A few years ago, Google impressed everyone with the Pixel 6’s stellar video stabilization. Since then, rivals have caught up, and the iPhone still remains the undisputed king of mobile video recording with unmatched steadiness. Google introduced no major upgrades with the Pixel 10 on this front. Users continue to report stuttering when switching lenses or moving the camera, just like on the Pixel 9. Turns out, the issue isn’t hardware-related but caused by a bug in Google’s Camera API.
Redditor No_Prticular7571 did some serious digging on the Pixel 10’s poor video stabilization performance, frustrated by the jitters and lag. The issue is especially prominent with EIS enabled, which should not be the case. Using Video Boost does not help much either, as it’s evident that it tries to apply a stabilization filter to shaky footage.
Acting on a tip, the Redditor tried the Open Camera app to record videos on the Pixel 10. And the twist? The Pixel’s video stutters come from Google’s Camera API, not its hardware.
When using Open Camera and its OpenCameraAPI for stabilization, the Pixel 10 Pro showed no signs of stuttering while panning or zooming. This stutter is otherwise especially visible when using the 5x telephoto lens for recording videos. However, when recording through the same app using Google’s Camera API, the videos once again showed the same stuttering issues.
Check the comparison video below to see the results for yourself. There’s a night-and-day difference in stabilization between Open Camera and the Pixel Camera app.
The same issue even affects the Pixel 9 lineup, clearly pointing to a bug in Google’s Camera API. Open Camera is free on the Play Store, so if you own a Pixel 9 or 10, give it a try and see the difference yourself. Even other camera apps like ProShot and BlackMagic will deliver the same results.
Time to consider using third-party camera apps on your Pixel
The Redditor has already submitted a detailed bug report to Google Support, so hopefully the company will identify the issue and take the necessary action.
Interestingly, it seems Google is not doing full justice to the Pixel 10’s camera hardware. Another Redditor previously found that using a third-party camera app can unlock 12-bit photo and video capture on the new Pixels.
