Google’s Pixel smartphones are known for their photography prowess, and a lot of it has to do with the Google Camera app which employs Google’s own software-based image processing engine to deliver some stunning results.
The Google Camera is not available on devices from other smartphone manufacturers because it is based on a proprietary technology, but a Ukranian developer who goes by the name B-S-G has created a port for the Google Camera app which works on the Poco F1 and the Xiaomi Mi 8 flagships. The Google Camera app port for both the devices is now available on the XDA Forum thread and it works just fine.
We installed the V1 build of the Google Camera app’s port on the Poco F1 unit at Beebom and it worked just fine. We also tested the same build on the Mi 8 SE, and it worked on the mid-range device too. Here are a few camera samples taken with the Google Camera app’s port installed on the Poco F1:
However, not all features of the Google Camera app work on its ported version. The only main features of the Google Camera app which are functional on its port are the Portrait Mode, HDR+ mode and the ability to record videos. Slo-Mo video recording, Smart Burst and the Zero Shutter Lag (ZSL) feature don’t work on the Google Camera port.
Initially, the portrait mode function on the Google Camera port did not function properly, but after taking a couple of shots, it reverted back to normal. As for the HDR+ mode, it also worked fine on the port installed on the Poco F1, but the overall speed of capturing images was slower when compared to that on the Pixel smartphones. Nonetheless, the results provided by the Google Camera app port on the Poco F1 were impressive.
The Google camera port only works on smartphones on which the Camera2 API is enabled, a feature which is present on all Xiaomi devices packing the Snapdragon 845 and the Snapdragon 710 chipsets.
Download the Google Camera app port here.
