Google's top secret camera lab where Pixel phones become memory makers

Google Pixel phones have earned a reputation for their superb photo-taking abilities, but video quality has sometimes lagged behind. However, a recent CNET exclusive reveals Google’s efforts to close the gap. Deep inside the company’s Real World Testing Lab, a team obsessively crafts the Pixel camera into a powerful tool for capturing life’s moments, both visually and aurally.

CNET reporters were the first journalists allowed into this unique facility. It has nothing to do with those stark white rooms and complex machinery we’re accustomed to in typical labs. Instead, the lab resembles a series of cozy Ikea sets – a cafe bathed in soft light, a living room complete with a toy dog. These meticulously controlled environments allow Google to recreate everyday settings where people take most of their photos and videos.

The purpose of this realism becomes clear as technicians demonstrate the lab’s capabilities. Test videos reveal the clear difference between the Pixel 8 Pro and the older Pixel 7 Pro in low-light settings. Candle-lit scenes or dusky cafe corners look sharper and brighter on the newer device. And it’s here that the magic of Video Boost becomes apparent.

For years, applying Night Sight’s incredible photo enhancement algorithms to videos seemed impossible. Processing a single minute of low-light video is like editing 1,800 photos. The solution? Google uploads your Pixel 8 Pro videos to the cloud for processing using the same HDR Plus magic that makes photos pop. Though the results take time to appear, the transformation is striking.

The Google Pixel Camera lab isn’t just about technical precision. Isaac Reynolds, Pixel Camera’s group product manager, emphasizes the importance of feel. Simply reproducing a scene correctly isn’t the goal. The team strives to capture how you remember a moment, ensuring your videos spark the same emotions you felt while living them. This dedication to the human experience is evident as engineers analyze color rendition and texture alongside strict technical measures.

Kevin Fu, Pixel Camera product manager, reveals how AI helps isolate speech in videos. Google trained a model to recognize even faint conversation, allowing it to enhance those sounds while subtly reducing distracting background noise. The difference is dramatic, making voices clear and crisp even in bustling environments. Surprisingly, even the internal grease within your phone’s camera lens plays a role in testing. The lab allows Google to mimic the way we naturally pick up and put down our phones. This helps ensure focus remains sharp and exposure is consistent, even if your phone has been resting flat on a table or in your pocket, causing the internal lens elements to shift.

Google’s meticulous approach in this ‘Ikea-like’ lab reveals why it takes so long to perfect new camera features. Every aspect, from color balance to focus speed to audio clarity, undergoes rigorous testing. And as powerful as Video Boost is, it’s clear this is only the beginning of Google’s video enhancement journey.

This exclusive peek behind the curtain is a testament to Google’s commitment to making Pixel cameras worthy companions for recording our lives’ stories. The relentless pursuit of improvement promises that Pixels will become even more capable of capturing the world as we see it — and how we want to remember it.

Below is video by CNET showing Google’s secret Pixel Camera lab.

Featured and inline images: CNET