Google Pixel 2 Cameras Raise The Bar With Addition of AI-based Digital Zoom Dubbed RAISR

The Google Pixel 2, the flagship of the year, is seemingly unstoppable as far as upgrades are concerned. Just over two weeks ago, we had informed you that the phone was being updated with some serious new features which would add to the impressive list of imaging facilities. Now, the cameras have received AI-based digital zoom features which will make them even better capable of taking excellent pictures.

When the Google Pixel 2 was first released, including in India, many users had complained that despite being a flagship device, there was no dual-lens camera onboard; instead, the phone had single-lens based cameras to show. A new report from Beebom has shown that with the introduction of the AI-based digital zoom features, the Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL will retain their tags as having some of the best smartphone cameras onboard.

The digital image processing feature on both the Google Pixel 2 and the Pixel 2 XL have been remarkably improved with this addition. Some reports also suggest that this new update is being delivered partly to compensate for the phones lacking a secondary camera. These advancements have also been made possible thanks to Google’s impressive advancements in native artificial intelligence and machine learning.

This new technology also has a new name: RAISR, an acronym for Rapid and Accurate Image Super-Resolution. The report can be read here. A few samples of the new technology, and its apparent improvements over the existing technology, have now been shared by David Ruddock, who is a managing editor at tech site Android Police. You can see them on his official tweet below.

Google's enhancements to digital zoom processing on the Pixel 2 aren't quite magic-level, but they do make a real and obvious difference.

Photo 1: Cropped full size
Photo 2: Digital zoom pic.twitter.com/oqR9slnjuj

— David Ruddock (@RDR0b11) February 19, 2018

Clearly, the digital zoom technology has received a massive boost with the introduction of AI assistance as the images are now clearer. The images have been taken in low-light conditions and at ISO 400 @ 1/30s. Clearly, these phones will now serve their owners even better than they used to.