How Pixel 10 Pro created the world's smartest phone camera - a peek inside Google
News September 03, 2025

How Pixel 10 Pro created the world's smartest phone camera - a peek inside Google

ZDNET spoke with Google's Pixel Camera team to learn how they pulled off such huge advances in smartphone photography.

Google's Pixel phones have long been celebrated for their exceptional camera capabilities, often outperforming rivals with seemingly more advanced hardware. But how does Google consistently achieve these photographic feats? ZDNET recently gained exclusive access to the Pixel Camera team, offering a fascinating glimpse into the development process behind the Pixel 10 Pro's groundbreaking camera system and revealing the secrets to creating what many are calling the world's smartest phone camera.

The interview revealed that the Pixel Camera team's success isn't solely reliant on cutting-edge lenses or sensors. Instead, it's the intricate dance between hardware and, more importantly, Google's powerful artificial intelligence and computational photography algorithms that truly sets the Pixel 10 Pro apart. The team emphasized that their focus is on creating a camera that understands the scene, anticipates the user's intent, and automatically optimizes settings to capture the best possible image, regardless of the user's photographic skill level.

ZDNET’s report highlights the team's meticulous approach to training their AI models. They utilize vast datasets of images, carefully curated and annotated, to teach the AI how to recognize different subjects, lighting conditions, and even artistic styles. This allows the Pixel 10 Pro to automatically adjust parameters like exposure, white balance, and dynamic range with remarkable accuracy.

Furthermore, the Pixel Camera team places a strong emphasis on user experience. They constantly analyze user feedback and usage patterns to refine their algorithms and ensure the camera is intuitive and easy to use. This includes features like Magic Eraser, Photo Unblur, and Super Res Zoom, all of which are designed to simplify complex photographic tasks and empower users to capture stunning images with minimal effort.

The ZDNET article also touches upon the challenges the team faced in pushing the boundaries of smartphone photography. Balancing image quality with processing speed, managing power consumption, and ensuring consistent performance across different devices were all significant hurdles. The Pixel Camera team's dedication to overcoming these obstacles is a testament to their commitment to delivering a truly exceptional camera experience on the Pixel 10 Pro. The article concludes that Google’s success comes from a holistic approach; hardware provides the raw data, but Google's AI turns that data into breathtaking pictures.
Category: Technology