The Google Pixel 9 quietly upgrades one of the Pixel camera's weakest features

We’ve leveled plenty of criticism at the panorama mode on recent Pixel phones due to its barebones nature and paltry output resolution. Fortunately, the Pixel 9 series takes a step in the right direction.

Google confirmed in a press briefing prior to launch that the panorama mode on new Pixel phones offers a much higher output resolution than before. It didn’t actually specify the maximum resolution, but that’s still an improvement over older Pixels offering ~5MP panoramas.

One major benefit of the legacy panorama feature is that it offers HDR processing, enabling more dynamic images than iPhone panoramas. Google is upping the ante here, too, bringing Night Sight panoramas alongside HDR+ support. Night Sight panos seem like an especially handy addition, theoretically allowing for brighter, cleaner low-light pano shots.

A Google representative also confirmed that the phones will launch with horizontal panoramas, followed by a vertical panorama option at a yet-to-be-determined date. Vertical panoramas are handy for capturing skyscrapers, huge natural features (such as waterfalls), the sky, and much more.

We’ve asked Google whether this revised pano mode will be coming to older Pixel phones. We’ll update the article as soon as the company responds. Nevertheless, we look forward to trying out this mode once we have Pixel 9 series phones in our hands.