Mrwhosetheboss puts Google Pixel 8 Pro camera bugs and issues in the spotlight

Popular tech reviewer Mrwhosetheboss (real name Arun Maini) has reignited concerns about the Google Pixel 8 Pro camera in a lengthy thread on X, expressing ongoing frustrations with various bugs and issues affecting its app, video, and processing capabilities.

In his initial review, Mrwhosetheboss expressed disappointment with various aspects of the Pixel 8 Pro camera, ranging from an unpolished camera app to underwhelming video capabilities. The recent thread serves as a follow-up to his promise of re-evaluating the device after installing all available updates. While praising Google’s commitment to updates, Mrwhosetheboss highlights several issues that persist even after three months of software fixes. The camera app’s “strange limitations” include forcing portrait mode zoom and restricting slow-mo to the main camera, resulting in pixelated zoomed footage.

He also notes that the app’s performance is also underwhelming, feeling “slow” and displaying excessive noise in low-light preview. While acknowledging the generally good photo quality, he critiqued slow processing compared to competitors.

Video, often a Pixel camera weakness, fares poorly again. However, the newly introduced Video Boost feature proved to be a game-changer during his tests, leveraging cloud processing for stunning results in some situations. This is something we fully agree with after spending time with the Pixel 8 Pro Video Boost feature. But here’s a comparison between the boosted video and that of a video shot on the iPhone 15 Pro Max to show you just how “absolutely transformative” the feature is.

However, just like we found out, Mrwhosetheboss also discovered that Pixel 8 Pro Video Boost comes with its own caveats. It restricts camera choices and relies heavily on Wi-Fi or data, raising concerns about future monetization or usage caps. Additionally, its cloud dependence leaves the Pixel vulnerable in very dark scenes where on-device processing falters.

But despite these frustrations, Mrwhosetheboss acknowledges the Pixel 8 Pro’s potential, praising its frequent updates and cutting-edge capabilities. However, he emphasizes the need for significant improvements to the core offline camera experience while also expressing doubts about future software fixes to address these nagging bugs and issues.

Mrwhosetheboss’ candid critique echoes concerns shared by some Pixel users and raises questions about Google’s ability to address them through software alone. Whether hardware modifications or a new approach to software optimization are needed remains to be seen.