, the rest cannot compete with them. The sensor itself (made by Sony) is a fairly affordable standard component, for example, in the recently presented smartphone BlackBerry KeyOne. The situation is similar with the Snapdragon 821 processor – everyone has access to it and the optimization, carried out jointly by Google and Qualcomm. The only missing link is the Google software.
Google is known for its statements that the company is trying to do everything possible to support the ecosystem Android, including – to present itself as a partner and assistant to each manufacturer Android – devices. Today, Google is sabotaging new device announcements at the core, simply keeping the best camera in mobile devices. It is difficult not to consider the level of distribution and marketing efforts, the device has become a niche, but in its essence it has taken on the role iPhone and weakens the enthusiasm for shiny new Android – phones that pale before superiority Google technologies.
If Google unconditionally wants to assert its triumph over iPhone and iOS, then it's not such a crazy idea to open access to the camera software and make it so that in all devices based on Android, at least in the premium segment, there were excellent cameras. I'm sure Google OEMs will always be free to ignore or spoil the company, but I think it would be more rational to use the same algorithms as Google and take advantage of the latest capabilities.
I understand that now the leaders of OEM-partners Android may shake their heads in chagrin, I think what to do in order to stand out. But it was the differences from the Pixel that convinced me to spend money on a new smartphone. In Android – a universe of one king and two versions of the same device, all this guarantees the best and longest support and the coolest photos to date.
Google could opt to enrich and transform the mobile electronics world into something much more exciting. Or, there is another perfectly logical choice – to continue to create smartphones in the Pixel line, with an emphasis on excellent image processing. All of these assumptions are presented from a consumer perspective, looking for more exciting and dynamic business in today's business to make the Pixel camera software 'open source' the best change in a long time.
Original material, author – Vlad Savov
Let's omit emotions and admiration, what happens? Will Google be able to benefit from the hypothetical possibility of providing Pixel camera software to its partners? On the one hand, the company will certainly want to turn the camera into one of the significant features of its smartphones. And there are all the prerequisites for this, except for one point: the availability of devices and, as a consequence, their popularity. So maybe it's actually better to license a tidbit of software to your partners in the hope of a bigger profit? Something tells me that the choice will not be in favor of the second option.
The author's idea, however, is not devoid of rational grain with an admixture of some utopianism. It is very unlikely that large manufacturers will abandon their developments in favor of a paid component from a 'good corporation'. But, such a scenario may well be a good option for smaller manufacturers, which we could learn about from materials from MWC. At least an additional plus in the 'differentiation' column will be put.