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Not surprising

Pixel 4's Dual Exposure Controls and Live HDR+ won't be coming to the Pixel 3/3a

Google says it won't be possible to bring the two features to older devices due to hardware limitations.
Babu Mohan
21 Oct 2019

What you need to know

  • Google has confirmed that Dual Exposure controls and Live HDR+ will remain exclusive to the Pixel 4 and 4 XL.
  • The company says these two features will not be made available on older Pixel phones as they require low-level capabilities in the hardware.
  • Some of the other new features such as Live Caption and the astrophotography mode, however, will soon be available on the Pixel 3 and 3a.

Soon after unveiling the Pixel 4 series last week, Google confirmed that some new features from its latest phones will be making their way to older Pixel devices in the near future, including Live Captions and Astrophotography mode. Google has now confirmed (via AndroidAuthority) on Twitter that the Pixel 4's Dual Exposure controls and Live HDR+ features will not be available on older Pixel smartphones.

Hi Mahfooz, Dual Exposure Controls and Live HDR+ require low-level capabilities in the hardware that are only available on Pixel 4, so they will not be available on older Pixel devices.

— Made By Google (@madebygoogle) October 21, 2019

As per Google, Dual Exposure Controls and Live HDR+ require low-level capabilities in the hardware that are not available on older Pixel devices. Dual Exposure Controls, as the name of the feature suggests, allows users to control highlights and shadows with individual sliders in the viewfinder.

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Live HDR+, on the other hand, provides a real-time preview of the final photo that you will get after the HDR+ processing is done. While it is disappointing that these two features will not be coming to the older Pixel 3 and 3a series, owners of older Pixel phones still have reasons to be excited. As mentioned earlier, Google is bringing Live Captions and the new Astrophotography mode to the Pixel 3 and 3a before the end of the year.

Google Pixel 4

If you are looking for a new Android smartphone with a brilliant camera, the Pixel 4 should be at the top of your list. It packs a capable dual camera setup at the back with a 12MP primary sensor and a 16MP telephoto lens. With the new and improved Night Sight, Pixel 4 is more impressive in low-light situations than previous Pixel phones and even offers an Astrophotography mode.

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