Not all hardware is made equal, we’re all aware of that and while Nexus 4 owners will see an update to Android 5.0, they won’t be getting the full ride – at least when it comes to the camera.
Part of the Lollipop update was a new API to allow developers – and therefore users through apps – greater access to the camera, including full manual controls, as well as the option to output full RAW output in DNG format. But according to Google, these features won’t be available to Nexus 4 owners, with only the Nexus 5 and Nexus 6 seeing the full support for Manual Controls and RAW format support. Nexus 9 owners are being left behind a little too, with only support for manual controls being brought to the platform.
In response to the request to bring the Camera2 API to the Nexus 4 on Issue 82219 on the Google Code Issue tracker, a Google employee responded by saying:
Its hardware and firmware were not designed to support the full feature set provided by camera2, including manual controls and DNG support, and such support cannot be added retroactively to it.
The Nexus 5, 6 support all the major features of the new API; the Nexus 9 supports manual controls, but does not support DNG.
Whether non-Nexus devices support the new camera2 features is up to the manufacturers of those devices at this point; retrofitting camera2 support is a major effort, as it generally requires a near-total rewrite of the camera HAL module (essentially, the driver) for a particular device. We are certainly encouraging manufacturers to undertake that effort, but on many existing devices, the hardware simply isn’t capable of supporting features like burst capture, or RAW sensor output.
It’s a bit of a downer, but the phone is getting on in age, despite being one of the better looking Nexus phones released. The incentive for LG to revisit the hardware on the Nexus 4 is obviously quite low, but still, the possibility is there.
Do you own and currently use the Nexus 4? Are you looking at purchasing a new phone?
