I really can’t go back to a phone without a zoom camera

You might be surprised to know this, but I hold on to my personal Android phones for as long as I can. I’ve had my Pixel 7 Pro since late 2022. Prior to that, I had the HUAWEI Mate 20 Pro since late 2018. Both devices were great camera phones, which was good news as photography is one of my top priorities.

However, I’ve grown to realize that there’s one major feature I can’t do without on all my future smartphones, and that’s a zoom camera. In fact, every time I have to review a phone without a zoom camera, I can’t wait to switch back to my personal Pixel or the vivo X200 Pro I’m currently using as my secondary device.

I wasn’t always a fan of telephoto cameras. Back in 2016, I was really drawn to the LG G5’s ultrawide camera over the iPhone 7 Plus and its 2x telephoto camera. I thought the ultrawide angle was a cool idea at the time, and the wider perspective made for more visually striking photos.

I also thought that the quality of early zoom cameras was very underwhelming. For one, the 2x zoom factor wasn’t a big enough upgrade over the standard 1x camera to make it worthwhile. These phones also tended to have disappointing hybrid zoom, which was exacerbated by the low resolution of these early telephoto sensors. So, I often found that image quality would fall apart when pinching past 2x. It also didn’t help that portrait mode via these cameras wasn’t great back then.

It wasn’t all bad during this period, though. I used the Google Pixel 4 for a spell in late 2019 and early 2020, and I found that the pairing of a 12MP 2x camera and Super Res Zoom was a significant step in the right direction. However, this still wasn’t quite a game-changer for me.

My opinion has slowly changed over the years. I reviewed the Porsche Design Mate RS in 2018, which was effectively a supercharged P20 Pro, and I thought the 3x 8MP camera and 5x hybrid zoom delivered higher-quality images and more flexibility compared to most other flagships. I subsequently bought the Mate 20 Pro later that year which featured the same zoom capabilities. It also had an ultrawide camera, so I didn’t have to choose between wide or zoomed perspectives.

Then, in 2019, HUAWEI and OPPO debuted the first periscope cameras, featuring 5x and 6x native zoom, and I was blown away by the idea. We’ve since seen higher-resolution periscope cameras, and that was a big reason why I bought the Pixel 7 Pro in late 2022. The combo of a 5x periscope camera, 48MP resolution, and Super Res Zoom made for solid photos even at 10x. It’s a far cry from the 2x 8MP and 12MP cameras from just a few years ago. There’s been no shortage of improvements to zoom cameras since then, such as wider apertures for better low-light results, macro modes, and more. These advancements all helped enable some impressively flexible zoom cameras today.

The most obvious benefit I’ve seen with modern telephoto and periscope cameras is simply the ability to get much, much closer to a subject without having to physically take several steps forward. In fact, there are many situations where stepping forward simply isn’t feasible, so a periscope camera definitely helps. This included a recent Green Day and Offspring concert I attended from the nosebleeds, shots out of an airplane window, and snaps of fauna. It also allows you to get creative, as you can see in the fourth shot above (can you spot Ben Sin?).

The best zoom cameras are increasingly great for my work, too. I’ve previously praised devices like the vivo X100 Ultra and X200 Pro when taking product shots. I also find a zoom camera handy for events where fine print on a slide might go unnoticed (see the third image above from Computex) or if the venue is packed and a 1x or 2x shot isn’t close enough.

Even outside of taking photos, I’ve found that having a zoom camera is handy for simply reading signs and other bits of information. I’ve lost count of the number of times I’ve either taken a photo of a restaurant menu or sign in the distance or merely zoomed in to get a better look. I didn’t even have to get up from my chair to check the Wi-Fi password in the Mobile World Congress press room.

My Pixel 7 Pro is still going strong, so I don’t see myself buying a new phone this year. But if I change my mind and decide to upgrade, my next phone will definitely have a zoom camera. This requirement means I’m definitely not going to buy the Pixel 9 (although the upcoming Pixel 10 will have a zoom camera for the first time), a Pixel-A phone, or the vanilla iPhone. In fact, many affordable flagship phones are ruled out because they often ditch the telephoto camera altogether. I’m really not keen on the Galaxy S25 and S25 Plus either, as I feel Samsung is stuck in the past as far as these zoom cameras are concerned.

Nevertheless, a few recent releases caught my eye. The Pixel 9 Pro is one of those rare phones that combines a 5x periscope camera with a smaller size. I’ve also been pretty intrigued by the OnePlus 13, especially after colleague Ryan Haines praised its zoom performance. Special mention must also go to Nothing and realme for being among the few brands offering mid-range phones with telephoto or periscope cameras. In fact, the Nothing Phone 3a might be the only sub-$400 phone in the US with a periscope camera. If only both of these devices were available in my neck of the woods.

Looking ahead to the future, I am very interested in the vivo X200 Ultra as I’m using the X200 Pro as my secondary phone. It builds on the foundation of its predecessors with an improved 200MP zoom camera and will also have a 35mm main camera. I’m also intrigued by the OPPO Find X8 Ultra, as it could be another zoom camera king.

In any event, phones like the Pixel 9, Samsung Galaxy A series, and the iPhone 16 offer plenty of performance, great software, loads of updates, and good battery life. But these handsets have been a no-go for me ever since I switched from Team Ultrawide to Team Zoom. So, I really hope more brands adopt telephoto cameras in 2025 and beyond.