Google’s Camera is behind competitors in one aspect, but perhaps not for long

Amazing photography is not what most people think when they hear Google. But in the few years that the company has been making Pixel phones, it managed to achieve just that.

And while photos, especially night-time ones, have become a staple for Google, when it comes to video recording, Pixels are still behind competing phones from Samsung and Apple when it comes to quality and features.

But that might change soon if the latest APK findings prove to be true. Dug up by an XDA-Developers member from the depths of the latest Google Camera APK (version 7.4) is a line of code that shows Google might be planning to add a feature people have been requesting for a while.

We’re talking about 4k video recording at 60 frames per second. The app code refers to a new camera mode and isn’t very ambiguous: “camcorder.4k60fps”. Pixels currently top at 4k 30fps, while iPhones have 4k 60fps and Samsung’s new Galaxy S20 phones even have 8k at 24fps now, as ridiculous as that is.

Previously, the explanation for the lack of 4k at 60fps on Pixel phones was that memory bandwidth limitations weren’t allowing the team to implement the feature the way they wanted it.

So, Google has either found a way around it and is ready to implement it, or the feature will exist in the software but will only be available on the Pixel 5 when it arrives later this year. Hopefully, it’s the first option and high-definition geeks will soon be able to enjoy those extra 30 fps in all their smooth glory.