ISSUE 67 • ANDROID ADVISOR 121BUYING GUIDEan f/1.8 aperture, OIS and dual autofocus (phase
detection and laser).
Google’s software, namely HDR+, is the reason
why it only needs one lens. A new feature called Top
Shot will take multiple shots so you can choose the
best, rather then end up missing that key moment.
Night Sight is also new and aims to help you get
great results in low light without using a flash with
machine learning.
There’s also Motion Auto Focus, which can lock
onto moving object, it worked well in our macro test
with the plant blowing around a lot in the wind.
Overall, we’re very impressed with the results
from the camera, which takes great photos with
minimal fuss. The portrait mode is particularly
impressive and lets you control both background
and foreground blur after you’ve taken the shot.
There are plenty of other modes to check out,
including the usual selection of Panorama, Photo
Sphere, Google Lens and Slow Motion. Playground,
which is similar to Sony’s AR effect, plonks
characters, including Marvel and Stranger Things,
onto your desk or wherever you want them.
Oddly, then, the new tech is at the front where
there are two cameras. Both are 8Mp with an
f/1.8 or f/2.2 aperture, and like on LG’s V40 one is
a standard focal length, while the other is wide-
angle (107 degrees instead of 75), so you can fit
more people into the frame.
The quality is good and you can easily switch
between the two cameras almost seamlessly with a
slider within the camera app.