Android 15 is fixing one of many worst components of the Pixel’s webcam function

Until you had been to purchase an absurdly costly webcam, there’s a superb probability the digital camera high quality of the Android smartphone you already personal blows your PC’s webcam out of the water. That’s why many individuals use their smartphone as a webcam, which is straightforward to do because of third-party webcam apps. With the Android 14 QPR1 replace for Pixel telephones, Google made it even simpler to do that by constructing USB webcam help proper into Android.

Whereas Android’s webcam function is tremendous handy to make use of because it doesn’t contain downloading a particular app, it sadly leaves quite a bit to be desired. When Android Authority’s Dhruv Bhutani examined it in opposition to the iPhone Continuity Digital camera, he was particularly disillusioned concerning video high quality. He stated that the video high quality when utilizing his Google Pixel 8 Professional as a webcam was “fairly mediocre” and “nowhere close to nearly as good because the iPhone.”

In my very own testing, I discovered that the video high quality when utilizing Android 14’s built-in webcam function was considerably worse when in comparison with third-party webcam apps working on the identical system. This meant that the difficulty wasn’t with the cellphone however with Android’s webcam function. My idea is that Google optimized the Android 14 webcam function for long-term endurance on the expense of video high quality. That is unlucky as a result of some video calls is perhaps quick, and a few telephones can deal with outputting higher-quality video for lengthy durations.

Luckily, Google appears to have realized that some customers need higher-quality video from their smartphones, which is why it’s added a brand new Excessive High quality Mode to Android’s webcam function.

Android 15 Excessive High quality Mode webcam function

If you allow the USB webcam function within the newest Android 15 Developer Preview 2 launch, you’ll see a brand new “HQ” image positioned on the prime left. Tapping this allow the brand new Excessive High quality Mode, which disables any energy optimizations that Google made beneath the hood for the webcam function.

For those who’re trying to maximize battery life, then it might be price preserving Excessive High quality Mode disabled for longer video calls. For what it’s price, although, I ran with Excessive High quality Mode enabled for a video name that lasted practically two-and-half hours, and my Pixel 8 Professional’s battery temperature solely reached a peak of 37.6 levels Celsius (~100 levels Fahrenheit). Plus, the battery degree solely dropped by 8% throughout this time. I used to be utilizing a gradual USB 2.0 cable linked to a dock, although, so it’s doable the temperature would have risen much more with a quicker charger (and inversely, the battery drain would have lessened or halted).

For those who’re questioning whether or not Excessive High quality Mode truly improves video high quality, then I’m joyful to report that it does — in truth, fairly considerably. I recorded the whole thing of episode 35 of the Android Devoted podcast utilizing my Pixel 8 Professional as a webcam with Excessive High quality Mode enabled. I additionally recorded a fast video, embedded under, that compares the standard of Android’s webcam function with and with out Excessive High quality Mode.

(Notice: I manually enabled the function to acquire this footage, however the function is reside as of Developer Preview 2.)

In our view, Google ought to have included this Excessive High quality Mode possibility from the get-go, but it surely’s higher late than by no means. Will you check out Android’s USB webcam function now that Google has added the HQ mode? Tell us within the ballot under.