The Google Pixel 8 series, which includes the Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro, was unveiled at the company’s Made by Google launch event on October 4. The new Pixel phones are powered by Google’s latest Tensor G3 chip, running Android 14.-the-box, and feature upgraded cameras. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 64-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a 48-megapixel third telephoto camera on the back. The top phone also comes with professional controls in the camera app that allow users to adjust camera settings. However, an X user has discovered that the pro controls, exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, can be accessed on any Pixel phone with a Tensor chipset.
The new professional controls for the camera app on the Pixel 8 Pro allow users to adjust camera-specific settings such as ISO, shutter speed and aperture size, giving Pixel phones a professional photography experience. The feature is supposed to be locked on the Pixel 8 Pro, but X (formerly Twitter) user Kamila (@Za_Raczke) has discovered that it can also be enabled on older Pixel phones running Tensor chips.
Kamila Posted on X, with the professional camera features running on a Pixel 7 Pro. In her conversation, she mentioned that she got early access to the Google Camera apk from the new phone and ran mods on it to get the feature working on an older Pixel. “…It turns out it fully works on every Tensor Pixel, from the 6 to the 7 Pro,” she said.
The user also posted photos of the pro control feature on an older Pixel phone, showing the ability to manually adjust the focus of the camera lens. The transfer gives users full control over the new camera app, also allowing them to switch between lenses. According to Kamila, the pro controls appear to be officially limited to Pixel 8 Pro via an artificial software lock, which when bypassed will allow the feature to run on Pixel phones going back to Pixel 6, which runs on the first Tensor chip from Google .
The professional camera controls are exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro
Photo credits: Google
The Google Pixel 8 series has also launched with Google’s AI-powered features such as Photo Unblur. The Pixel 8 Pro has a 6.7-inch Quad-HD display (1,344 x 2,992 pixels) with a 120Hz refresh rate. The flagship device is priced at Rs. 1,06,999 for the 128GB storage model. The Pro model is available in the colors Bay, Obsidian and Porcelain.
