Google is known for its computational photography prowess, allowing its Pixel phones to capture stunning pictures even from relatively old camera sensors. Sadly, the same magic does not carry over to videos, with Pixel phones lagging behind thebest Samsung phonesand iPhones with their sub-par video recording capabilities and quality. At its Made by Google event in October 2023, Googledemoed Video Boost on the Pixel 8 Pro, promising to bring its HDR+ processing and its much-hyped Night Sight to videos for better quality. Now that the feature is finally here, how effective is Video Boost in the real world?
What to know about Video Boost on the Google Pixel 8 Pro?
Video Boost does not work locally on thePixel 8 Prodespite Google hyping the AI prowess of theTensor G3chip. Instead, the feature is tied to Google Photos and Google’s servers in the cloud, as they pass every frame of the uploaded video through an HDR+ image pipeline for better dynamic range, sharpness, colors, stabilization, and more details.
So, to use Video Boost, you must haveGoogle Photosbackup enabled. While the feature does not require a Google One subscription, you must have enough free space in your Google account to upload videos. But this does not mean thatallthe magic happens in the cloud. Your Pixel phone records additional data when Video Boost is enabled to help with processing. This data is temporarily stored on your phone and also uploaded to Google Photos, though it does not eat into your account storage.
You must enable the Video Boost option from the Pixel Camera settings in Video mode before you start recording. It is also not possible to use Video Boost’s magic on your existing videos or apply the processing pipeline to any footage after recording it. With Video Boost enabled, you’re able to record 1080p or 4K videos at 30fps on your Pixel 8 Pro. 10-bit HDR recording is disabled by default, though you can enable it.
The main limitation is that you can only shoot from the primary 50MP camera at 1x or 2x zoom — other sensors and camera features are not available in this mode. You cannot have Video Boost enabled by default, either. As soon as you exit the Pixel Camera app, the feature turns itself off, so you’ll have to enable it manually every time.
How well does Video Boost work?
Despite all the limitations, Video Boost works very, very well. When shooting in daylight, boosted videos have better colors and contrast than regular footage. The difference is noticeable, with better dynamic range and more contrast. The HDR effect is also more pronounced, though the boosted reds of the flower in the sample below look unnatural. Overall, the improvement is noticeable but not big enough that you would enable Video Boost for all videos when shooting with plenty of light available.
Sample HDR video footage from the Pixel 8 Pro without Video Boost.
Same scene recorded on Pixel 8 Pro with Video Boost enabled.
The feature can be helpful in areas with high dynamic range or when you know you are recording something vital that you will see for years to come. But for casual clips, always enabling Video Boost makes little sense, mainly because it doesn’t let you use the ultrawide and telephoto lenses.
Video Boost flexes its muscles when recording in low-light scenarios. That’s where Night Sight for videos kicks in, taking your footage to a new level altogether. Compared to regular 4K footage shot on the Pixel 8 Pro, the Video Boost with Night Sight version has better brightness, stabilization, and even slightly more details.
Pixel 8 Pro footage recorded without Video Boost enabled
Same scene recorded with Video Boost enabled.
The best part is that these improvements come with no additional noise; I even found noise was somewhat reduced in some scenarios in my test clips.
When Night Sight for photos debuted on the original Pixel, it surprised everyone with the jump in image quality. Video Boost with Night Sight delivers similar results for videos.
But the feature is not perfect
Video Boost works well, but there are limitations. Mainly, the long processing time is a bummer. You don’t get instant access to the Video Boost-ed version of a clip within seconds of it being uploaded to Google Photos. The processing seemingly happens in batches, with the notification arriving 3–5 hours after the upload is complete.
You can view a temporary preview of the recorded video in 1080p resolution on your Pixel, but the final footage is going to be significantly better. On the plus side, you can access the Video Boost clip on your Pixel or the web once it’s processed. It will play on any other device without issues.
You really have to wait to see the Video Boost-ed version of a recorded clip
As mentioned earlier, you may also only use the primary 50MP lens on the Pixel 8 Pro, losing the flexibility the 5x telephoto and ultrawide sensors provide. If you are okay with these limitations, Video Boost will impress you with its magic.
Does Night Sight with Video Boost suddenly make the Pixel 8 Pro the best phone to record videos on, even better than theiPhone 15 Pro Max? That’s debatable. The video quality is undoubtedly better. It’s the long processing time and the inability to switch to other lenses that are the issues. But this is just the first iteration of Video Boost. Google should be able to improve the feature and reduce its processing time in the coming years, maybe even allowing for on-device processing sometime in the future.
Google Pixel 8 Pro
If you want to use Video Boost, you need the Google Pixel 8 Pro. Other than Video Boost, the phone also has exclusive access to Gemini Nano, which enables some more AI features like Recorder summaries and reply suggestions on WhatsApp. It’s also a great smartphone overall.
