With the release of the second Android 8.1 developer preview update, Google has enabled the stealth display chipset on Pixel 2 devices. The co-processor Pixel Visual Core, developed by Google, allows third-party application developers to use the capabilities of the chip to improve capture quality. You can enable this feature by following the instructions described below:
To open Pixel Visual Core for your Pixel 2 device, you first need to make sure you have installed the latest Android 8.1 developer preview. then you need in the settings menu go to System > About Phone and tap the build number 7 times to enable Developer Options on your device.
After enabling Developer Options, open the same from Settings page and go to “debugging” and Change the ‘Camera HAL HDR+’ option To enable the functionality of Pixel Visual Core. You will now need to restart your Pixel 2 device for the feature to activate.
You will no longer notice any significant difference in the picture taken by the official Pixel 2 camera. This is because the camera app already uses Pixel Visual Core to enhance your shots. this primary benefit of the feature will come from third party app developersthey are free to use said chipset to render their images on the device.
Google has already said that app developers can use the “Camera API” to take advantage of Pixel Visual Core and render photos using HDR+ technology. The mentioned chipset will help immensely in improving the image quality by giving the captured photos the same treatment as any official camera photo.
This Pixel Visual Core chipset will be very useful for social media apps like Instagram or Snapchat, which can make the capture process go more smoothly and allow users to post HDR photos without much loss of quality. HDR+ technology helps improve dynamic range and eliminate noise to make subjects stand out in the picture. Planning to turn on Camera HAL HDR+ on your Pixel 2? Let us know if you have any questions in the comments below.