Quick Summary
Google is bringing Magic Editor, its photo-editing wizardry, to more Pixel (and Android) phones.
Previously only on the Pixel 8 lineup, it's coming to a range of devices along with other AI-enhanced image editing options.
Google is rolling out a welcome photo upgrade for a range of slightly older Pixel phones.
It's bringing the much-hyped Magic Editor system to all of its Pixel phones, not just those on the best phones list. Although there are some constraints that stop it from being quite as powerful as it is on the flagship Pixel 8 and Pixel 8 Pro.
Despite the impression that some of these editing features depended on the newest Google Tensor chipset onboard the phone, it would seem that Google can in fact make them work on older hardware.
As it promised, then, it's now rolling out the software to older Pixel phones, although normal Google Photos users will by default only be able to make 10 Magic Editor library saves each month (meaning 10 images, rather than 10 individual edits on those images).
If you're a Google One Premium (2+TB) member, though, you'll have unlimited edits, and the same is true if you own any Pixel phone, apparently.
The hardware restriction that does exist, though, is on the technical side – to run Magic Editor, your phone needs to have Android OS 8.0 or newer installed, at least 4GB of RAM, and a 64-bit chipset. Anything weedier than this, and you won't be able to run it.
Google is also offering a whole bunch of its recent AI tools up for use in Google Photos in the latest version of the app, comprising the following list:
Sign up to the T3 newsletter for smarter living straight to your inbox
Get all the latest news, reviews, deals and buying guides on gorgeous tech, home and active products from the T3 experts
- Magic Eraser
- Unblur
- Sky suggestions
- Colour pop
- HDR effect for photos & videos
- Portrait blur
- Portrait light: Add light/Balance light features in the Portrait light tool
- Cinematic photos
- Styles in collage editor
- Video effects
That means that the in-app editing options have just taken a major uplift to make it possible to do way more without swapping to a dedicated photo-editing suite.
Google had previously indicated that this would all roll out in the second half of May, and users are indeed now starting to report that they've got the new features on older phones, so it's worth keeping an eye out for them if you're eligible to try them out.
It's a welcome offering, given that many of these tools were previously locked into a Google One subscription, and Magic Editor is a pretty miraculous bit of software in our experience.
Max is T3's Staff Writer for the Tech section – with years of experience reporting on tech and entertainment. He's also a gaming expert, both with the games themselves and in testing accessories and consoles, having previously flexed that expertise at Pocket-lint as a features editor.
-
When is Black Friday 2024 – this Friday or next? Here's the official answer
Black Friday is on 29 November in 2024 – a week later than the year previous. But that's not stopped retailers putting on their sales...
By Mike Lowe Published
-
Forget Black Friday, F1 24 is completely free for a limited time
This top racing game has a free weekend
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Apple MacBook Pro to get a major rival from an unlikely source, claims report
Could we see a resurgence of the Pixel name in the laptop world?
By Britta O'Boyle Published
-
Google TV Streamer finally getting the puzzle piece it's been missing since day one
Solves my biggest issue with the streaming device
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Google Pixel Tablet 2 to add a major something that was missing on first-gen, claims report
Google is said to be preparing the Pixel Tablet 2 with an official keyboard case
By Chris Hall Published
-
Google TV Streamer gets its first free update with a surprise audio feature
An update is rolling out to Google's latest set-top-box now
By Rik Henderson Published
-
Google Pixel phones are getting an unbelievable battery health upgrade soon
Your Pixel phone could soon be much smarter about how it charges its battery
By Sam Cross Published
-
Android 16 release date revealed and it's ridiculously early
Google is stepping up the schedule for Android versions, which could be interesting
By Chris Hall Published
-
The best new camera phone might not be from Samsung or Apple
Oppo's making a big push for its next phone
By Max Freeman-Mills Published
-
Next-gen Google Pixel phones could get a significant camera upgrade
If you think the Google Pixel camera is good now, there's more to come in the future
By Chris Hall Published