The Pixel Camera was something that had to happen sooner or later. But in order to understand it well, it is best to start by clarifying exactly what we are talking about. As you know, the photographic functions are one of the strong points (and this is a list that grows generation after generation) of its family of Google Pixel smartphones, of which just over a week we experienced the presentation of its eighth generation, with which Google has once again outdone itself .

A few generations ago, Apple started to focus (well, one of them) on the photographic functions of the iPhone and managed to become the main reference in this regard over time. Today, their smartphones are still the most competent in this sense, but the market response was immediate. So today The range of devices with excellent cameras is very widewhich is positive for users of these devices.

Aware of the complexity of the smartphone market as well as the mediocre quality of its cameras, Google decided to specialize by making image processing and post-processing its own value proposition. Using a custom SoC with great AI capabilities and software that makes the most of it, coupled with an excellent camera, is what has achieved it for many users today (myself included). The Google Pixel 8 Pro camera is the best on the market.

Now, to further differentiate our value proposition, the company renamed Google Camera to Pixel Camera, as we can see on Google Play, emphasizing that we are talking about an application aimed exclusively at their own smartphones. This change is successful in my opinion, because its previous name was somewhat ambiguous, which caused users of Android smartphones of other brands to try (unsuccessfully of course) to install it on their devices.

So if you have a Google Pixel and you recently updated its software and operating system to Android 14 while checking the apps on your phone, don’t be surprised to find this Pixel Camera because actually It’s the same one you used until now. but of course with the changes and new features of the latest version.

This It shouldn’t mean any change, yes, for the GCam projectan initiative (admittedly unofficial) that we can find independently and also as part of Pixel Experience, one of the most popular custom ROMs for Android, which brings the experience of Google Camera, now Pixel Camera, to users with Android devices. from other brands.