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After updating Chromebook system requirements to qualify as “Chromebook Plus,” Google adds zooming capability to the camera app. The addition also seemingly includes the ‘Super Res Zoom‘ feature found on Google’s Pixel phones starting with the Google Pixel 3. Super Res Zoom utilizes Machine Learning (ML) to extract more detail in the final result.
Chromebooks usually have a front-facing webcam for your video calls, although, you can capture still images too. However, the sub-par hardware doesn’t always lead to a final output most people are okay with. Notably, to obtain the Chromebook Plus badge, a device must have at least a Full HD resolution webcam.
Google pushes Super Res Zoom from Pixel devices to Chromebooks
Some Chromebook devices including the Google Pixel Slate and the Lenovo Ideapad Duet series also offer a back camera. A photography session with these Chromebooks will certainly not be as convenient as on your Google Pixel 8 Pro or Galaxy S24 Ultra.
However, having the capability to show your surroundings on a call with a respectable amount of detail and clarity is seemingly something Google is looking for. Google has already added built-in lighting enhancement and background blur features to Chromebook Plus OS, reports 9to5Google.
Chromebooks didn’t have a zoom feature on its camera up until this point. In a recent code change, the ChromeOS camera app appears to include a feature flag noted as “camera-app-digital-zoom“. The code change also reveals the “super-resolution” keyword. It indicates the inclusion of the ML-powered special zoom feature ‘Super Res Zoom’ or a similar implementation.
However, it’s important to note that the camera hardware on a flagship or even midrange smartphone is way more capable than that on a Chromebook. So, you should raise the bar of your expectations accordingly.
The Zoom feature for Chromebooks is currently under development
The feature flag “camera-app-digital-zoom” is currently available on the latest Dev channel build. Although it remains inactive at the moment.
We hope to see improvements in ChromeOS devices at the hardware level as well, which will let Google run its software magic and yield great results just as the Pixel camera does.
