Microsoft says its new camera app is even better than Apple’s

Microsoft today launched its new camera app for iOS, and the company claims it’s even better than the one Apple builds into iOS.

Pix uses artificial intelligence to make your camera “smarter,” automatically adjusting settings and making enhancements to give you the best shots.

Every time you press the shutter button when using Pix, the app quickly captures ten frames. It then selects three of the best before deleting those that don’t make the cut. Finally, the remaining frames are then combined for the best photo.

By using three images, Pix can reduce the noise that often appears in your photos — particularly those shot in low-light settings. It then intelligently brightens the faces of the people in the shot, “beautifies” their skin, and adjusts the photo’s color and tone.

This process takes about a second, Microsoft says, and ensures every photo you snap is one that’s worth keeping. The company even promises that Pix takes greater images than the iPhone’s built-in Camera app, and offers the comparison below to prove it.

But Pix can do more than take great still images.

“While the app is selecting and enhancing the best of the burst, another set of algorithms sorts through the frames to determine whether any motion would make for an interesting looping video within the image,” Microsoft explains.

“If so, the app will loop the specific motion for a Harry Potter-esque effect called Live Image.” Even if you don’t have an iPhone 6s, then, you can now shoot the next best thing to Live Photos.

Pix is designed to be easy to use, so there are no modes or settings you need to mess around with. The app does all the hard work behind the scenes so you never have to worry about it. What’s more, it’s totally free to download.

Go grab Pix from the App Store now and try it out for yourself!

Killian Bell

Killian Bell is a freelance writer based in the U.K. He has an interest in all things tech and also covers Android over at CultofAndroid.com. You can follow him on Twitter via @killianbell.