Pixel 2 includes Google’s own processor for faster processing of camera images

In addition to the Snapdragon 835, Google has added a self-designed soc in the Pixel 2 and Pixel 2 XL that is specifically intended as an image processor for processing camera images. The chip should significantly speed up the operation of the HDR+ function.

The Pixel Visual Core has a single Cortex A53 CPU and eight image processing cores, according to Google. This proprietary soc ensures that the processing of HDR+ images is five times faster and costs ten times less energy than if it were processed by the regular Snapdragon 835 soc. Google’s own soc is not yet active; only with the developer preview of Android 8.1, which will be released in a few weeks, does the search giant turn on the soc.

According to Google, the Pixel Visual Core makes it possible for third-party camera apps to shoot HDR+ images. Until now, this required Google’s own camera app. After Google turns on the Visual Core, Google will also activate the chip for all third-party camera apps that use the Android Camera API.

According to Google, the processing of HDR+ images and the associated image algorithms is only the first functionality that the new image processing unit takes care of. The company states that the chip is designed to run the most demanding imaging tasks and machine learning applications. Google says it is already developing new applications specifically for the programmable Pixel Visual Core.

In August, a developer released a modified version of the Google Camera app, which makes the HDR+ feature of the Pixel smartphones available on other devices. It only works on smartphones with a Snapdragon 820, 821 or 835. To use the hdr+ functionality, the Hexagon 680 image signal processor is required, which is included in the mentioned socs. The Google Camera app of the Pixel phones has been available for download separately for other devices for some time, but the HDR + functionality has only worked with Pixel smartphones until now.