The weak Pixel 5 camera is giving up the crown, and more tech news today

Your Tech News Digest via the DGiT Daily Tech Newsletter for Tuesday, October 20, 2020.

1. Pixel 5 camera … problems?

The Pixel 5 camera may have reached its end game. For the Pixel 5, the camera is fine, but it’s no longer the line in the sand it used to be.

The problems for Google: Using the same image sensor all the time doesn’t make the most of what’s available.
Google uses the 12MP IMX363 sensor it has been using since the Pixel 3, and the Pixel 2 uses almost the same module as well.
The competition has caught up.
It’s not all bad news: the same Pixel experience is possible with the Pixel 4a 5G, while the Pixel 4a has the same camera at just $ 350, half the price of the Pixel 5, just without the extra ultrawide Lens.
These still look like value, but at $ 700 the Pixel 5 has much tougher competition. And if the camera was a pillar of the pixel, any decay of its advantage is a problem.

What the reviews say:

CNET went pretty hard with the piece “Google Pixel 5’s Weak Camera Brings Me to iPhone 12.”
The piece makes it clear that Google’s solid processing power is retained, the video stabilization looks good, the “night vision” and “astrophotography” modes are still amazing and the new HDR + works.
But rivals work on the hardware side. The iPhone 12 Pro’s photo and video capabilities look by leaps and bounds to photo enthusiasts including the CNET reviewer, though reviews are yet to follow.
In a camera shootout between the Pixel 5, Samsung Galaxy S20 Plus, Huawei P40 Pro and Sony Xperia 5 II, our man Rob Triggs shows in detail how close the phones are, but where the Pixel 5 is now being trumped.
The wide-angle performance is surprisingly poor.
In short, the flaws in the older Pixel hardware are becoming more and more apparent. Don’t be alarmed: good snapshots are still required, especially in the dark, but noise, zoom, and lens quality become issues, and it’s the first time Google’s software expertise may not quite fill the void.
I asked Rob to give readers a quick recap based on his time with the Pixel 5 and he wrote to me, “The Pixel 5 retains Google’s excellent picture smarts for some great looking snaps, especially in low light. The unchanged hardware package, however, shows its age in an industry with larger, high-quality sensors, sharper wide-angle lenses, and long-range periscope zooms. “
“That means Google won’t be fighting for first place this year. Still, I itches to see what Google can do with newer camera sensors. “

A little more insight::

Both the Pixel 5 and the new Samsung Galaxy S20 FE are priced at $ 699 and are available now. Above all, a head-to-head camera comparison between the two shows how much Samsung has closed the void, but for most shots I still pick the Pixel as the winner more often.
However, the Galaxy S20 FE has a main shooter, an ultrawide lens and a telephoto lens, as well as a 32-megapixel selfie shooter that can also record 4K @ 60fps video. The Pixel 5 only offers an 8MP selfie camera which is limited to 1080p @ 30fps video.
Google can’t keep track of what it’s currently using. Expect a lot more from the Google Pixel 6 or 5a when we get there.

2. We asked you whether OnePlus installs apps like Amazon via OTA (Android Authority) updates.

3. Samsung seems to be investigating a phone with a pop-out display – the idea is to increase speaker performance (Android Authority).

4. Sony Xperia 5 II examines the second opinion: “… a very serviceable phone that is cheaper than the Xperia 1 II and offers many of its best functions” (Android Authority).

5. Apple leaked docs say 5G speeds are not supported on iPhone 12 when using two lines in dual SIM mode. Apple will activate this function later via software update. It’s a story, but the truth is, given the availability of 5G (MacRumors), you might not even know.

6. Replacing the iPhone 12’s OLED screen with a ceramic protector is nearly $ 300 (Business Insider).

7. The Verge has the most incredible deep dive into the Foxconn Wisconsin disaster. What it is, a disaster for Foxconn and Wisconsin, with so much time, effort, and energy being wasted on a deserted front on tax credits and political wrangling. It will take you a while to read Saint Moly: In Foxconn’s Empty Buildings, Empty Factories, and Empty Promises (The Verge).

8. Apple Music TV is a new 24-hour music video channel. Apple started… MTV? (Diversity).

9. PS5 uses downloadable updates to control fan speed from game to game. Many questions, why not just adapt to the load feedback, but create a cooling profile to supplement the sensor data, is definitely wise (Ars Technica).

10. Intel agrees to sell its NAND business to SK Hynix for $ 9 billion. The comment likely suggests a good result for both, as Intel has to spend billions to keep up while struggling to get its main focus back on the best: CPUs (TechCrunch).

11. The adventures of Mandalorian and Baby Yoda continue in the second season in a brand new look: 10 days left (The Verge).

12. I fully support this review after playing Retro soccer ball last night: “This little soccer game on my phone is a lot of fun” (Defector).

13. Don’t forget that NASA touches an asteroid space rock today! It happens approximately 10 hours after this newsletter is sent or at 6:12 p.m. EDT. Turn on! (asteroidmission.org/).

14. InSight’s thermal probe is now finally buried on Mars (Gizmodo).

15. “Why don’t you make screws stronger than screwdrivers so they don’t get stripped off? Is it a physical limitation or is it just a big screw trying to sell more screws? “(R / nostupidquestions).

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