Google Pixel 8 Pro’s Manual Camera Controls Reportedly Work on All Pixel Phones With Tensor Chip

Google Pixel 8 series, which includes the Pixel 8 and the Pixel 8 Pro, was unveiled at the company’s Made by Google launch event on October 4. The new Pixel phones are powered by Google’s latest Tensor G3 chip, run on Android 14 out-of-the-box, and feature upgraded cameras. The Pixel 8 Pro sports a 50-megapixel primary camera, a 64-megapixel ultra-wide-angle camera, and a third 48-megapixel telephoto camera on its back. The top-of-the-line phone also comes with pro controls in the camera app that lets users adjust camera settings. An X user, however, has found that the pro controls, exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro, can be accessed on any Pixel phone with a Tensor chipset.

The new pro controls for the camera app on Pixel 8 Pro lets users adjust camera specific settings like ISO, shutter speed, aperture size, among others, bringing a professional photography experience to Pixel phones. The feature is supposed to be locked to the Pixel 8 Pro, but X (formerly Twitter) user Kamila (@Za_Raczke) has found that it can be enabled on older Pixel phones running on Tensor chips, too.

Kamila posted on X, showing the pro camera features running on a Pixel 7 Pro. In her thread, she said that she received early access to the Google Camera apk from the new phone and ran mods on it to make the feature work on an older Pixel. “…Turns out it fully works on any Tensor Pixel, from the 6 to the 7 Pro,” she said.

The user also posted photos of the pro control feature running on an older Pixel phone, that show the ability to adjust focus of the camera lens manually. The override grants users full control of the new camera app, letting them switch between lenses as well. According to Kamila, the pro controls seem to be limited the to Pixel 8 Pro officially via an artificial software lock, which when bypassed would allow the feature to run on Pixel phones going back to Pixel 6, which runs on the first Tensor chip from Google.

The pro camera controls are exclusive to the Pixel 8 Pro
Photo Credit: Google

Google Pixel 8 series also launched with Google’s AI-backed features like Photo Unblur. The Pixel 8 Pro sports a 6.7-inch Quad-HD (1,344×2,992 pixels) display with a 120Hz refresh rate. The flagship handset is priced at Rs. 1,06,999 for the 128GB storage model. The Pro model comes in Bay, Obsidian, and Porcelain colourways.