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Google's Pixel 10 tipped to offer an unexpected upgrade, and a surprise downgrade, against the ... More current Pixel 9 (pictured).
Google is tipped to introduce an unexpected change with the Pixel 10 camera. The standard model will reportedly gain a telephoto lens for the first time, but with downgraded components in the remaining cameras. This means the base Pixel 10 could potentially deliver inferior image quality to the Pixel 9 in many scenarios, despite the added zoom capability.
Information from a Google insider received by Android Authority, shows that this year’s standard (non-Pro) Pixel 10 smartphone will come with an unexpectedly powerful camera upgrade in the form of a new triple rear camera, incorporating a telephoto lens. This will bring a three-lens setup to the base Pixel model for the first time.
Here are the report’s key findings:
Pixel 10 Pro: will include the best sensors for superior all-round image quality.
Pixel 10: tipped to gain a telephoto lens, but with lower-quality sensors all round.
Pixel 9a: Expected to share most camera sensors with the base Pixel 10.
Pixel 10 Camera: Telephoto Lens Added, But At What Cost?
Until now, Google has reserved telephoto lenses for its Pixel Pro and Pro Fold smartphones only, equipping its standard Pixel models with just two cameras at the rear. However the report also claims that this Pixel 10 telephoto upgrade will come at the cost of downgrading the remaining two rear cameras to the level of the budget-friendly Pixel 9a launching later this week.
This change could catch potential customers unaware, especially those who habitually upgrade their phones without paying close attention to the specs.
The key takeaway here is that if you care about getting the best quality from your Pixel’s primary camera, you’ll have to opt for a Pro model as the Pixel 10 and Pixel 10 Pro will likely have a much bigger quality gap between them than the current Pixel 9 and Pixel 9 Pro.
That said, Dxomark tests of the earlier Pixel 8a show that Google’s budget models can hold up reasonably well against more expensive Pixels with larger sensors outside of the most challenging situations. In this generation of Pixels, the gap between the Pixel 8a and the Pixel 8 was particularly narrow when it comes to zoom performance, which may provide a clue as to why Google is beefing up the Pixel 10 with that new telephoto lens.
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