How to Get Night Sight Camera Update for Pixel 3 XL

by Radu Nicolae · November 27, 2018

If the Pixel 2 XL camera was excellent, the one from your Pixel 3 XL is exceptional. Your handset can take truly impressive low-light photos, it records steady videos and pulls off solid portrait photos with only one rear lens compared to phones that use two cameras for the same effect, so I bet that you are impressed. And Night Sight is ready to step in, making things even better.

Do you want to get the Night Sight feature on your Pixel 3 XL? The update takes care of that, so it is basically a matter of waiting. You can also choose to head to the Google Play Store and look for an update for the Camera app if this takes too long.

Then, Night Sight becomes available in the camera’s menu option More, but if the camera senses a low-light scenario, a small dialog box will automatically pop up in the camera’s viewfinder to suggest turning it on.

Google first showcased this feature during the launch event of the Pixel 3 smartphone in New York, just a few weeks ago. One of the presenters showed off a comparison of a low-light scene, one shot on the iPhone XS and the other with the Pixel 3 and the truth is that the difference was huge. Some claimed that the authenticity of that comparison is questionable, but I say that Night Sight does indeed work as advertised and you can now see that by yourself too.

The idea is that Night Sight constantly adapts to you and the environment, whether you’re holding your Pixel 3 XL or choosing to prop it on a steady surface. Before you actually press the shutter button, Night Sight measures the potential natural hand shake, as well as how much motion is in the scene. And to white balance in Night Sight, Google is using a new, more sophisticated learning-based algorithm that’s been trained to discount and discard the tints cast by unnatural light.

And it’s not just the single 12MP rear camera on the rear of the Pixel 3 XL that takes advantage of the Night Sight, but the dual front cameras of your device are also getting the mode added to their arsenal of goodies. Enjoy it!