What you need to know
- Pixel camera product manager Isaac Reynolds has said that the Pixel 4 series doesn't support 4K/60fps because "nobody actually needs it."
- Most Android flagship phones released this year support 4K video recording at up to 60fps.
- Reynolds also revealed that the face-retouching feature for the two phones was developed by utilizing the expertise of wedding photographers.
In an interview with the The Vergecast, Pixel camera product manager Isaac Reynolds revealed that Google reached out to wedding photographers to help build the Pixel 4's face retouching feature. According to Reynolds, Google did not want to cross certain lines such as making faces appear thinner or lips larger. The feature instead gets rid of small features such as pores on faces, to get rid of "what you look like today that isn't you." In addition to removing such features, the camera also raises the exposure to add a "glow" to the user's face.
When asked why the Pixel 4 series is not capable of capturing 4K videos at 24 or 60fps, Reynolds replied (via Reddit) saying "nobody needs those things." He added that while the two phones have the required memory bandwidth to support 4K video capture at 60fps, certain other components do not support the feature.
Last month, XDA Developers editor-in-chief Mishaal Rahman had found evidence that Google had initially planned to add 4K/60fps support to the Pixel 4 series but decided to pull the feature due to the high storage requirements.
The Google Pixel 4 series is among the few Android flagships currently that top out at 4K/30fps video recording. Latest flagship phones from Android OEMs like Samsung, OnePlus, LG, Xiaomi, ASUS, and a few other brands support 4K video capture at up to 60fps.
Google Pixel 4 XL
The Google Pixel 4 XL, with its 6.3-inch 90Hz Smooth Display and impressive camera performance is currently one of the best options out there if you are an Android purist. It also offers a few pretty unique features such as Soli-powered Motion Sense and 3D facial recognition. The phone supports wireless charging as well and is IP68 certified for dust and water resistance
