Just about every flagship released in 2019 came with support for recording 4K video at 60 FPS. The Google Pixel 4 series, however, was not one of them. In a statement earlier, Google explained why they opted to limit the frame rate to 30 FPS. The company argued that most users use the default 1080p 60 FPS so they focused their energy on improving his mode. It was reportedly pulled at the last minute after having been a part of the original release. Today, we stumbled upon the real reason why Google didn't include the option on the Google Pixel 4.
So, about 4K60 on the Pixel 4: the limited storage may not be the only reason why it isn't supported. Thread:
— Mishaal Rahman (@MishaalRahman) November 8, 2019
Mishaal Rahman from XDA Developers managed to unlock the 4K 60fps mode in Google Camera on a rooted Pixel 4 along with his team. They noticed that recorded videos never exceeded 38fps. It happens due to both rear-facing cameras operating at once. On the plus side, it allows you to switch between the two lenses seamlessly while zooming, but it's also the reason why the Snapdragon 855 can't handle recording 60fps in 4K. The chip simply doesn't have enough bandwidth in its image sensor processor to maintain the high frame rate on two lenses at once. Even the iPhone 11—a device capable of recording at 4K 60 FPS from the front and rear camera—doesn't switch between lenses while recording at the configuration.
In theory, it is possible to enable 4K 60fps recordings by making the Pixel 4 pull input from only one camera. Sure, you won't have optical zoom but it is a small sacrifice to make. We might even see it in action sometime in the future. After all, the only thing one needs to do is kill the telephoto lens while capturing video at 4K 60. Whether it is Google that does it first with a software update or some resourceful modder remains to be seen.
4K 60 FPS recording is one of those 'good to have' features that nobody really uses and I wouldn't lose much sleep over not having it. While Google's reason for not including it in the Pixel 4 is valid, all that talk about 'optimizing the 1080p 60 FPS experience' seems like little more than marketing gobbledygook. Then again, we can't expect Google to say, "Our chip can't handle 4K 60 FPS, and that's why you can't have it," now, can we? Then again, the camera on that device is excellent at still photography, so it is a lot easier to forgive this little transgression.
News Source: Android Police
