The Google Pixel 3 and Google Pixel 3 XL were unveiled at the search giant’s latest ‘Made by Google’ event earlier this month and, as ever, the company spent a large portion of the event showcasing the new features it’s introducing with the new handsets.
At the time, it wasn’t clear just how many of these features would remain exclusive to the Pixel 3 line, and how many would filter down to previous-gen Google smartphones. However, the company has now shed some light on the matter.
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Google has told Android Police that several of the new features developed for the Pixel 3 will also make their way to older Pixel handsets.
Included in the list are two key camera features: adjustable background blur (which lets you increase or decrease the blurriness of the background in pictures taken in Portrait Mode), and Night Sight (which enhances photos taken in low light). However, Night Sight isn’t yet available to anyone.
Unfortunately, a selection of photography features will not make it across to older Pixels.
These include: wide-angle group selfies (which relies on the Pixel 3’s secondary wide-angle camera sensor), Top Shot (which captures several slightly different shots and recommends the best), Super Res Zoom (which lets you zoom in without losing too much detail), and Motion Auto Focus (which lets you lock onto the subject you want the camera to focus on).
Also on the way to older Pixel handsets are Smart Compose for Gmail, Google’s Playground AR stickers app, Duplex and call screening.
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It isn’t clear if the features that are making their way to older handsets will come to both the Google Pixel 2 and original Google Pixel lines, but we’d expect to hear official announcements from Google in due course.
Are you disappointed about how many new features older Pixel phones will miss out on? Share your thoughts with us on Twitter @TrustedReviews.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
