The Kraken is not yet fully awake

There have been several raves about the camera performance of the Google Pixel 2: From its high DxoMark score to the evolution of its HDR+ algorithm–the same algorithm that has been used since the Nexus phones.

Read: Google’s Pixel 2 has the Best Camera According to DxOMark

While we have seen a few sample photos using the Pixel 2, we are reserving our judgment for the meantime until we get our hands at the Pixel 2 and put it on the wringer. One reason? The Pixel 2’s full potential is yet unknown, as new reports confirm the rumor of a “Pixel Visual Core” found hidden in the Pixel 2’s hardware.

The Pixel Visual Core chip is best described as an Image Processing Unit (IPU) that consists of 8 cores. It’s role? Each core is designed to handle Google’s HDR+ functions, and with the Pixel Visual Core, HDR processing is 5x faster and uses less energy compared to the current setup.

But here’s the thing: As of the moment, the Pixel Visual Core chip is not yet activated for now. However, Google promises to enable the chip with the upcoming Android 8.1 update. Aside from activation, the Pixel Visual Core is expected to work with third-party apps, so any camera app can utilize the Pixel 2’s HDR+ feature.

Now, if the Pixel 2’s sample photos have impressed us sans the Pixel Visual Core chip, we can’t wait to see what Google’s in-house IPU chip can do.

Source: The Verge