Sony has an interesting idea of what an improved photo looks like
Early on the Xperia 1 VIII product page, Sony is promoting its new AI Camera Assistant. Powered by Xperia Intelligence, the feature is supposedly using some sort of AI processing to improve the image quality of photos taken with the new phone.
Sony’s idea of AI enhanced photos. | Image by Sony
However, the output of the AI tool doesn’t look like much of an improvement, which has led to backlash online. As you can see yourself, the results are far from perfect, with many users on social media pointing out that the AI is making the photos look worse than the originals.
The big photo flattening
As shocking as they may be, Sony’s marketing materials are a great example of a larger issue with modern smartphone cameras. The company’s edited photos are much brighter than the originals, coming with washed-out colors and minimal contrast, which makes them look flat.
The so-called “improvements” are so bad that I wondered whether there was a mistake and the before and after images were swapped. To me, all the “Original” photos look significantly better than the ones produced by the AI Camera Assistant.
While not perfect, those unedited photos come with more natural colors and actual shadows where shadows are supposed to be. However, other phone cameras are also over-sharpening, changing colors, and brightening shadows, which leads to artificial, flat, and often ugly photos.
It’s not only Sony
As much as I dislike the AI Camera Assistant, it appears that Sony is simply cranking up the same dials that have changed mobile photography across the board. Because of those trends, the Pixel 10 Pro, Galaxy S26 Ultra, and iPhone 17 Pro cameras sometimes take photos that look worse than the ones taken with Pixels, Galaxies, and iPhones from a few years ago. You can see our comparison between the Xperia 1 VIII and the iPhone 17 Pro Max cameras and decide if one of those has consistently better photos yourself.
Google’s idea for Enhancing photos is also questionable. | Video by Google
The latest proof that Sony isn’t the only tech company with questionable ideas about how a photo should look came during Google’s Android Show earlier this week. Among the various Android 17 improvements aimed at creators, the company demonstrated a new Smart Enhance feature, which is meant to instantly improve images with just a tap.Once again, that’s an AI feature powered by AI, which brightens the shadows, boosts the colors, and leads to a flat and boring image. While Google’s example is not even remotely as bad as Sony’s, it’s part of the overall trend for very bad taste across brands.
We need more opinionated cameras
In the past, Pixel phones were popular for their great cameras, the powerful night mode, and the very specific high-contrast look they delivered. That specific Pixel look is long gone, which doesn’t necessarily mean the Pixel 10 camera is taking bad photos. It just means that it takes mostly boring photos that look slightly artificial, just like the rest of the leading smartphones.
What I’d love to see from Sony and the rest of the leading smartphone manufacturers are cameras that have more distinct opinions about how a photo should look. I, for one, don’t mind photos with dark shadows or overblown highlights, even if that’s technically wrong.
Fortunately, some Chinese flagships, like the Xiaomi 17 Ultra, among others, are not afraid to take creative decisions with their cameras. Even if you don’t like how these images look, at least you can see someone likes bright colors and isn’t afraid of shadows. While Sony’s case is extreme, I hope it helps the wider industry dial down on the AI tools and go back to a more natural, even if imperfect, look for our cameras.
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