Google Camera Go

You can now take HDR photos with Google Camera Go

Damien Wilde | Dec 18 2020 - 5:10 am PT

For those with low-end or modest smartphone hardware, a solid camera experience is often something you have to sacrifice as your budget slides. That is starting to change thanks to apps like Google Camera Go, which is now giving users the ability to take HDR photos on low-end smartphones.

Effectively, Google Camera Go is a repackaged version of the Pixel’s Google Camera app, but for those with smartphones that aren’t ever likely to win any mobile photography awards. In recent months, we’ve seen the application jump from Nokia handsets to more devices, plus it has added the ability to take long-exposure Night Mode photos.

As an app aimed squarely at the kinds of devices that will often come with a barebones camera application, you’re afforded some neat new tricks without needing to upgrade your device. The results are a mixed bag, but overall are impressive, given that you’re not using the best of the best.

Google has confirmed over on Twitter that HDR photo support is now rolling out to Google Camera Go, which will allow some of the cheapest Android phones to take photos “with crisper details and richer color at any time of the day.”

Camera Go keeps getting better. We’re bringing HDR to more #Android devices, allowing you to capture photos with crisper details and richer color at any time of day. pic.twitter.com/mk8uByB6bK
— Android (@Android) December 17, 2020

HDR photos on smartphones work by taking multiple images at different exposures, which are then combined to reveal much greater detail in shadows and areas with bright highlights. It’s a nifty trick that often budget devices simply can’t mimic with a filter. Google Camera Go lets you toggle this HDR setting and we’re sure it will be a big bonus for almost all shooting scenarios.

Like previously though, attempting to sideload the Google Camera Go app on devices that are not officially supported means that you actually won’t get access to the new HDR and Night modes. Google only technically supports a small pool of smartphones, meaning that this is a limited rollout of an impressive camera feature.