Google proudlyshowed off Video Booston thePixel 8 Prowhen it unveiled the 2023 Pixels at its October launch event. But the feature was not a part of the phone at launch, with Google noting it would arrive later in the year. That time arrived with the release of theDecember 2023 Pixel Feature Drop, which Google claims brings Video Boost to the Pixel 8 Pro. But as many Pixel owners disappointingly found out after installing the update, the feature is nowhere to be seen. It turns out that Google is rolling out Video Boost gradually.
Google’ssupport page on Video Boostnotes the feature “gradually rolls out to Pixel 8 Pro users” starting June 27, 2025, so it might be available immediately to everyone. More importantly, the page provides more insight into how the feature will work and its various limitations. By default, Video Boost will record 4K SDR videos at 30fps, with a maximum length of 10 minutes.
Right after recording, you can access a 1080p 30fps SDR footage. This is stored temporarily and is used by Video Boost to make the final boosted video. The temporary clip won’t occupy space in your Google account, though it will eat into your phone’s local storage. It is eventually deleted once the final footage is ready.
After the video is uploaded toGoogle Photosand Google’s servers have done their magic, you will get a notification about the boosted video. You can then view the footage with enhanced colors, contrast, and dynamic range. For the best playback experience, the file is automatically downloaded to your phone when connected to Wi-Fi. The original non-boosted video is also retained, and you can view it from the cloud whenever required.
The file size, upload time, and processing will vary based on your settings and internet speed. And if it was not already obvious, you must have Google Photos backup enabled to use Video Boost. While not mentioned, these requirements from Google make it clear that the feature won’t be able to work its magic on your existing videos uploaded to Google Photos.
But how well does Video Boost actually work? Google has shown off a few demo footage, but as we all know, marketing clips are not always accurate. One lucky Pixel 8 Pro owner got Video Boost with Night Sight to work on his phone and posted a video to show off the difference between a regular and a boosted clip.
The difference in brightness and details between the original and the boosted clip is immediately visible in the video, making it seem like the latter was recorded a few hours earlier.
There’s no daytime footage, so we can’t ascertain how effective Video Boost will be when there’s plenty of light around. Still, the first real-life Video Boost demo looks impressive, and it appears Google’s processing is doing more than just artificially boosting the video’s brightness.
