The new Pixel phones lack a Pixel Neural Core, but that doesn’t mean they lack the features

Google is a major player in the machine learning field, leveraging its experience in multiple products, including the Pixel phones. That used to be the case, anyway, none of the new models have the Pixel Neural Core.

This includes the affordable Pixel 4a, the Pixel 4a 5G and even the $700 Pixel 5. Instead, all AI calculations will go through the NPU of the Snapdragon chipset (S730G in the case of the 4a, S765G for the other two).

Last year Google explained that the Live HDR+ and Dual Exposure features can’t be enabled on older pixels because they lacked the Neural Core (they had the…